Michigan men’s basketball will take the court on Sunday for a showdown with Illinois. The Illini have slumped recently, losing three of their last five games, but not too long ago Illinois was a top-10 team. The Illini have the firepower to beat anyone and Michigan has been in too many close games to look past the slumping Illini. Freshman Kasparas Jakucionis, a 6-6 guard, leads the Illini averaging 15.3 points and also dishes out 4.8 assists. Kaspara is a projected top-10 pick in the NBA Draft.

RELATED: Michigan Basketball: Wolverines’ latest seed in NCAA Tournament ahead of major Illinois showdown

Michigan, 22-6 (14-3), is currently tied with rival Michigan State for the lead in the conference — with one game remaining between the two teams. The Wolverines have been rolling for the most part, winning eight of the last nine contests. Center Vlad Goldin has been leading the way for Michigan, averaging nearly 16 points per game and has been a force on the block. The Wolverines do want to see more out of both guard Tre Donaldson and forward Danny Wolf, who both have been struggling with their shot.

The Illini and Wolverines are two of the most explosive scoring teams in the Big Ten. Illinois averages 83.2 points — highest of the Big Ten schools — and Michigan is fifth averaging 79.8 points. The key for Michigan on Sunday — outside of getting scoring from Donaldson and Wolf — is to control the glass. Illinois leads the conference hauling in 42.9 boards a game. Michigan has struggled to allow teams to gain offensive boards and the Wolverines can’t afford to do that against an explosive scoring team.

While Illinois can be explosive, this game is at Crisler and the Wolverines should pull out a tight one.

Final score prediction: Michigan 75, Illinois 70

Michigan and Illinois will tip at 3:45 ET on CBS.

– Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI –

Michigan Football: Analyst says Bryce Underwood has to ‘prove he’s worth the hype and money’ in 2025