Michigan vs. Nebraska: College basketball game preview, TV schedule, prediction
By Bryan Mauro
Michigan is coming into this game riding high after beating Michigan State and Maryland. Nebraska is looking to stop their winning streak at home.
It is now officially resume-building time in regards to the NCAA tournament picture. When you are a bubble team, wins are not only important but necessary. The teams who are firmly in the tournament at this point are looking to avoid losses to bubble teams while trying to improve their in-conference standings.
Michigan Wolverines at Nebraska Cornhuskers
When: Thursday, January 18th, 2018
Where: Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, NE
Time: 9:00 p.m. ET
TV: Big Ten Network
Why is this game important?
Nebraska has 13 wins but has not been able to capitalize on any of their Group 1 games to this point in the season. Nebraska was 8 seconds away from beating Kansas in Lincoln right before Christmas and gave Creighton all they could handle for most of that game. The Huskers and head coach Tim Miles have NCAA tournament aspirations and if they want any hope of being strongly considered for a bid, the Huskers will need to find a way to beat Michigan.
Beating Michigan is a tall task for a Tim Miles coached team, as the Wolverines are the only team Nebraska has yet to beat since joining the Big Ten. Coach Miles is equipped with his best team and brings back the majority of the team that nearly beat Michigan last season.
Michigan is looking to continue their hot streak, as their only loss since December is a 1-point loss at the hands of Purdue, and that was a controversial one. John Beilein has his normal Michigan team. They are loaded with shooters and they force teams to be honest with them on defense. Michigan is a lock for the tournament at this point and needs to avoid losses to bubble teams like Nebraska if they want to continue to improve their seeding.