Michigan Wolverines Basketball Betting Guide

Fact Checked by Joss Wood

Thanks to former head coach John Beilein, Michigan basketball has become a regular national contender. The Wolverines have made 10 of the last 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including national title game appearances in 2013 and 2018. Now, the Wolverines are led by Juwan Howard. Expect the Wolverines to compete in what is a loaded Big Ten conference this season, which means a ton of betting opportunities on the Michigan basketball program.

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How to Bet on Michigan Basketball

Each of the top licensed and legal Michigan online sportsbooks is thoroughly reviewed on BetMichigan.com. New users in Michigan should read each review to see what online sportsbook fits their interests the most and includes plenty of options to bet on Michigan basketball.

After selecting a sportsbook on BetMichigan.com, click on the link and you will be directed to the sportsbook’s website. Once you click on “register” to begin the sign-up process, you will be required to provide an email address before selecting a password and username for your personal account. Then, an ID process will ask you to verify your identity by providing the last four digits of your Social Security number and proof of address.

When making your first deposit, a copy of your driver’s license or passport may be required to verify your identity as another security check. New players may also be eligible to take advantage of any welcome bonuses or promotions after making an initial deposit. 

Bet Types for Wolverines Basketball

Futures

Sportsbooks have a wide range of futures bets players can bet on before the season or during it. Some examples of Michigan futures include the Wolverines to win the national title, Big Ten conference or earn a Final Four berth.

Individual future bets are also available. Bettors can place a wager on any Michigan player listed to win the Wooden Award, which is given to the nation’s top player as chosen by a panel of college basketball experts.

Totals

Total betting is wagering on how many points will be scored in a single game. For instance, if a matchup between Michigan and Michigan State has a total set at 140.5, bettors can choose to take the over or under. If a player takes the under, they are betting that the two teams will combine to score less than 140 points, whereas the over means a bettor believes the two will score at least 141 points.

Teasers

Sportsbooks often allow players to tease certain games together. For instance, if a bettor sees Michigan is +2.5 against Michigan State, and Ohio State is +4 versus Iowa and wants to bet both Michigan and Ohio State but would prefer some insurance, the bettor could tease Michigan and Ohio State together. If the bettor decided to wager on Michigan and Ohio State in a six-point teaser, Michigan’s line would move to +8.5 and Ohio State would be +10. But with the added points, both bets would need to win for the wager to cash out - like a parlay.

Sportsbooks offer different types of teasers, including six, seven and 10-point variations. The odds of a teaser bet are reflective of how many total teams are being wagered on in the teaser and how many points are being teased. A six-point teaser would give better odds than the 10-point version because the six-point one isn’t getting as many points.

Moneyline

Betting on the moneyline is simply choosing who a player thinks will win the game. Moneyline odds are based on winning $100. If Michigan is -150 favorites against Rutgers, Michigan backers would earn $100 for every $150 wagered on the Wolverines. But if someone wanted to take Rutgers at +130, then every $100 would cash out $130 if Rutgers defeated Michigan.

Spreads

Spread betting is one of the more common wagers placed. Spreads are how many points a favorite needs to win by to cash out a bet, or how many points an underdog can lose by and still cover. If Michigan was at -3.5, the Wolverines would need to win by four in order for Michigan bettors to win their wager. On the other side, Rutgers’ bettors can afford to have the Scarlet Knights lose by three or less to record a winning bet.

Prop Bets

For the marquee matchups, sportsbooks may offer prop bets. These can include individual player props or team props.

An example of a player prop is the over or under how many points a player may score in each game. For the Michigan and Rutgers example, Michigan’s Isaiah Livers could have a total point prop set at 12.5. Bettors can wager that Livers will score more than 12 points by taking the over or bet he will score less than 12 by taking the under.

Team props are normally how many points a team will score for the game. The over and under is in effect here, too. Michigan’s total points for this example with Rutgers would be set at 66.5. Players can then decide on taking the over or under depending on how they think Michigan’s offense will do.

Live Betting

Live betting gives players an opportunity to find spread or moneyline odds they prefer more compared to the pregame lines. If a bettor doesn’t feel comfortable taking Michigan’s big spread as a heavy favorite, they can wait and see if the Wolverines are off to a slow start and place a live bet that will have a smaller spread or take the better moneyline odds for Michigan to win outright.

Michigan already had a perfect example of a great live betting opportunity for players this year. On Nov. 29, the Wolverines were 31-point favorites against Oakland, but found themselves in overtime. Throughout the final minutes of regulation when Michigan was in jeopardy of losing, the Wolverines were closer to even money from -200 to -105 as the live odds fluctuated with what was happening on the court. Those odds were a stark contrast from Michigan’s opening moneyline of -18500. Michigan would go on and win 81-71, turning a profit for anyone who didn’t want to take the pregame spread and waited for the right moneyline opportunity to present itself.

Michigan Basketball Online Sports Betting Tips

Bankroll Management

Bankroll management is one of the most important tools a sports bettor can use. It can help cope with the emotional highs and lows of betting throughout a season and can help avoid chasing losses.

The first step to organizing your bankroll is to determine a standard unit for a wager. Units are relative to the size of your bankroll and can vary with each player. A bettor with a bankroll of $10,000 will have larger unit sizes than someone with a bankroll of $100. There is no set rule as to what percentage size a bankroll unit should consist of, but it should be low enough to withstand any losing streak.

For instance, if your bankroll is $100 and you decided to risk 2% of it for each bet. That would mean your standard unit is $2. For a $10,000 bankroll, a unit would be $200. This is an example of responsible gambling with proper bankroll management.

Line Shopping

With numerous sportsbooks live in Michigan, players can freely shop lines to find the best value for their Michigan bets. The Wolverines could be 4-point favorites on one book, but the spread could be down to -3 on another. Finding the best line can give players a better chance at long term success throughout a season.

Injuries

Most college basketball rotations revolve around eight to nine players, meaning any key player who is missing could be detrimental to a team’s chances of winning. That’s why it’s worth monitoring the injury status of each player in the lead-up to a game. Teams with more depth may be able to sustain the loss of a key player, while others may not be as fortunate. It’s worth going over each team’s rosters to see who available and what kind of impact will be any absence could make.

Where to Stream Michigan Basketball

Michigan basketball is shown on all the major networks, such as the ESPN networks, FOX, FOX Sports 1 and CBS. Each of the Wolverines’ games are also streamed on the apps or websites that is televising the game.

Author

Bryce Derouin

Bryce covers sports betting and gaming for BetMichigan.com, along with other Midwest states. He joined BetMichigan.com after spending the last nine years covering high school and college sports throughout Michigan. His favorite sports to gamble on are football, basketball, baseball and Formula 1.

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