On Tuesday night, around 10 pm, there will be only one team in college basketball capable of claiming nine wins in the first quadrant opportunities of the season. It will be No. 2 Michigan or No. 4 Illinois. And luckily, the two face off at 7 pm Eastern Time.
There are far-reaching implications for the game of the night. The Wolverines have one game advantage in the Big Ten race over the Illini with three games left. A victory would guarantee the crown for them, after seven consecutive victories entering the night.
There are also sowing branches of the NCAA Tournament. Both teams are No. 1 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. The winner could reach No. 1 status with a bullet entering the home stretch.
If that doesn’t catch your eye, the product on the court should. Michigan boasts one of the top five in attack and defense, the only team in the sport to have such a distinction. Take on an Illini team that has a top-10 attack and a bowling ball from a great man at Kofi Cockburn, whose physical game contributes to an incredible showdown against Michigan brawler Hunter Dickinson.