Of the five unbeaten teams that remained entering this week, perhaps the most surprising was Oklahoma. Picked to finish 15th in the 16-team SEC in a preseason media poll, the Sooners opened 10-0 and won the Battle 4 Atlantis. No. 14 Oklahoma puts that perfect mark on the line Wednesday against 25th-ranked Michigan, which is a 2.5-point favorite at bet365 on a neutral floor in Charlotte.
The Sooners have covered in five of their past seven, including in an 80-65 victory over 4-point underdog Oklahoma State last Saturday. Michigan in its first season under former Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May has started 8-2, dropping an early contest to Wake Forest and most recently losing 89-87 to 2-point underdog Arkansas. The Wolverines have covered in five of their past seven games.
Oklahoma vs Michigan Odds Today
Oklahoma vs Michigan, December 18, 9:00 pm ET
Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma Sooners | +2.5 (-105) | +125 | O151 (-110) |
Michigan Wolverines | -2.5 (-115) | -150 | U151 (-110) |
Odds as of Dec. 18 at bet365
Oklahoma vs Michigan Picks Today
Michigan -2.5 (-115) & UNDER 151.5 (-110) at bet365
The Sooners’ early-season surge is even more surprising considering that the team lost four of its top six scorers to the transfer portal. Leading scorer Jalon Moore is a rare returnee from last season in a lineup bolstered by transfers from Fairfield, High Point and Dayton, along with freshman sensation Jeremiah Frears. The roster has been good enough to beat five power-conference opponents so far, covering in four of those games.
May also had to pick up the pieces at Michigan, which saw numerous departures after the firing of Juwan Howard. The Wolverines’ leading scorer and rebounder is center Vladislav Goldin, who played on FAU’s Final Four team and followed his coach to Ann Arbor. Transfers from Ohio State, Yale, Alabama and Auburn round out a rotation that shoots well from the field but is 3-3 ATS against power-conference foes.
Oklahoma is a deeper team, with 10 players who average nine or more minutes per game. But the Sooners don’t really have anyone to matchup with the 7-1 Goldin, who’s averaging 19.75 points and 7.5 boards over his last four games. He’ll be a tough guard for 6-10 Oklahoma forward Sam Goodwin, which swings the edge to a Wolverines squad that’s already beaten two ranked opponents.
Neither of these teams exactly races up and down the floor—the Sooners have gone UNDER in three of their last four, the Wolverines in six of 10 games so far this season. Particularly if Michigan works each possession to get the ball inside, expect the UNDER to prevail once again.
Oklahoma vs Michigan Prop Pick Today
Michigan UNDER 76.5 (-120) at bet365
The Wolverines may have scored in the 80s in their past two games, but those are anomalies for May’s team. Michigan’s scoring defense ranks in the top 60 nationally, allowing it to compete even against major-conference opponents by scoring in the 60s or low 70s—just as it did in games against Wisconsin, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and TCU.