Michigan

Oklahoma vs. Michigan Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, December 18th

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2024

Oklahoma vs. Michigan Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Wednesday, December 18th

Oklahoma will take its unbeaten record to a neutral site showdown for a matchup with upstart Michigan.

While the Wolverines have dropped two straight after an 8-0 start, they appear to be a formidable Big Ten unit this season under first-year head coach Dusty May. They are poised to take down 10-0 Oklahoma as favorites in Charlotte on Wednesday.

How do these two teams match up? Will OU maintain its sterling record, or can the Wolverines show that the two-game skid is nothing more than a blip on what should be a strong first campaign from May in Ann Arbor?

Here’s our betting preview.

Spread

Moneyline

Total: 150.5 (Over -110/Under -110)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

Oklahoma

Jeremiah Fears: The freshman has been stellar in starting his career in Norman, averaging nearly 17 points per game with three rebounds and nearly five assists while doing an excellent job of getting to the free-throw line.

Michigan

Danny Wolf: The Yale transfer has been an instant star for the Wolverines, playing point forward as the team’s leader in assist rate while also contributing as a top three score as a threat from both inside and out. Wolf is scoring more than 12 points per game with nearly 10 rebounds and three assists, one of the Big Ten’s unique talents.

Michigan is over-reliant on Wolf’s creation as its backcourt is way too sloppy with the ball. Overall, the Wolverines are 335th in turnover rate with its best offense being Wolf and Vladislav Goldin’s two-man game. While effective, the Sooners’ defense is elite against the pick-and-roll and is a turnover-minded defense that ranks top 20 in the country in turnover percentage.

Michigan’s inability to protect the rock and stop transition opportunities for opponents, ranking below the national average in points allowed per possession in transition against an OU offense that loves to hunt for opportunities in the open court.

This game should be open with plenty of possessions, and Michigan should find answers around the rim against a limited OU frontcourt that is 239th in points allowed near the rim, per Haslametrics. I expect a big night for Wolf and Goldin around the rim.

However, the OU offense should be able to win on the margins with transition buckets and a justified top-50 effective field goal rate.

In what should be a back-and-forth affair, I’ll side with the over in Charlotte.

PICK: OVER 150.5

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Michigan

Michigan president has strong words for college sports after Dusty May exit

Published

8 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Michigan president has strong words for college sports after Dusty May exit

At the University of Michigan’s board of regents meeting on Thursday, June 25, interim president Domenico Grasso addressed the departure of former Michigan basketball coach Dusty May, calling the move a “bellwether” for college athletics.

May, who had reportedly agreed in principle to a contract extension with the Wolverines but had yet to sign it, left the program on Monday, June 22. One day later, he was in Brooklyn for the NBA Draft where his Dallas Mavericks selected his former player, Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr., with the No. 9 overall pick.

“Our current system is in dire need of clarity and equitable reform,” Grasso said at the regents meeting. “Coach May told me that among his reasons for leaving were uncertainties and pressures involving the transfer portal and NIL support for student-athletes.

“He and I agree that the future of college sports is headed in the wrong direction.”

While Grasso did say the new “Protect College Sports Act” could provide “greater stability, clearer national standards and more consistent rules” to college athletics, he also said it has “deeply concerning provisions.”

“Rather than looking to conferences such as the Big Ten as models of athletic and academic excellence, it imposes restrictions that disproportionately affect the institution,” he said. “Among the most troubling provisions are targeted limits on conference expansion and realignment, as well as harmful restrictions on student athletes’ ability to benefit from additional NIL opportunities. These measures will reduce universities and conferences’ flexibility to adapt to changing conditions for student innovative opportunities.

“We want what’s best for the Big Ten and for Michigan. We are not going to sacrifice competitive advantage that we built for more than a century. We stand ready to work with legislators on a bill that will establish a system in which every university can compete and thrive for generations to come.”

May spent just two years in Ann Arbor but made a lasting mark on the program. He went 64-13 during his time, won the 2024-25 Big Ten Tournament championship, the 2025-26 Big Ten championship and finished his time in Ann Arbor defeating UConn, 69-63, to win the national championship on Monday, April 6.

“When my family and I came to Ann Arbor two years ago, we hoped we could help bring Michigan basketball back to where it belongs,” May said in a goodbye statement to U-M. “This wasn’t an easy decision. An opportunity came along that was right for my family and something I felt I needed to pursue, but that doesn’t change how much these last two years have meant to us.

“Thank you for trusting us, believing in us and making these last two years so much fun. It was an honor to coach at Michigan and wear the Block M.”

On Tuesday, June 23, Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel officially announced assistant basketball coach Mike Boynton Jr. would be appointed as interim head coach.

That set a clock for the transfer portal to open for U-M players on Friday, July 24, 31 days after Boynton’s appointment as interim.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

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Michigan

Michigan’s single-stair reform gains as housing package languishes

Published

18 hours ago

June 25, 2026

Press Room

Michigan’s single-stair reform gains as housing package languishes

What’s New?

Updated 33 seconds ago

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Michigan

Michigan heatwave on way. See day likely to set a record high

Published

1 day ago

June 24, 2026

Press Room

Michigan heatwave on way. See day likely to set a record high

Get ready to sweat, Michigan.

The summer’s first big heatwave is expected to start on Monday, bringing a four-day stretch of potential 90-plus-degree temperatures to much of the state, across the Midwest and parts of the East Coast.

The National Weather Service is advising Michiganians to limit time outdoors and stay hydrated in the leadup to Independence Day.

The heatwave is projected to peak on Tuesday, the final day of June, when virtually the entirety of Lower Michigan and surrounding states will be considered at major risk of heat-related effects, according to NWS.

Anyone without access to cooling or hydration or who must engage in prolonged outdoor activity or strenuous labor will face a significantly elevated risk of heat-related illness, including heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

The NWS office in Marquette said above-normal humidity is expected to accompany the high temperatures, elevating the risk.

About 16 people a year die from heat and heat-related illnesses in Michigan, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Relief will be minimal, experts advised. Thunderstorms are unlikely during the heatwave, AccuWeather reported, and overnight lows are expected to drop only into the mid-70s, according to NWS.

‘Heat dome’ bringing near-record temperatures

AccuWeather attributes the warmup to a “heat dome,” which is a high-pressure system that traps hot air and prevents cooling. The weather system will bring above-normal temperatures throughout the central and eastern states. St. Louis could log eight straight days of at least 90 degrees.

Lower Michigan is expected to see this summer’s first consecutive 90-plus-degree days. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are all currently expected to climb past that mark.

Currently, the hottest day on record this year in Detroit was May 18, when the mercury climbed to 90 degrees, according to NWS data.

High temperatures are likely to approach daily records during next week’s heatwave. Detroit’s record highs for June 29 through July 2 are 96, 96, 98 and 99, respectively. The weather service currently projects highs of 91, 97 and 95 for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. A high for Thursday is not yet available.

On average, temperatures during this time of year top out around 81 or 82, NWS data shows.

The high temperatures approach the United States as Western Europe swelters under a record-setting heatwave that is expected to persist through the end of the week. On Wednesday, Britain and France both logged the hottest June days on record, Reuters reported.

mreinhart@detroitnews.com

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