Michigan basketball will take on Northwestern at home Sunday looking to start 17-0 for the first time in school history. Here are three predictions.

The Michigan basketball team will look to do something it has never done on Sunday and that is win 17 straight games to open a season.

Michigan basketball beat Illinois on the road Thursday to give the Wolverines their second-ever 16-0 start. The last time UM started 16-0 was the 2012-13 season, which was the first Final Four trip for the school under John Beilein.

This season though, the Wolverines can top that mark and they can do it with a win over the Northwestern Wildcats, who will invade the Crisler Center for a game that tips off at 7:30 EST.

It’s a little late for a Sunday, but this will give fans a chance to watch the NFL playoffs before focusing all their attention on second-ranked Michigan and Northwestern.

For the two teams, it will be their second meeting this season. They met in the first part of Big Ten play in November and following a hard-fought game, the Wolverines escaped with a two-point victory. It is one of just two single-digit wins by Michigan basketball this season. The other came in a nine-point win over Western Michigan. The other 14 wins have all been by double digits.

Northwestern (10-6, 1-4, No. 61 Kenpom) desperately needs a win like this to get them back on track and put them in NCAA tournament contention. So far, the Wildcats best win is over Georgia Tech, which Kenpom says is their only top-100 win.

So Northwestern has work to do. However, with head coach Chris Collins and players such as Vic Law, Derek Pardon and Ryan Taylor, who all average 12 points or more per game, the Wildcats seem to play Michigan tough. Will it happen again Sunday?

Find out with our three predictions.