Who’s Playing
Illinois Fighting Illini @ Michigan State Spartans
Current Records: Illinois 13-4, Michigan State 15-2
How To Watch
What to Know
Illinois and Michigan State are an even 5-5 against one another since February of 2018, but not for long. Both will face off in a Big Ten battle at 12:00 p.m. ET on Sunday at Breslin Center. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Illinois is headed into Sunday’s contest after beating the impressive 160.5-point over/under the oddsmakers set for their last match against Indiana. Illinois blew past Indiana 94-69 on Tuesday. The Fighting Illini have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won eight matchups by 25 points or more this season.
Illinois got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Kylan Boswell out in front who earned 22 points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals. Boswell is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he’s now grabbed three or more in the last three games he’s played. The team also got some help courtesy of Tomislav Ivisic, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Illinois smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 16 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Michigan State entered their tilt with Penn State on Wednesday with nine consecutive wins but they’ll enter their next game with ten. They came out on top against the Nittany Lions by a score of 90-85.
Frankie Fidler was the offensive standout of the contest as he went 8 for 13 en route to 18 points plus seven rebounds and four steals. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in offensive rebounds (four). Jaden Akins was another key player, posting 16 points plus six rebounds.
Illinois has been performing incredibly well recently as they’ve won six of their last seven matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-4 record this season. As for Michigan State, they pushed their record up to 15-2 with the win, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season.
Keep an eye on the arc in Sunday’s matchup: Illinois has made nailing deep shots look easy this year this season, having averaged 10.5 threes per game. It’s a different story for Michigan State, though, as they’ve been averaging only 5.6. Given Illinois’ sizable advantage in that area, Michigan State will need to find a way to close that gap.
Illinois is hoping to beat the odds on Sunday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss.
Odds
Michigan State is a 4-point favorite against Illinois, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Spartans as a 3.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 156 points.
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Series History
Michigan State and Illinois both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Feb 10, 2024 – Michigan State 88 vs. Illinois 80
- Jan 11, 2024 – Illinois 71 vs. Michigan State 68
- Jan 13, 2023 – Illinois 75 vs. Michigan State 66
- Feb 19, 2022 – Illinois 79 vs. Michigan State 74
- Jan 25, 2022 – Illinois 56 vs. Michigan State 55
- Feb 23, 2021 – Michigan State 81 vs. Illinois 72
- Feb 11, 2020 – Michigan State 70 vs. Illinois 69
- Jan 02, 2020 – Michigan State 76 vs. Illinois 56
- Feb 05, 2019 – Illinois 79 vs. Michigan State 74
- Feb 20, 2018 – Michigan State 81 vs. Illinois 61
