How to Watch Illinois at Michigan State
Game Time: 7 p.m. Saturday
TV Channel: Fox
Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO
Odds: N/A (Illinois 44.4% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor)
Quick Hits:
Illinois Fighting Illini (20-3, 11-1 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season)
Last Game: Illinois 84, Northwestern 44
Gameday Reading:
Michigan State Spartans (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Tom Izzo
Leading Scorer: Minnesota 76, MSU 73
What Happened the Last Time These Two Teams Played?
- MSU leads the all-time series 67-64.
Feb. 15, 2025: MSU 79, Illinois 65
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Can’t miss 19 shots in a row and expect to win.
It was yet another intense Illinois versus Michigan State matchup, but the Spartans once again came out on top, winning 79-65 on Saturday night at State Farm
Center.
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Illinois (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) had won two straight games and appeared to be getting back on track going into tonight, but some of their bad habits showed up again against Michigan State (20-5, 11-3 Big Ten).
“We fell in love with what was easy, which was shooting threes,” said Brad Underwood after the disappointing loss. “I thought the difference was the last ten minutes of the game, where we had been living in the paint…We just stopped and I wish I had the answer for that. We just stopped.”
After a rough January plagued by injuries, illnesses, and a lackluster offense, Illinois put up two solid performances against Minnesota and UCLA which encouraged some optimism. A lot of that optimism was wiped away in this one, as Illinois missed their last 19 shots of the game, shot 7-for-33 from three, and completely fell apart in the second half.
Illinois’ star freshmen did their best to carry the team, with Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley, and Morez Johnson Jr. leading the way offensively. The freshman trio combined for 47 points and was all Illinois had in the second half. Jaxon Kohler’s 23 points and four made threes led the way for Michigan State. The Spartans excelled in the the midrange game as they typically do.
The Illini got off to a hot start in this one, much like they did in their previous matchup against the Spartans. The State Farm Center was rocking early after back-to-back Morez Johnson Jr. dunks. A Will Riley jumper gave Illinois a 16 point lead in the opening half, but Michigan State got back in the game thanks to the 14 points they scored off Illinois turnovers. Illinois went into the half up four, leading 41-37.
“At the beginning I think we shared the ball well,” Kasparas Jakucionis said. “We made some shots. We started on the defensive end pretty well. And then like I said, we stopped driving the ball, stopped penetrating the defense. And then it just led to bad shot selection.”
The game continued as a back-and-forth affair in the second half. Michigan State came out of the locker room hot and took a four point lead, but then Morez Johnson Jr. put Illinois back in front with his domination of the paint.
“Tough,” said Tom Izzo regarding Johnson Jr. “Great hands. Does all the dirty work. I think one of the best offensive rebounders…I think his future is enormous. I think he’s got toughness and there’s not a lot of guys with toughness anymore.”
Illinois stuck around for a while, but poor shooting from the Illini proved to be the difference-maker in the end. Illinois shot 1-for-16 from beyond the arc in the second half and could get virtually nothing to work offensively. Michigan State closed the game on a 15-0 run over the final 8:26.
