It’s a battle of Big Ten opponents on the hardwood in the Great Lakes State. The #5 Illinois Fighting Illini are on the road as they make the trip to face the Michigan State Spartans Tuesday night. Illinois comes in off a 94-63 demolition of Minnesota on the road in their previous contest Saturday afternoon. Michigan State knocked off Indiana 78-71 on the road Saturday in their latest contest. In the all-time series between the programs, the Spartans own a 63-60 advantage and have won six of the last eight meetings. That includes a 70-69 road victory in the most recent meeting on February 11, 2020.
Illinois Fighting Illini Seeking Eighth Straight Victory
Illinois ran their win streak to seven games as they took care of Minnesota on the road in their most recent contest. The Fighting Illini improved to 16-5 overall and stand 12-3 in the Big Ten, putting them second in the conference standings. Illinois trailed Minnesota by five early in the game before going on a 16-5 run to take a 27-21 lead with 8:40 to play in the first half. The lead remained six with 3:18 to play in the half before the Fighting Illini went on a 19-2 run spanning both halves to go up 56-33 with 18:25 to play. The rout was on at that point as Illinois cruised the rest of the way. Illinois shot 56.1% from the field, including seven of 14 from three-point range, and won the rebounding battle 37-27 in the game. Kofi Cockburn led the Fighting Illini with 22 points while Ayo Dosunmu posted his second triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in the win.Ready for Liftoff 🚀#Illini | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/byTYX2Db4E
— Illinois Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 22, 2021
The Fighting Illini puts up an average of 81.8 points per game on the season, which puts them 16th in the nation in scoring offense. Illinois collects 40 rebounds per contest while handing out 17.1 assists per game. The Fighting Illini is slightly above average defensively, ranking 130th in the nation by allowing 68.6 points per game. Ayo Dosunmu leads the team with 21.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists a night. Kofi Cockburn (17.6 points, 10.3 rebounds) is one of two other players averaging in double figures this season. Adam Miller, Andre Curbelo, Trent Frazier (10.2 points), Da’Monte Williams, Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Jacob Grandison and Coleman Hawkins are other contributors for coach Brad Underwood. Illinois shoots 50.6% from the floor as a team. The Fighting Illini connects on 7.4 three-pointers a game while shooting 39.3% from long range. Illinois is struggling at the free-throw line this season as they convert 69.2% of their opportunities.
Michigan State Spartans Looking to Earn Upset Win
Michigan State had lost two straight and six of their previous eight before going on the road and knocking off Indiana in their last game. The Spartans improved to 11-9 overall and stand 11th in the Big Ten with a 5-9 conference record this season. Against Indiana, Michigan State trailed 16-4 early before rallying to climb within four at the half. The Spartans trailed by 10 again in the second half and still was down nine with 12:59 to play before rallying. Michigan State closed to within three with 10:17 to go before going on an 18-4 run to take a 67-56 lead with 5:32 to play. The Spartans didn’t let their lead drop below four the rest of the way with that coming in the final minute. Michigan State shot 49.2% from the field, including seven of 17 from three-point range and won the rebounding battle 36-29. Aaron Henry led the Spartans with 27 points and five rebounds in the victory.Back-to-back games in double figures for GB 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/uLO0keOJek
— Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 21, 2021
The Spartans enter this contest 197th in the nation in scoring offense with 70.8 points per game on the season. Michigan State is 54th in the nation in rebounding (38.4 rebounds per game) and 21st in assists with 16.9 dimes per game. The Spartans are a slightly below-average team defensively as they are 216th in scoring defense by allowing 71.7 points per game on the year. Aaron Henry contributes 15 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists to lead the team. Joey Hauser puts up 10.2 points plus 6.4 rebounds per game this season. as the only other player averaging in double figures for the Spartans. Gabe Brown, Rocket Watts, Malik Hall, Joshua Langford, Foster Loyer, Julius Marble II, A.J. Hoggard and Thomas Kithier are key contributors. Michigan State shoots 42.5% from the field as a team this season. The Spartans knock down an average of 7.2 three-point field goals on the year while shooting 33.3% from beyond the arc. Michigan State is decent at the charity stripe as they shoot 73.9% from the free-throw line on the year.
Team Trends
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The top trends for this contest are:
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 road games vs. a team with a winning home record
- Fighting Illini are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games vs. a team with a winning straight up record
- Fighting Illini are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 Tuesday games
- Spartans are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games following a straight up win
- Spartans are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 home games vs. a team with a winning road record
- Spartans are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 home games
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