Michigan State basketball: Series history vs. Illinois

The series history between Illinois and Michigan State basketball is as close as it can possibly be. Who holds the lead?

Michigan State basketball is back in action on Thursday night against Illinois. This is a crucial matchup for the Spartans coming off a disappointing loss to Northwestern on Sunday. If the Spartans want any chance at competing for the Big Ten title, they need to win this game.

Before the game gets here, let’s take a quick look at the series history between these two programs.

MSU holds a narrow lead over Illinois

The Spartans hold the slimmest margin possible in the series history between these two. The programs have played each other 127 times and MSU holds the advantage, 64-63.

Recent matchups have not been favorable for the Spartans as the Illini are on a three-game win streak in this matchup. These teams played just once last season that saw Illinois beat the Spartans 75-66. The Spartans led by four at the break and even had a nine-point lead in the second half before Illinois stormed back to win. AJ Hoggard led the way for MSU with 20 points and Joey Hauser had a double-double as well.

Illinois season update

Illinois has had a great season so far this year. They come into this matchup ranked No. 10 in the country with an 11-3 (2-1) record. The Illini have some solid wins as well over Florida Atlantic and a 30-point rout of Northwestern. They also have been close to a few other big wins including Purdue, Tennessee, and Marquette.

Illinois will be without star player Terrence Shannon Jr. for this one. He is suspended indefinitely with some legal issues and has been out for three games so far. However, Illinois has not skipped a beat since Shannon’s been away from the team. They have two 30-plus point wins and a five-point road loss to No. 1 Purdue in his absence. So Michigan State will have its hands full even without him.

The Spartans need to turn the tide in their season immediately. A 1-3 Big Ten record is nowhere near good enough and the Spartans are also 0-4 outside of the state of Michigan this season. Hopefully this all will change with a massive top-10 road victory over Illinois.