Michigan State Spartans vs Illinois Fighting Illini Game Thread

The Michigan State Spartans are on the road tonight as they face the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Spartans enter tonight among the nation’s top defensive teams. They rank No. 1 in the country in field goal percentage defense (34.8 percent), No. 2 in scoring margin (+21.6), No. 1 in blocked shots per game (8.0), No. 2 in rebound margin (+11.6) and No. 21 in scoring defense (63.7 ppg).

Their offense isn’t too shabby either, ranking No. 3 in field goal percentage (51.8 percent), No. 1 in assists (21.3 apg) and No. 17 in scoring offense (85.2 ppg).

The Spartans have won 10 of the last 16 against Illinois and 12 of the last 19. Head coach Tom Izzo is 22-17 in his career against the Illini.

The game will be shown live on FS1, with Tim Brando calling the play-by-play and Bill Raftery serving as the color analyst.

Time to go to work!