The No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini have been rolling as winners of six of their last seven games. They have also caught the attention of Tom Izzo, the head coach of their next opponent, the No. 12 Michigan State Spartans.
“Right now, from what I saw the last two times I watched Illinois, we got the Celtics or the Lakers coming in here, so we got a lot of work to do in 3-4 days,” Izzo said about Illinois on Wednesday. “I’m going to try to work and not read.”
While comparing Illinois to the pair of storied NBA franchises may be a bit of an exaggeration, the Fighting Illini have impressed thus far this season.
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Last month, Illinois, which cracked the Elite Eight last year, defeated the now-No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers and then dismantled the now-No. 13 Oregon Ducks on the road two weeks ago, 109-77. Most recently, the Fighting Illini trounced the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington, 94-69. Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten in points (87.3 per game), with five players scoring in double figures: Kasparas Jakucionis, Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell, Tre White and Will Riley.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Illini are first in the Big Ten in total rebounds (42.4 per game), opponent field goal percentage (38.5%), opponent 3-point shooting percentage (27.8%) and fifth in opponent points (67.3 per game).
Illinois is fourth in the Big Ten at 13-4 and 5-2 in conference play, while Michigan State sits atop the Big Ten at 15-2 and 6-0 in conference play. The Spartans are on a 10-game winning streak, though none of those victories came over teams that are currently ranked.
During that streak, Michigan State defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels in Maui and handled the Nebraska Cornhuskers, who made the NCAA Tournament last season, 89-52. The Spartans, led by senior Jaden Akins, are third in the conference in opponent 3-point shooting percentage (29.4%) and fourth in opponent points (67.1 per game) and opponent field goal percentage (39.9%).
After Sunday’s matchup in East Lansing, Michigan State and Illinois will cross paths again on Feb. 15 in Champaign, Illinois (8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app). They split their season series last season, with both teams winning on their respective home courts.
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