EAST LANSING— No. 12 Michigan State men’s basketball is hosting No. 19 Illinois for a highly anticipated Big Ten matchup this Sunday afternoon.
MSU is on a 10-game winning streak and is now the only undefeated team in B1G play since No. 20 Michigan was upset by Minnesota on Thursday in overtime 84-81. As of late, the Spartans defeated Penn State on Wednesday night 90-85.
Senior forward Frankie Fidler had a strong showing against the Nittany Lions. Fidler posted a season-high of 18 points and grabbed seven boards.
On the season, senior guard Jaden Akins is the only player averaging double-digits with 14.2 points per game (ppg). Freshman guard Jase Richardson follows with averaging 9.6 ppg, Fidler averages 8.9 and sophomore forward Coen Carr averages 8.4.
Against PSU, MSU was outscored in the second half by five points leading to a close finish. The Spartans also picked up 13 fouls in the second half compared to their eight fouls in the first half in this physical matchup.
This upcoming game between MSU and Illinois marks the 130th meeting between the two teams. The Spartans lead the all-time series 65-64. Last season, the two games were split with the Fighting Illini claiming one of the wins in Champaign.
Scouting Illinois
As of late, Illinois took down Indiana on Tuesday 94-69 after falling to USC on Jan. 11 82-72, ultimately breaking its five-game hot streak. The Fighting Illini had four players finish in double-digits against the Hoosiers.
Illinois has five players averaging double figures on the season including freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis (16.7 ppg), sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic (13 ppg), junior guard Kylan Boswell (11.8 ppg), junior guard Tre White (10.9 ppg) and freshman forward Will Riley (10.5 ppg).
The Fighting Illini are shooting 45% from the field, 33.2% from behind the arc and 77.1% from the free throw line. They also average 45.5 rebounds per game, 15.2 assists, 11.6 turnovers, 5.3 steals and 4.4 blocks.
Illinois and MSU will face off on Sunday at the Breslin Center with the tip-off set for noon. Tune into the live radio broadcast featuring Matt Merrifield and Allie Cohen locally on 88.9 FM or at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.