EAST LANSING, MI.— It’s officially that time of year when postseason college basketball is on the agenda. The No. 18 Michigan State women’s basketball team is the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament, and with the first-round results complete, head coach Robyn Fralick’s squad is set to take on the No. 10 seed Illinois in the second round.
The Spartans received a first-round bye, due to their seed, and the Fighting Illini had to get past the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round of the tournament.
The regular season matchup between MSU and Illinois resided in East Lansing, where the Green and White came out victorious, 81-75. The last tournament meeting between these teams was in 2008, where the Spartans lost to the Illini, and overall Illinois has found success against the Green and White at the Big Ten Tournament with a 1-3 record all-time.
The regular season didn’t end the way MSU would’ve liked. This past Sunday March 1, Fralick’s squad fell to then ranked No. 13 Ohio State 87-68.
The Spartans are currently projected on the border of a four seed or five seed in March Madness. A good performance in the Big Ten Tournament may lead to the Green and White securing a four seed and hosting the first two rounds of the national tournament.
A large factor that determines how well teams do in the postseason is based on the level of guard play. For Sparty, that starts with redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. Blair recently earned conference honors by being named to the All-Big Ten second team by both coaches and media. Last time MSU matched up against the Illini, Blair was one of the best players on the court, putting up 19 points and seven assists. Blair’s effect on a game resides mainly in her skill of sharing the rock, and she averages the fourth most assists in the Big Ten with 5.4 per game.
Veteran experience is another reason teams find success in March. Senior forward Grace VanSlooten provides that to go along with her scoring ability. VanSlooten is the Spartans’ leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game. VanSlooten was also named to the All-Big Ten second team by coaches and media. She’s been one of the most consistent players on Fralick’s squad and will be crucial for the Spartans to make a deep postseason run.
For the Illini, they ended the regular season on a two-game losing streak but bounced back in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, winning against the No. 15 seed Wisconsin, 82-70. Sophomore forward Berry Wallace was the star, just like she’s been so often for Illinois this year, as she notched 22 points in the victory.
Wallace was named to the first-team All-Big Ten and currently leads the Illini in points per game with an impressive 18.8 average. She was a bright spot for Illinois in the first meeting against MSU, tallying 22 points, and will need to produce a similar amount against the Green and White this time around.
Currently, the Illini are projected around the eight seed line in March Madness, so an upset over the Spartans could provide a spark for head coach Shauna Green’s team and potentially boost them up a seed line.
The season of win-or-go-home is here, and there’s lots on the line for both MSU and Illinois. Coach Fralick is vying for her first Big Ten Tournament win, while the Illini are looking to continue their success against the Green and White in the Big Ten Tournament.
The Spartans and Illinois are set to meet Thursday, March 5, with tipoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The game can be watched on the Big Ten Network and the winning team that comes out on top will take on the No. 2 seed Iowa in the quarterfinals on Friday, March 6. The semifinals will be on Saturday, March 7 and the championship of the Big Ten Tournament is Sunday, March 8.
