Michigan State Spartans vs. Illinois Fighting Illini Predictions, Picks, Odds

The Michigan State Spartans (15-3, 6-1 Big Ten) tangle with the Illinois Fighting Illini (13-5, 6-2) in a conference battle for first place in the league on Tuesday night at State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET, and the game can be viewed on ESPN.

SCORE PREDICTION

Michigan State 74, Illinois 69

BEST BETS

Michigan State +200 ML at Mirage-MGM

Michigan State +5.5 (-110) at BetMGM

Under 144.5 (-110) at Circa

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI PREDICTIONS

The Spartans bounced back from a shocking loss at Breslin Center against visiting Northwestern on Jan. 15, posting an 86-74 win at Wisconsin on Friday. Sparty connected on 29-of-55, or 53%, from the field, including 6-of-12, or 50%, from behind the 3-point line. Michigan State was also an impressive 22-of-28, or 79%, from the free-throw stripe. Five Spartans went for double-digit point totals, including Malik Hall, who had a team-high 14 points with eight rebounds and two blocked shots. Joey Hauser led the way with 11 rebounds, while ending up with seven points.

The Fighting Illini had a brutal week, falling 96-88 in overtime against Purdue, while getting trounced at Maryland by an 81-65 count as 4.5-point favorites. The 65 points were the lowest since a 71-51 loss against Cincinnati on a neutral floor back on Nov. 22. The Illini shot just 39%, or 23-of-59, from the field, while managing 31%, or 11-of-35, from behind the 3-point line. Maryland inexplicably outrebounded Illinois 29-28, while turning it over two fewer times than the Illini.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING ODDS

More Odds | Futures Odds

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING RESOURCES

  • Matchup: Big 10
  • Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022
  • Venue: State Farm Center
  • Location: Champaign, Illinois
  • TV-Time: ESPN - 7:00 p.m. ET

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 15-3
  • ATS: 10-7-1
  • O/U: 9-8-1

Sparty hits the hardwood with victories in 10 of the past 11 outings, although the cover against in Wisconsin last time out snapped an 0-3 ATS skid. The 86 points scored was the most in any conference game so far this season.

Michigan State has cashed in five straight game against the number on the road, while going 5-2 ATS in the past seven against teams with a winning overall record. For the totals, the OVER is 7-3-1 in the past 11 games overall, although the UNDER is 6-2 in the past eight against teams with a winning overall record.

In this series, Michigan State has won three in a row, while holding a 6-3 ATS lead in the past nine games. The home team has covered in each of the past five meetings, with the home team going 4-1 SU in those games. The UNDER has edged the OVER 6-4 in the past 10 meetings since Feb. 7, 2015.

ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING ANALYSIS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

  • SU: 13-5
  • ATS: 9-9
  • O/U: 12-5-1

The big news for the Illini is the health status for leading scorer Kofi Cockburn. He is dealing with a concussion suffered in the game Jan. 17 against Purdue, and he has been in the protocol since. He missed the blowout loss at Maryland, and he is considered a question mark for Tuesday's game.

Illinois is 5-2 ATS in the past seven games at home, while going 4-1 ATS in the past five against teams with a winning overall record. For totals, the OVER is 7-1-1 in the past nine at State Farm Center, while going 11-2-1 in the past 14 games overall. The UNDER is 17-8 in the past 25 against teams with a winning overall mark, too.


Michigan State has cashed in five consecutive games on the road. (AP)

INSIDE THE STATS - MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS

  • Record: 15-3
  • VI Ranking: 9
  • PS/G: 75.3 (93rd)
  • PA/G: 66.1 (105th)
  • ORtg: 107.5 (85th)
  • DRtg: 94.4 (79th)

INSIDE THE STATS - ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI

  • Record: 13-5
  • VI Ranking: 30
  • PS/G: 79.3 (29th)
  • PA/G: 66.9 (129th)
  • ORtg: 113.3 (21st)
  • DRtg: 95.6 (110th)

KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH

  • MSU: Gabe Brown - F (13.6 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 1.1 APG, 37.7 3P%)
  • MSU: Max Christie - G (10.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 35.7 3P%)
  • ILL: Trent Frazier - G (13.4 PPG, 3.6 APG, 3.3 RPG, 1.5 SPG)
  • ILL: Alfonso Plummer - F (16.4 PPG, 2.6 RPG, 1.1 APG, 41.3 3P%)

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING CONCLUSION

Illinois has been tumbling in the conference standings and rankings, but it's difficult playing without your leading scorer. Yes, they did it earlier in the season when Cockburn was suspended for three games, but facing Jackson State, Arkansas State and Marquette is much easier than facing conference foes without a star. There is no word on if Cockburn will be able to play, but for Illinois, it has to be all hands on deck to knock off the surging Spartans.

I like how Michigan State is playing lately, it is completely healthy and it has balanced scoring. The Spartans are catching nearly three buckets against an Illini team which might be missing a player averaging 21.1 PPG with 11.8 RPG. We saw how Illinois fared against an average Maryland side without Cockburn, imagine how much it will struggle against a Top 10 conference rival.

MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS VS. ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI BETTING TRENDS

  • Michigan State is 5-0 ATS in the past five road games.
  • Michigan State is 5-2 ATS in the past seven vs. winning teams.
  • Illinois is 5-2 ATS in the past seven home games.
  • Illinois is 4-1 ATS in the past five vs. winning teams.
  • The OVER is 7-3-1 in the past 11 games for Michigan State.
  • The UNDER is 6-2 in the past eight games for Michigan State.
  • The OVER is 11-2-1 in the past 14 games for Illinois.
  • The OVER is 7-1-1 in the past nine home games for Illinois.
  • The UNDER is 17-8 in the past 25 vs. winning teams for Illinois.
  • The home team is 5-0 ATS in the past five meetings.