LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – Tom Izzo thought Sunday’s game against Illinois had a chance to be an instant classic and one of the best environments the Breslin Center has seen in recent memory.
It was that and then some.
Michigan State’s toughest test to date in the Big Ten lived up to the hype and ended with the No. 12 Spartans taking down No. 19 Illinois, 80-78.
Junior Tre Holloman led MSU with 17 points, and Coen Carr and Frankie Fidler each had 11 points off the bench.
The Spartans came on a 10-game winning streak and the only team in the Big Ten without a conference loss, at 6-0, while the Fighting Illini were 5-2 in the Big Ten.
Illinois led by as much as ten in the first half and was led by Will Riley, who had 16 of Illinois’ 36 points at the break, but MSU was able to claw back and tie the game at the break. Riley was led to three points in the second half.
Depth was key again for MSU as all ten players who played scored at least four points.
Illinois leading scorer Kasparas Jakucionis was in foul trouble for most of the game and fouled out with 6:39 remaining in the second half. Jakucionis finished with three points and three assists in nine minutes.
MSU improves to 16-2 and 7-0 in the Big Ten. The team will have six days until their next game, which will be against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
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