Saturday, February 15
Champaign. Ill.
8 PM
Michigan State University
at
Illinois
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
No. 11 Michigan State Plays at Illinois in Big Ten Saturday Night Matchup
2/14/2025 1:52:00 PM | Men's Basketball
East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team plays three of its next four games on the road, starting with a Saturday night matchup at Illinois on Feb. 15 (8 p.m., FOX).
The game will air live on FOX, with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 106 or 195 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
The game will air live on FOX, with Gus Johnson and Jim Jackson calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst, and Zach Surdenik is the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 106 or 195 on SiriusXM and on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Saturday's game with a 19-5 overall record (10-3 B1G) and are No. 11 in the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches polls.
- The Spartans are ranked No. 23 in the NCAA Net Rankings, No. 23 per KenPom.com and No. 18 in the ESPN BPI.
- The Spartans are coming off a 71-67 loss at home to Indiana on Tuesday.
- Michigan State has won 14 of its last 17 games.
- Senior guard Jaden Akins leads the Spartans in scoring with 13.4 points per game and Michigan State is the only team in the country to have just two players averaging double-digit points while playing under 26.6 minutes per game (Jase Richardson, 10.3 ppg).
- MSU is also just one of two teams in the AP Top 25 with at least 7 players averaging at least 7.4 ppg (Arizona).
- MSU has four players averaging at least 8.0 ppg and 10 scoring at least 5.0 ppg.
- Michigan State has relied on its depth, with five players averaging at least 20.0 minutes per game and 10 players at least 10.0 minutes.
- The Spartans are the only team in the country with 10 players averaging at least 15.0 minutes per game.
- Akins leads the team with 13.4 ppg and is fourth with 3.8 rpg, while Richardson is averaging 10.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists, junior guard Tre Holloman is third on the team, averaging 8.3 ppg and 4.0 assists (13th B1G) and sophomore forward Coen Carr is averaging 8.1 ppg.
- Junior forward Jaxon Kohler, who has five double-doubles this year, is scoring 7.5 ppg and leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game, 7th in the Big Ten (8th in B1G games only with 7.7 rpg).
- Senior forward Frankie Fidler is fifth on the team with 7.9 ppg and redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 7.4 points and a team-leading 6.0 assists per game, which ranks 3rd in the Big Ten.
- MSU is averaging 23.3 FT attempts per game (No. 22 in the country) after going to the line 17.2 times per game in 2023-24 and the Spartans rank No. 3 in the country in free throw percentage (81.0%) and No. 7 in free throws made per game (18.9).
- The Spartans are No. 2 in the country in fast break points per game (17.42 ppg) and No. 5 in bench points (36.0 ppg) ... MSU also ranks No. 3 in the country in rebound margin (+10.0), No. 11 in defensive rebounds per game (28.38/g) and No. 14 in rebounds per game (40.50).
- Illinois enters the game on Saturday with a 17-8 overall record and a 9-6 record in the Big Ten following an 83-78 win over UCLA on Saturday.
- The Fighting Illini have won three of their last four games, the lone loss an 82-73 decision at Rutgers.
- Illinois is 11-3 at from home, 5-2 in the Big Ten, and has won its last three games at State Farm Center ... Their home losses in league play came to USC (82-72, Jan. 11) and Maryland (90-71, Jan. 23).
- Illinois leads the league in scoring offense (85.1 ppg) and is 10th in scoring defense (71.3 ppg) ... In Big Ten games, they are 1st in the league in scoring offense (82.8 ppg) and 8th in scoring defense (76.33) ... The Fighting Illini rank 1st in the league in rebounding offense (44.6 rpg) and rebounding margin (+11.4 rpg).
- The game on Saturday between Michigan State and Illinois is the 131st meeting all-time.
- Michigan State leads the all-time series, 66-64, including a 21-43 record away from home.
- Michigan State won the first meeting between the teams this year, 80-78, at the Breslin Center on Jan. 19.
- Illinois has won the last three meetings in Champaign, two of the games decided by three points or fewer.
- MSU's last win at State Farm Center was a 70-69 decision on Feb. 11, 2020.
- In the last 32 games in the series, 28 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer (average margin is 7.8 ppg and MSU is 15-13 in games decided by 10 points or fewer).
- Tom Izzo is 29-22 in his career against the Illini.
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