Spartans battle Illini in Champaign

Posted: Thu Mar 6 10:32 AM

Champaign, IL (Sports Network) - The 17th-ranked Michigan State Spartans are set to do battle with the Illinois Fighting Illini in a Big Ten clash from Champaign.

Michigan State is 23-6 overall and 11-5 in conference, and while the goal of capturing the Big Ten regular-season title is no longer a possibility, the upcoming conference tournament and NCAA Tournament offer greater rewards for the squad. The Spartans showed the potential on Sunday by routing Indiana in a 103-74 final. That win was the third in the last four games for the Spartans, who certainly have the talent to make a deep run in the "Big Dance".

Illinois managed to halt a three-game skid with a 58-47 victory over Iowa on Saturday, but little has gone right for the program this season. The Illini are a lowly 4-12 in conference play, and they are just 12-17 overall.

Michigan State knocked off Illinois by a 51-41 final back on January 30th, but the Illini still hold a 53-50 edge in the all-time series.

Everything seemed to go right for Michigan State in the romp over Indiana last time out. The Spartans finished with 28 assists against only nine turnovers, and they shot 60.7 percent from the floor, including a 13-of-24 showing from three-point range. Five players reached double figures in scoring in the triumph, and Raymar Morgan led the way with 20 points in 26 minutes of action. Drew Neitzel and Goran Suton had 17 points apiece, and Suton pulled down nine rebounds while recording four steals. Kalin Lucas contributed 14 points, and Chris Allen rounded out the group with 11 points. Travis Walton did a tremendous job of distributing the basketball, as he finished with 111 assists against zero turnovers. Morgan is netting 15.1 ppg this season, and Neitzel adds 13.5 ppg and 123 assists. Lucas checks in with 10.2 ppg and 113 assists, while Walton has dished out 132 assists. Clearly, the Spartans pass the ball well. Defensively, they are limiting opponents to 62.3 ppg on 39.7 percent shooting from the field.

The fact that Michigan State has been such a tremendous defensive team should be particularly concerning for Illinois, which has struggled mightily to generate offense. The Illini are scoring a mere 64.4 ppg this season on 43.1 percent shooting from the field. Fortunately, they have been able to limit the opposition to 61.4 ppg on 39.4 percent field goal efficiency. There is not a star player in the lineup, as leading scorer Shaun Pruitt's 12.6 ppg isn't going to scare anyone. Trent Meachem is the only other double-digit scorer on the roster, as he checks in with 10.5 ppg. In the much-needed win over Iowa last time out, the Illini played tremendous defense, limiting the Hawkeyes to 35.9 percent shooting from the field. That stellar showing helped Illinois overcome its own 38.8 percent shooting from the floor.