Illinois (13-4, 3-3) heads home to take on Michigan State (14-3, 4-2) on Sunday with a two-game win streak. Michigan State is in the same boat over its last two matchups, recently defeating Washington (12-6, 3-3) and Rutgers (8-10, 0-7).
History runs deep
Illinois is 29-44 all-time against Michigan State, and recent history isn’t kind to the home team either. The Illini are 1-9 over the last 10 meetings. Their only win came two seasons ago when they took down the Spartans in Champaign, 86-76.
At home, the Illini boast a 17-19 record, much better than their 9-24 record in East Lansing. Thankfully for the Illini, they play at home on Sunday.
Head coach Shauna Green is 1-1 against the Spartans in her Illini career. The Spartans’ head coach, Robyn Fralick, is 1-0 against the Illini, winning her first matchup against them last year.
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A look at the Spartans
Michigan State has a high-scoring offense and one of the best in the Big Ten. It averages 82.4 points per game, the fifth-best in the conference. The defense isn’t far behind, forcing an average of 24.6 turnovers and racking up 13.2 steals each game, second-best in the Big Ten.
The team is led by graduate student guard Julia Ayrault. Her 16.4 points per game is top-10 in the conference. She also leads Michigan State in rebounds per game, averaging 8.1. Ayrault is one of the better players in the Big Ten.
The Illini are short on guards and must get creative when covering Ayrault. Freshman forward Berry Wallace might get the nod, as her height matches Ayrault’s well. Senior guard Adalia McKenzie may also be asked to guard the graduate student, as McKenzie has plenty of previous experience guarding the opposing team’s best player.
Another top-tier player on the Spartans is junior forward Grace VanSlooten. She averages 13.6 points per game. She’s an efficient shooter, making 48.5% of her shots from the floor. However, she is not a danger from beyond the arc, as she has attempted zero three-pointers.
Michigan State doesn’t do very well from three-point range, shooting 32.6% from beyond the arc. It’s in the bottom half of the Big Ten, along with Illinois.
Cruising Ilini
Illinois is on a two-game win streak, beating Iowa (12-6, 2-5) and Indiana (12-5, 4-2). Despite being without two of its best guards, the team rebounded from back-to-back losses and got back into the win column. Green continues to hammer down a consistent lineup, making things easier for the players.
A win against Michigan State would go a long way. It would give Illinois the last three straight wins in a difficult conference and further boost its energy despite unfortunate circumstances. Another win could bring back all the momentum the Illini had going into the Music City Classic at 5-0.
Where to watch
The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus. Opening tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
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