After suffering a narrow away loss to No. 1 Purdue last week, the No. 10 Illini will be returning to the State Farm Center on Thursday for a chance to bounce back against the Spartans. It will be the fourth conference showdown for Illinois up to this point, with the team searching for its third Big Ten win of the 2023-24 season.
“Now itʼs Michigan State,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “Coming off a loss, theyʼve won five of six. You know itʼs a guard-oriented team, they returned a tremendous amount of experience and firepower and athleticism with the guard spot. You know (Tyson) Walker is obviously one of the elite point guards in not just the Big Ten but in the country.”
While the Illini’s backcourt also boasts a plethora of talent, they will still be without their top guard in fifth-year Terrence Shannon Jr., who is suspended indefinitely from participating in team activities. It will be up to sophomore Ty Rodgers and junior Luke Goode to attempt to slow down Walker from the opening tipoff, as the duo are the predicted starting guards against the Spartans.
Graduate student forward Marcus Domask has begun to heat up in the last few games against Northwestern and Purdue, leading to his selection as Player of the Week by both the Big Ten and the Associated Press at the start of the week. Across the last two games, Domask has averaged 29 points, with 32 against the Wildcats and 26 against the Boilermakers.
Collectively, rebounding will be an area that Illinois will look to improve on on Thursday night. The Illini struggled in this department against the Boilermakers and their 7-foot-4-inch center Zach Edey, particularly early in the game. According to Underwood, “We have to get back to rebounding the basketball at the level we know we’re capable of.”
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Illinois and Michigan State boast a competitive history, though the Spartans have a slight edge in the all-time record with 64 wins to the Illini’s 63 overall wins. However, Illinois has momentum heading into this matchup as it currently holds a three-game winning streak against Michigan State, the latest result being a 75-66 triumph at the State Farm Center on Jan. 13, 2023.
For Underwood, Thursday night holds a chance to level the score on a personal level during what will be his 10th encounter with the green jerseys. Against the Spartans, Underwood is 4-5 and will be aiming for that fifth victory over their neighbors to the north.
Illinois (11-3 overall, 2-1 B1G), will go to battle against Michigan State (9-6 overall, 1-3 B1G) on Thursday night starting at 8 p.m. in Champaign.
“Itʼs a great opportunity to play against a very good basketball team,” Underwood said. “Theyʼre battle-tested, theyʼve played some folks as Tom (Izzoʼs) teams always do, and you expect a rock fight when you face them so weʼll have to be ready to go.”
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