January 13, 2023: In a game that Michigan State led for the majority of the first and second half, Illinois proved to be too much at home in a 75-66 win. Illinois uncharacteristicly took care of the basketball and finished the game with only 5 turnovers. They also shot free throws well above their average at 83%. In contrast, MSU failed to hit a single 3 point shot going 0-7 despite surprisingly dominating Illinois on the glass 42-33 (with a 40% offensive rebounding rate.

The Spartans now fall to 4-2 in the Big Ten and one game behind the Boilermakers who roll into East Lansing in a few days. Perhaps one of the most important developments in the game was an injury sustained by Malik Hall with 7:45 left in the game where he injured his left foot. Early reports are that he sprained his ankle so it appears that he did not reinjure his stress reaction but whether he is ready to play against Purdue is unknown at this time.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices