The fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans will participate in their fourth-straight game without guard Denzel Valentine on Thursday evening when they welcome Illinois to town. The Spartans spent four weeks as the top ranked team in the nation but have struggled on the defensive end of the floor without Valentine. The good news is the Wooden Award candidate shouldn’t miss too much more time.
- Illinois is 7-2-1 ATS in its last 10 games against Michigan State.
- Michigan State is 20-4 SU in its last 24 games in January.
- Illinois is 1-9 SU in its last 10 games on the road in January.
Home court advantage hasn’t meant much in this series, as road sides are a perfect 4-0 SU in the last four matchups between the Spartans and Fighting Illini. OVER bettors have taken a special liking to Illinois as a result of the OVER/UNDER going 4-1 in the last five times the team has taken the floor.
Spartans head coach Tom Izzo is a big deal for a lot of reasons, but the veteran bench boss has been especially great in conference openers. Of Izzo’s 20 career Big Ten home openers, Sparty is 17-3 including 12 of their last 13.
These teams are certainly no stranger to participating in a lot of nail-biting games. Eighteen of the last 19 games in this series have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
Sportsbook Odds & Computer Pick
College basketball betting odds makers at Sportsbook opened the Michigan State Spartans as -13.5-point favorites in this matchup. Check for the latest spread and over/under total line at sportsbooks such as Sportsbook.
Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan State Spartans Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Michigan State Spartans sport a record of 14-1 and 8-6 ATS heading into this betting matchup, while the Illinois Fighting Illini have 8-7 and 5-5-3 ATS marks on the season. The OVER/UNDER records are 5-9 for the Michigan State Spartans and 7-6 for the Illinois Fighting Illini.
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 101-rated Illinois Fighting Illini taking on the No. 14-rated Michigan State Spartans in this contest.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Illinois Fighting Illini rank No. 236 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 32.87 per game. That compares with Michigan State’s No. 7 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Michigan State is college basketball's No. 80-ranked team at 7.73 per game, while the Illinois Fighting Illini rate No. 52 with 8.53 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Fighting Illini endured a 75-73 loss at the hands of the Buckeyes on Sunday, despite a 14-point effort from Kendrick Nunn at Value City Arena.
The Spartans got 20 points from Bryn Forbes as Michigan State ran past Minnesota 69-61 on Saturday at Williams Arena.
- Illinois is 2-4-3 ATS in its last 9 games
- Illinois is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Illinois's last 5 games
- Illinois is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- Michigan State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games
- Michigan State is 14-1 SU in its last 15 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Michigan State's last 7 games
- Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Illinois home to Purdue, Sunday, January 10th
Michigan State at Penn State, Sunday, January 10th
