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| Illinois Fighting Illini | Michigan State Spartans |
| 16-12 | March 01, 2014, 02:00 | Breslin Center | 22-6 |
The Michigan State Spartans will look to boost their win total and cover the spread when they tip off against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Breslin Center on Saturday in NCAA hoops play.
This season, the Spartans are 22-6 overall and 15-11-1 ATS, while the Fighting Illini are 16-12 and 12-13-2 ATS. As for the totals, Michigan State boasts a 14-13 on the OU, and Illinois is 9-16-1.
View Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan State Spartans Odds and Stats.
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Fighting Illini were listed as 11-point underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook.
This game puts the Spartans, most recently No. 53 in the Odds Shark power rankings, up against the Fighting Illini, who rate No. 258 in the latest survey.
Last time out for Illinois, they were a 60-49 Sportsbook as they battled Nebraska at home. They covered in the match as a 3-point favorite. The Fighting Illini grabbed a 60-49 win over the Cornhuskers on Wednesday, behind a 13-point effort from Kendrick Nunn at State Farm Center.
In their last action, Michigan State was a 79-70 loser on the road against Michigan. They failed to cover the 2-point spread as underdogs. The Spartans endured a 79-70 loss at the hands of the Wolverines on Sunday, despite a 21-point effort from Gary Harris at Crisler Center.
How They Match Up:
Rebounding is always a key handicapping consideration and Fighting Illini is ranked No. 152 in NCAA hoops at 34.71 per game. Contrast that with Michigan State’s No. 38 mark in the paint. When it comes to three-point shooting, Michigan State is the No. 17-ranked team in the country at 8.25 per game, while Illinois rates No. 127 at 6.11 per game.
A few Fighting Illini at Spartans trends to consider:
Illinois is 4-9 ATS in its last 13 games
Illinois is 3-10 SU in its last 13 games
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Illinois's last 5 games
Illinois is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games on the road
Michigan State is 13-6 ATS in its last 19 games
Michigan State is 19-6 SU in its last 25 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Michigan State's last 6 games
Michigan State is 18-3 SU in its last 21 games at home
Next up:
Illinois home to Michigan, Tuesday, March 4th
Michigan State at Iowa, Thursday, March 6th
