Spartans Hit the Road Again, Play at Illinois on Tuesday Night

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team hits the road for the second-straight game, playing at No. 22/23 Illinois on Tuesday night. Tipoff at StateFarm Center is slated for 9 p.m. ET.
The game will air live on ESPN, with Rece Davis, Dan Dakich and Molly McGrath calling all of the action.

The Spartan Sports Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at SpartanSportsNetwork.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on Sirius, XM and Internet 84.

Records
Michigan State has lost three-straight games and enters game with a 16-8 overall record, including an 8-5 record in Big Ten play. Illinois enters Tuesday's game with a 16-7 overall record and an 8-4 mark in the Big Ten.

About the Spartans

Senior guard Cassius Winston (Detroit, Mich./University of Detroit Jesuit) leads MSU, and ranks third in the Big Ten, in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game … Winston is also fourth in the league in assists (5.9 apg), first in free throw percentage, connecting on 87.0 percent of his shots (87-of-100), 11th in field goal percentage (42.2%) and sixth in 3-point percentage (38.4%).
Junior forward Xavier Tillman (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Christian) is second on the team with 13.4 points per game (16th in the Big Ten) and tops the team (3rd in the Big Ten) with 10.2 rebounds per game, while adding 3.1 assists (T11th in the Big Ten) per game and 2.2 blocks per game (4th in the Big Ten).
Tillman is the only Division I player averaging at least 13.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game.
Sophomore forward Aaron Henry (Indianapolis, Ind./Ben Davis) is third on the team with 9.3 points per game, while adding 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
MSU has four other players averaging at least 4.0 points per game, led by sophomore forward Gabe Brown (Ypsilanti, Mich./Belleville), who is averaging 7.8 points and 4.0 rebounds.
Freshman guard Rocket Watts (Detroit, Mich./SPIRE Academy [Ohio], who scored a career-high 16 points at Wisconsin, adds 7.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists.
Freshman forward Malik Hall (Aurora, Ill./Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]), who has started the last five games, is averaging 4.8 points and 3.7 rebounds, and sophomore forward Marcus Bingham Jr. (Grand Rapids, Mich./GR Catholic Central) is averaging 4.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks.
Saturday's game is the fourth on the road in the last five for MSU, and including Tuesday at Illinois (Feb. 11), the Spartans will play five of seven away from home.
Michigan State has been strong on the road in the last two-plus years, 19-8 overall (17-7 B1G).
Michigan State is ranked No. 25 in the USA Today Coaches poll and No. 9 per kenpom.com, No. 11 in the NCAA Net and No. 4 in the ESPN BPI.

Series History

Michigan State and Illinois meet for the 123rd time when the teams meet on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
The Spartans lead the head-to-head series, 62-60, and have won 13 of the last 20 against Illinois and 15 of the last 23.
MSU won the first meeting between the teams this year, 76-56, on Jan. 2 at the Breslin Center.
In the last 25 games in the series, 20 games in the series have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
Michigan State is 20-39 in games played at Illinois.
The team's last win on the road was a 60-53 decision on Feb. 22, 2015.
Tom Izzo is 25-18 in his career against the Illini.

Last Meeting

Winston scored a game-high 21 points and handed out six assists to lead four players in double figures as then-No. 14 Michigan State used a big second half to beat Illinois, 76-56, in a Big Ten Conference game on Jan. 2.
Tillman added 19 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots, while Gabe Brown scored 12 points and Aaron Henry had 10 points and nine rebounds … Bingham Jr. did not score, but had career-high's with 12 rebounds and five blocked shots.

About Illinois

The Illini have lost their last two games, a 75-66 decision to Maryland on Friday night and a 72-65 loss at Iowa.
After the team's loss at Michigan State on Jan. 2, Illinois had won seven-straight games.
Sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu leads the team with 15.8 points per game and 3.4 assists per game.
Freshman center Kofi Cockburn, who has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times this season, is second on the team with 13.8 points per game and leads the team with 9.0 rebounds.
Senior guard Andres Feliz adds 11.1 points and junior guard Trent Frazier adds 9.8 points and leads the team with 44 3-pointers.
Sophomore forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili is averaging 8.3 points and 4.5 rebounds.
Illinois is fifth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (73.8 ppg) and seventh in the league in scoring defense (64.7 ppg).

Spartans Hit the Road Again, Play at Illinois on Tuesday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Rocket Watts

Cassius Winston

Spartans Hit the Road Again, Play at Illinois on Tuesday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Marcus Bingham Jr.

Gabe Brown

Malik Hall

Aaron Henry

Xavier Tillman Sr.

Rocket Watts

Cassius Winston

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