Spartans Play at Illinois in Friday Night Big Ten Matchup

East Lansing, Mich. – Michigan State's men's basketball team plays its second-straight road game on Friday, Jan. 13, traveling to play at Illinois (9 p.m.).

The game will air live on FS1, with Tim Brando and Casey Jacobsen calling all of the action. The TCF Bank Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard on one of 38 affiliates and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play and Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst. The game can also be heard on channels 382 on SiriusXM and on channel 972 on the SiriusXM app.

About the Spartans

Michigan State has won seven-straight games and enters the game on Friday with a 12-4 overall record, including a 4-1 mark in Big Ten play.
The Spartans, who played one of the nation's toughest schedules in the country to open the season, has faced the 9th-toughest slate of opposing offenses in the country and ranks No. 15 overall in strength of schedule, per KenPom.com.
Through 16 games, senior guard Tyson Walker leads the team in scoring with 13.9 ppg, while adding 2.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Graduate forward Joey Hauser is second on the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game and leads the team with rebounds with 7.8 per game, while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from 3-point land.
Junior guard A.J. Hoggard is third on the team with 12.0 points, fourth with 4.0 rebounds and leads the team (and is 2nd in the Big Ten) with 6.5 assists per game.
Senior forward Malik Hall, who missed eight games but returned to the rotation against Buffalo and has played the last four games, is fourth on the team with 10.9 ppg and third with 4.1 rpg.
Sophomore guard Jaden Akins, who scored a career-high 15 points against Oakland, is adding 8.4 points and 3.5 rebounds.
Junior forward Mady Sissoko, who scored 9 points and grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds against Oakland, is averaging 6.3 points and is second on the team with 7.1 rebounds.
Sophomore Pierre Brooks II, who has started five games, is averaging 6.0 points and 2.6 rebounds.

About Illinois

Illinois enters the game on Friday night with an 11-5 overall record, including a 2-3 mark in the Big Ten following a 76-50 win at Nebraska on Tuesday night.
Illinois has won its last two games, beating Wisconsin last Saturday (79-69).
The Illini are 8-1 at home, including a 1-1 mark in conference play, the loss a 74-59 decision to Penn State on Dec. 10.
Terrence Shannon Jr. is one of three players scoring in double figures, leading the team with 18.1 points per game, which is fourth in the Big Ten.
Illinois is fourth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (76.9 ppg), fifth in scoring defense (63.8 ppg) and second in 3-pointers per game (9.0).

Series History

The game on Friday night between Michigan State and Illinois is the 127th meeting all-time.
The Spartans lead the head-to-head series, 64-62, with wins in five of the last eight meetings.
Illinois won both meetings last year, 56-55, in Champaign, and then posting a 79-74 win at the Breslin Center on Feb. 19.
MSU is 21-41 in games played on the road and has won three of the last six away games.
In the last 28 games in the series, 24 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
Tom Izzo is 27-20 in his career against the Illini.