Michigan State vs. Illinois Pick
Can No. 6 Michigan State avoid a poor performance on the road when the Spartans take on Illinois tonight at 9PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Michigan State is favored on the road tonight, as the Spartans are getting odds of -11.5 points against Illinois. The over/under total for the game is listed at 145 points. Tonight’s game will take place from State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois and will air live on FS1.
Michigan State had been playing a little shaky until last Friday when the Spartans earned an 85-57 win over Indiana. MSU is 17-3 this season, 5-2 in the Big Ten and 12-8 against the spread. The Spartans are averaging 85.2 points per game this season while allowing 63.6 per game. Miles Bridges is putting up 16.9 points and 7.2 rebounds per game to lead MSU this season while Nick Ward is adding 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest.
Illinois has lost five straight coming into today, including a 75-50 loss at Wisconsin. The Illini are now 10-10 overall, 0-7 in the Big Ten and 7-8-1 against the spread. Illinois is averaging 76.6 points per game on offense this season while allowing 72.6 per game on defense. Leron Black is leading Illinois with 14.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while Trent Frazier is adding 11 points per contest.
Bet on Michigan State vs. Illinois
These two have split their last 10 meetings while Illinois is 5-3 ATS in the last eight meetings. Illinois hasn’t had much to offer this year. A new coach hasn’t led to good results as they are struggling to just cover in Big Ten games. Michigan State looked great against Indiana, but the Spartans are still inconsistent with turnovers and struggle defensively at times. I don’t think Illinois is the team to capitalize on those mistakes, so look for the Spartans to use their pure talent and athleticism to cruise to a win. The public betting is heavily backing MSU tonight as well.
CBB DAILY PREDICTION: MICHIGAN STATE -11.5