Illinois vs. Michigan State: How to watch online, live stream info, game time, TV channel

When: Friday at 9 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Center — Champaign, Illinois
TV: Fox Sports 1
Follow: CBS Sports App
Ticket Cost: $31.00

Who’s Playing

Michigan State @ Illinois

Current Records: Michigan State 12-4; Illinois 11-5

What to Know

The Michigan State Spartans lost both of their matches to the Illinois Fighting Illini last season on scores of 55-56 and 74-79, so they’re hoping to turn the tables this season. The Spartans’ road trip will continue as they head to State Farm Center at 9 p.m. ET Friday to face off against Illinois. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous games.

It was a close one, but on Tuesday MSU sidestepped the Wisconsin Badgers for a 69-65 victory. MSU got double-digit scores from four players: forward Joey Hauser (20), guard Tyson Walker (13), guard Jaden Akins (12), and guard A.J. Hoggard (10).

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Cornhuskers typically have all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Illinois proved too difficult a challenge. Illinois took their matchup against the Cornhuskers by a conclusive 76-50 score. It was another big night for the Fighting Illini’s guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who dropped a double-double on 25 points and 11 boards.

The Spartans are expected to lose this next one by 5.5. They are currently four-for-four against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

The wins brought MSU up to 12-4 and Illinois to 11-5. A pair of stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: MSU is 358th worst in college basketball in takeaways, with only 9.9 on average. Illinois has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the game with the 38th most turnovers per game in college basketball, having accrued 14.6 on average. It’s possible one of these Achilles’ heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.