Illinois Fighting Illini at Michigan State Spartans
· NCAA Men's Basketball
Cockburn leads No. 12 Illinois past slumping No. 19 Spartans
Illinois (19-7, 12-4 Big Ten) moved ahead of No. 15 Wisconsin and into a first-place tie with No. 5 Purdue in the conference standings.
“That went about how I thought it would,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “I loved the fight and the grit, and that what I thought it took today.”
Tyson Walker scored a season-high 26 points and A.J. Hoggard had 15 for the Spartans (18-9, 9-6), who never led and trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half. Michigan State has lost four of five.
“I didn't think we competed in the first half,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “In the second half, we scored 52 points against the best defensive team in the league. I don't like saying we'll learn from a loss, but I think we'll learn from this. I think we competed harder (in the second half), but we couldn't get over that 10-point stretch.”
The Spartans rallied down the stretch, cutting the lead to two points several times in the final two minutes, before Trent Frazier made a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to put the game out of reach. Frazier finished with 12 points.
“He went about 13 seconds too early,” Underwood said. “The play was an option for him and Kofi, and he just went early.”
Michigan State shot 31% from the floor in the first half and trailed 34-22 at the break but heated up after halftime, finishing the game at 46.8% shooting to Illinois' 45%.
Underwood defeated Izzo's Spartans in East Lansing for the first time.
“It's a box checked off,” Underwood said. “And it so happens that it keeps us in first.”
Cockburn scored in double figures for the 36th straight game, the third-longest such streak in the nation.
BIG PICTURE
Illinois: The Illini had lost two of their previous three games, falling at Rutgers and at Purdue. Three of their final four regular-season games are at home as they chase a Big Ten title.
Michigan State: The Spartans could fall out of the AP Top 25 after going 0-2 this week.
UP NEXT
Illinois: Hosts No. 18 Ohio State on Thursday.
Michigan State: At Iowa on Tuesday.
How can I watch Illinois vs. Michigan State?
- TV Channel: Illinois at Michigan State 2021 College Basketball, week 15, is broadcasted on ESPN.
- Online streaming:
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Matchup Prediction
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 79 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Da'Monte Williams Defensive Rebound. | 79 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:13 | Gabe Brown missed Three Point Jumper. | 79 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:25 | Trent Frazier made Three Point Jumper. | 79 - 74 |
| 2nd 0:47 | Michigan State Timeout | 76 - 74 |
Statistics
 ILL |
 MSU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 27-60 | FG | 29-62 |
| 45.0 | Field Goal % | 46.8 |
| 8-27 | 3PT | 8-21 |
| 29.6 | Three Point % | 38.1 |
| 17-23 | FT | 8-12 |
| 73.9 | Free Throw % | 66.7 |
| 38 | Rebounds | 36 |
| 14 | Offensive Rebounds | 12 |
| 24 | Defensive Rebounds | 24 |
| 17 | Assists | 18 |
| 6 | Steals | 5 |
| 1 | Blocks | 4 |
| 8 | Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 8 | Total Turnovers | 11 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Points Off Turnovers | 0 |
| 0 | Fast Break Points | 0 |
| 0 | Points in Paint | 0 |
| 17 | Fouls | 20 |
| 16 | Largest Lead | 0 |
Game Information
Location: East Lansing, MI
Attendance: 14,797 | Capacity:
2024-25 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan State | 13-3 | - | 22-5 |
| Michigan | 12-3 | 0.5 | 20-6 |
| Wisconsin | 11-4 | 1.5 | 21-5 |
| Maryland | 11-5 | 2 | 21-6 |
| Purdue | 11-5 | 2 | 19-8 |
| UCLA | 10-6 | 3 | 19-8 |
| Illinois | 9-8 | 4.5 | 17-10 |
| Oregon | 8-8 | 5 | 19-8 |
| Nebraska | 7-9 | 6 | 17-10 |
| Ohio State | 7-9 | 6 | 15-12 |
| Indiana | 6-9 | 6.5 | 15-11 |
| Minnesota | 6-9 | 6.5 | 14-12 |
| USC | 6-9 | 6.5 | 14-12 |
| Rutgers | 6-10 | 7 | 13-14 |
| Iowa | 5-10 | 7.5 | 14-12 |
| Northwestern | 5-11 | 8 | 14-13 |
| Washington | 4-11 | 8.5 | 13-13 |
| Penn State | 4-12 | 9 | 14-13 |