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Michigan State Basketball: Report card for 87-74 road win over Illinois

By Connor Muldowney

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 22: Miles Bridges #22 talks with Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans late in the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center on January 22, 2018 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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The win wasn’t pretty, but Michigan State basketball got the job done against Illinois in Champaign. Which player graded the highest?

Going into Champaign on Monday night had to give Tom Izzo an uneasy feeling. In fact, his Spartans had only won there three times in the past decade, including a win just last year by three points. Michigan State was the overwhelming favorite, but that didn’t mean much.

Throw records out when you hit the road in the Big Ten, especially in Champaign, because anything can happen. Fortunately for Izzo and Co., the Spartans took care of business and came away with a 13-point win, covering the spread.

They didn’t make it look easy for 40 minutes, though, as it took about 15-20 for them to really start pulling away. Some players had a career game while others had forgettable a forgettable one. Which Spartan graded the highest in Monday night’s win over Illinois?

Cassius Winston: C-

This may be a little generous given the fact that Cassius Winston finished with eight turnovers and ended up fouling out, but four of those turnovers came on offensive fouls. Moreover, if you were to ask the sophomore point guard what grade he would have given himself after this performance, he’d probably be even harsher and say ‘D’ at best.

Winston is a perfectionist and when games like Monday night’s sloppy win over Illinois happen, he works hard to make sure that doesn’t become a trend. He did so after the loss to Michigan, looking solid against Indiana, but Illinois gave him much more trouble than he expected.

Mark Alstork and various other guards gave Winston a tough time defensively as he wasn’t able to create space throughout the first half. In the second half, he tried to drive more but was whistled for using his off-arm to get to the rack.

Overall, it was a sloppy performance from the sophomore and he stays away from a D thanks to his eight assists.

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