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Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Illinois on Senior Night

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 31: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 31: Joshua Langford #1 of the Michigan State Spartans looks on during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball is one win away from clinching the 2018 Big Ten title and they will need to avoid a letdown versus Illinois.

The last time Michigan State and Illinois met up, the Spartans took care of the Illini in Champaign for their second win in a row after a devastating loss to in-state rival Michigan. Michigan State has since won eight more in a row, totaling 10 since that Michigan loss.

Michigan State is coming together at the right time and is playing its best basketball of the year, it seems. Even though the Spartans were down by 27 points against Northwestern, they regrouped at halftime and furiously stormed back to steal a win in Rosemont, Ill.

There’s still plenty of work to do in order to be national title-ready, but Michigan State is on the right track. Tuesday night will be emotional for this team as three seniors — Gavin Schilling, Tum Tum Nairn and Ben Carter — will be playing their last home game. Two underclassmen — Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges — could also be in the same boat.

It’s time to be bold ahead of Michigan State’s matchup with Illinois on Senior Night.

5. Gavin Schilling reaches double digits

Gavin Schilling hasn’t scored 10 points since January 10, 2016, and that’s going to change in his final home game at the Breslin Center. Senior Night is going to be a good one for the fifth-year forward from Chicago. He hasn’t quite had the season he had hoped for, but he’s had a positive impact on the team as a role player.

In his final game in East Lansing, he’s going to put together his best performance of the season — even better than his showing against Purdue — and score 13 points with eight rebounds. No, he won’t lead the team in scoring, but it will be one of the best games of his collegiate career.

This will be the type of game that will go to show that Schilling can have an impact off the bench and he deserves more minutes down the stretch. He could be an important piece to the national title puzzle, especially if Nick Ward and Jaren Jackson Jr. get into foul trouble.

Schilling will have himself a game before kissing the Spartan head at center court.

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