Michigan State Basketball: 3 bold predictions vs. Illinois in first game of 2020
1. This game goes down to the wire
Like most games against Illinois have for the past few years, Thursday’s battle will go down to the wire as the Illini are somehow 11-point underdogs and they have much more talent than people give them credit for.
We’ve mentioned the talented freshman Kofi Cockburn who the Spartans will hold in check, but the Illini also have Ayo Dosunmu who gave Michigan State fits last year. He’ll have a solid game, scoring from just about anywhere on the floor to keep Illinois in the game. Trent Frazier, too, will have a good game to bolster the backcourt.
Giorgi Bezhanishvili — yes, that’s quite the name — will pick up the slack in the post with Cockburn struggling and he’ll nearly reach double-double status.
Michigan State has shot the ball much better in recent games and it seems as if something has clicked offensively — scoring 95 points in a game without Cassius Winston isn’t too shabby — and that will continue on Thursday because it will need to.
Next. Michigan State's all-2010s starting five. dark
The Spartans will feel the Illini on their heels until the final seconds tick off the clock, but Michigan State will win this one by four, 79-75. Survive and advance into Sunday’s Michigan game.