Michigan State Basketball: 3 reasons Spartans will beat No. 24 Illinois

Michigan State basketball is facing yet another tough road battle on Tuesday night as the Spartans travel to Illinois. Here’s why they’ll win.

Fresh off a 12-point road win at No. 8 Wisconsin, Michigan State basketball is heading to Champaign to take on another Top 25 opponent in Illinois on Tuesday night.

The Spartans are looking to add to an already impressive resume and beat another ranked opponent on the road and potentially move up in the rankings. Plus, this is a fantastic test before facing Michigan on Saturday in a huge rivalry game in East Lansing.

The last time Michigan State went to Champaign, Xavier Tillman threw down a game-winning dunk to beat a quality Illini team and it ignited a run for the Spartans before COVID cut the season short.

Here’s why Michigan State will take Illinois down on Tuesday night.

3. Gabe Brown will finally bounce back

Gabe Brown hasn’t quite been his normal self in a few games. In fact, he’s averaging just under nine points per game over the last three, shooting well under 40 percent. He’s shooting just 7-for-24 from the floor and just 3-for-13 from deep.

Michigan State needs him to be back to normal against Illinois on Tuesday night.

And Gabe will rise to the occasion because he’s a senior leader and he knows that his lackluster play over the past three games can’t continue. He’s a hard worker and this type of slump drives him crazy so you just know he’s been spending extra time in the gym recently to get his shot right.

I see a big game from Gabe on Tuesday night to more than make up for his uninspired performances against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Wisconsin.