Michigan State basketball: 3 quick reactions to tough loss at No. 24 Illinois

1. Rebounding is becoming a staple for the Spartans again

Michigan State has gone through some rebounding woes. All month, the Spartans have struggled to keep their opponents off the glass, especially on the offensive end. The Spartans could not keep their opponents from getting second-chance points and that is what kept those same opponents in the games when the Spartans should have crushed them.

This was not an issue in the game against Illinois. It was a huge help that Kofi Cockburn was not in the game for Illinois but the Spartans won the rebounding battle by 14. They also destroyed Illinois on the offensive boards where the Spartans grabbed 12 of them to Illinois’ five.

Though the second-chance points were not there in this game because they could not find the bottom of the net. This rebounding effort will bode well for the Spartans next month and in the tournament in March.

Continuing this effort will only make the Spartans a better team. This is a great shooting team so they won’t have many off nights like they did so winning the rebound battle will help the Spartans turn the page and start to win these tough games later and it will put the lesser opponents away easier.