LIVE BLOG: FINAL - No. 14 Michigan State 76, Illinois 56

EAST LANSING, Michigan -- Welcome to the Breslin Center where Illinois (8-4, 1-1 in Big Ten Conference) will face Michigan State (10-3, 2-0) in the as both teams rejoin Big Ten Conference play.

I'm LOOKING LIVE...at press row in St. Louis where both teams are warming up as we're about two hours from the opening tip.

NOTE: Please join us as we live-blog and discuss the Illini game here in our weekly Illini Gameday Open Thread. Dive into the conversation — it's easy — by simply going to the top right of the redesigned site and click the follow button.

You can log in with Facebook or Google and either way, it's free. That's right...IT'S FREE. From there, sound off in the comment section and share your reactions and observations with our staff and fellow members of the Illini Maven/Sports Illustrated community as we keep you up to date of the game in real-time.

-------------

Game 14: Illinois at No. 14 Michigan State

Date/Time/Place: Thursday, Jan. 2, 2020: 7 p.m. CST, Breslin Center, East Lansing, Michigan

Capacity: 14,797

Records: Illinois 9-4, 1-1 in Big Ten; 12-21, 7-13 in Big Ten Conference in 2018-19. Michigan State 10-3, 2-0 in Big Ten; 32-7, 16-4 in Big Ten Conference

Line: Michigan State by 10.5

Series notes: Michigan State leads 61-60. MSU leads just 16-15 dating back to 2001, and the teams are 7-7 against each other over the last 14 games. The road team has had its share of success in this series as well. Since 2002, Illinois has been victorious five times in East Lansing – including consecutive wins in 2014 and 2015 – while Michigan State has recorded six wins in Champaign.

TV: FS1 - Alex Faust (PBP), Bill Raftery (analyst)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (PBP), Deon Thomas (analyst) - The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, Sirius/XM 380 and at FightingIllini.com.

-------------

Uniform Update: Illinois appears to be going with the all orange throwback road uniforms again today as Michigan State is warming up in green shorts so I assume they'll be in all green tonight.

---------------

While we wait for pre-game updates, here's a look at the three keys and Matthew Stevens' prediction for tonight's game.

-----------------

Here is the league's lineup of games for tonight: Only one league game on tap tonight.

Minnesota (7-5, 1-1) at Purdue (8-5, 1-1), 6 p.m., BTN

-----------------

INJURY UPDATE: Cassius Winston, who sat out the Spartans last game against Western Michigan on Dec. 29 with a bruised his left knee suffered in practice two days earlier, is going through warmups right now for MSU. All early signs is the Preseason Big Ten Conference Player of the Year is ready to go tonight.

----------------

NOTE: With students still on winter break here at Michigan State, I don't imagine Illinois will get the typical rowdy, electric Breslin Center atmosphere they're known for promoting. Lots of people in the 200 level dressed up as empty seats tonight for this 8 p.m. local time tip.

- Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman is in the building tonight as Illinois (9-4, 1-1) looks to end a 15-game losing streak against ranked teams on the road. Last time he was in East Lansing, he was hugging Lovie Smith and any Illinois player he could find in the tunnel after the Illini got bowl eligible.

---------------

NOTE: Illinois going with the same starting lineup that they opened Big Ten play with...Frazier, Dosunmu, Williams, Bezhanishvili and Cockburn. Michigan State has Cassius Winston in the starting lineup.

---------------

NOTE: Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk is not dressed out tonight for Illinois and has his right foot in a walking boot. Illini head coach Brad Underwood said Sunday that the freshman forward for Belgium has a foot injury.

------------------

FIRST HALF

------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 15:59 left in 1st: No. 14 Michigan State 11, Illinois 2 - MSU getting out in transition and already has six points in the paint. Illinois settling for jump shots, which aren't falling (1 of 7 and 0 of 4 from 3-pt).

---------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 10:44 left in 1st: No. 14 Michigan State 18, Illinois 10 - Kofi Cockburn picks up his second foul right before the break. Cockburn is 1 of 5 from the field and has four rebounds.

-----------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 7:43 left in 1st: No. 14 Michigan State 24, Illinois 17 - Ayo Dosunmu is keeping this from being an early laugher. The sophomore guard has 11 points including all four of the Illini's fast break points. MSU has cooled off shooting and Winston is 1 for his last 5.

-----------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 3:59 left in 1st: No. 14 Michigan State 31, Illinois 24 - Brad Underwood is given a technical foul right after a foul call before the media break. The Illini coach has been relatively unhappy all evening. Nichols with three fouls, Cockburn with two. Giorgi with as many turnovers as field goals.

-----------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 44.4 left in 1st: No. 14 Michigan State 35, Illinois 28 - MSU is 1 for its last 8 from the field and Ayo Dosunmu has a game-high 13 points.

----------

HALFTIME - No. 14 Michigan State 36, Illinois 30 - Trent Frazier called for a blocking foul on a halfcourt shot. Kyle Ahrens makes only 1 of 3 free throws but Brad Underwood has words with officials as he leaves the floor.

ANALYSIS: It feels like Michigan State should be up 15 points after this first 20 minutes but the Spartans are only 9 of 16 from the foul line and 3 for its last 11 from the field after starting out the game getting easy layups (9 of 20).

Ayo Dosunmu has easily had his best 20 minutes of the 2019-20 season. He's got a game-high 13 points, knows he can go by any MSU defender and has contained Cassius Winston on the other end of the floor after a quick start for the senior guard.

Illinois, which is 0 for 11 from 3-point range tonight, was able to survive the final 10:44 without Kofi Cockburn (outscored MSU 20-18).

------------------------

SECOND HALF

----------------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 15:36 left: No. 14 Michigan State 41, Illinois 35 - Kofi Cockburn picks up his third foul. Illinois still hasn't made a 3-pointer in the year 2020 (0 of 14 tonight).

------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 14:25 left: No. 14 Michigan State 48, Illinois 35 - Spartans go on a 7-0 run punctuated by a Cassius Winston three in the corner.

-------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 12:52 left: No. 14 Michigan State 56, Illinois 38 - Well, Illinois made a 3-pointer. Bad news: Michigan State just got another 3-pointer in transition as Giorgi forgets to close out. Spartans with 15 assists on 18 field goals tonight.

------------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 10:32 left: No. 14 Michigan State 62, Illinois 43 - Illinois is 1 of 19 from 3-point range tonight. Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston has 15 points, five assists and four rebounds in just 20 minutes.

-------------

ILLINI TIMEOUT - 8:11 left: No. 14 Michigan State 66, Illinois 46 - Underwood burns his final timeout after Trent Frazier makes a 3-pointer. Michigan State is 11 of 17 from the field in this second half.

-----------

MEDIA TIMEOUT - 8:11 left: No. 14 Michigan State 74, Illinois 54 - Xavier Tillman gives up about five inches and 50 pounds to Kofi Cockburn. He also currently has 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists tonight.

Add us as a preferred source on Google