Is championship history repeating itself for Michigan State men's basketball?
Michigan State men's basketball came up with a massive win over Wisconsin this past weekend, bouncing back from a loss to Northwestern and taking sole possession of first place in the Big Ten in the process.
At 6-1 in conference play, the Spartans find themselves in a similar situation as the last time they earned a share of a regular season Big Ten championship.
During the 2019-20 season, Michigan State opened conference play with five consecutive wins before suffering their first Big Ten loss. The Spartans then responded with a 12-point victory over Wisconsin.
Ironically, that is the exact same script that the 2021-22 season has followed thus far, as pointed out by Spartan Sports Network broadcaster Dalton Shetler.
Michigan State, ranked No. 10 in the country, will travel to No. 24 Illinois on Tuesday in a matchup between two of the top three teams in the Big Ten standings. The Spartans have not played in Champaign since that 2019-20 championship season and again, ironically, that proved to be a crucial game for MSU's championship hopes.
In 2019-20, Michigan State went into Champaign on a three-game losing streak but snapped that skid with a nail-biting 70-69 win over the Fighting Illini.
Fortunately for this year's Spartans, there is no three-game losing streak. But, if Michigan State can win another tough road game at Illinois, they will increase their Big Ten lead to a full game over second-place Wisconsin, and knock the Fighting Illini back to third place and two full games behind MSU.
The Spartans are in a real good spot as Big Ten play continues, and Tuesday's game has major conference championship implications. With a win, Michigan State reinforces its spot atop the Big Ten. With a loss, MSU drops back into a three-way tie with Wisconsin and Illinois for the conference lead.
