Which Version of Illinois Will MSU Get?

The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to face Michigan State, but what version of this Illinois team will the Spartans face?

Illinois' playerswatches a free throw during the Indiana versus Illinois men's basketball game at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are set to take on one of their bigger threats to the Big Ten in the Illinois Fighting Illini on Sunday. While MSU sits atop the Big Ten standings, Illinois has a team that can easily climb the ranks, that is, depending on what version Illinois decides to be against the Spartans.

The Fighting Illini have had a confusing season thus far. Predicted to be one of the biggest threats to other conference competitors, they haven't necessarily lived up to the hype. But at the same time, they have. Going into the game with MSU, Illinois holds a 13-4 record.

The theme revolving around the Fighting Illini this season has been back-and-forth victories. For example, the team blew out the Oregon Ducks 109-77, a Ducks team that has only lost two games this season. The juggernauts on the team came to play in that game, but when they face off against a lesser threat, they seem to let their guard down.

Their most recent loss came against USC, a team that sits three games back out of first place. Sloppiness has come back to bite the Fighting Illini in the backside when they face teams they are predicted to play well against.

As for MSU, the program could have a lot on their plate given the track record the Fighting Illini have when facing opponents who hold a better record than them. Following the theme, Illinois lost to USC and then won their following game against Indiana in a 94-69 blowout. What does that mean for the Spartans?

MSU has looked unstoppable as of late, yet Coach Tom Izzo believes the team still has a lot to learn and that they shouldn't get complacent. The way that the Spartans are playing, it would be a huge blow to Illinois if they lost the game and fell three games back of them in the Big Ten standings.

Best-case scenario for the Spartans is to prepare themselves as if they know that Illinois will bring their best effort to knock them off of their winning streak. But it should be easy to tell early what type of Fighting Illini team will come to play against MSU on Sunday.

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