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V-Cast: Is it okay to say that Michigan State is a Big Ten contender?

On3 imageby:Paul Konyndyk•01/19/25•

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V-Cast Ilinios

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State won its seventh Big Ten game in a row and extended its winning streak to 11 games with an 80-78 win over No. 19 Illinois. Afterward SpartanMag.com staffers Jim Comparoni and Paul Konyndyk checked in from courtside at the Breslin Center with the latest V-Cast.

V-CAST TOPICS

Illinois Foul Trouble: One of the biggest storylines in this game was the foul trouble that Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis found himself in throughout Sunday’s game. The Fighting Illini star played just nine minutes before fouling out with more than five minutes to go in the second half. Illinois coach Brad Underwood did not agree with some of the calls that went against his fresh point guard, whom he described as the best point guard in college basketball. When he was in the game, he looked the part.

Rebounding: Illinois sends more bodies to the boards than any team Michigan State has faced this season and the Spartans struggled to adjust during the first half of the game. As a result, Illinois went into the halftime with a big lead in rebounding margin, with the Spartans giving up 11 first-half offensive rebounds. In the second half, Michigan State gave Illinois more than it got on the glass. The Spartans effectively flipped the rebounding script and finished with just one fewer rebound than Illinois, which leads the Big Ten in rebounding margin on the year. Michigan State ranks No. 2 in rebounding margin. Carson Cooper led the way for the Spartans with a team-high eight rebounds against Illinois. Jaxon Kohler was the next highest rebounder the Michigan State with six rebounds. Rebounding against Illinois, however, was a team effort as every single player that logged minutes for Michigan State had at least two boards in this game.

In the mix: Michigan State has so many games left to play in its Big Ten schedule. With its win over Illinois, however, the Spartans signaled to the rest of the league that their hot start in league play is more than simply the result of a favorable conference schedule. The Spartans currently sit a half-game ahead of Purdue in the Big Ten standings. Purdue and Michigan are the only Big Ten teams with one loss. In the week ahead, Michigan State has just one conference game on its schedule, as the Spartans travel to New York City next Saturday for a game against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden.

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