Since falling out of the Associated Press Top 25 with back-to-back losses at the start of December, Michigan State (12-4) has ripped off seven consecutive wins. The Spartans look to keep their strong run of play going against an Illinois (11-5) team that had their number in 2021-22, and took both regular season meetings against them. Michigan State is tied with Purdue at the top of the Big Ten standings at 4-1, and the Spartans face the Boilermakers following Friday’s matchup with the Illini.
Tip-off from the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, is set for 9 p.m. ET, where the Illini are 8-1 this season. The Fighting Illini are favored by 6.5 points in the latest Illinois vs. Michigan State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over/under is set at 138. Before entering any Michigan State vs. Illinois picks, you’ll want to see the college basketball predictions from the model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters Week 9 of the season 34-18 on all-top rated college basketball picks, returning more than $1,000 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Illinois vs. Michigan State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several college basketball odds for Illinois vs. Michigan State:
- Illinois vs. Michigan State spread: Illinois -6.5
- Illinois vs. Michigan State over/under: 138 points
- Illinois vs. Michigan State money line: Illinois -280, Michigan State +230
- Illinois vs. Michigan State picks: See picks here
Featured Game | Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Michigan State Spartans
What you need to know about Illinois
Nebraska has had one of the strongest home court advantages in the Big Ten, but it didn’t help the Cornhuskers on Tuesday in a 76-50 Illinois victory. Illini guard Terrence Shannon Jr. posted a double-double on a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Coleman Hawkins also had a strong game for Illinois, finishing with 12 points, five assists and a steal.
The Illini have won three of their last four games, and they’ve been menacing on defense during that stretch. Over those last four, Illinois has averaged 7.3 steals and 7.3 blocks per game. Shannon has been the team’s top pickpocket with 1.3 steals per start, while Hawkins (1.2 blocks per game) and reserve Dain Dainja (1.5 bpg) have been its top rim-protectors this season.
What you need to know about Michigan State
Wisconsin was a Big Ten regular season co-champion last year, but that didn’t matter to the Spartans in their last game with MSU defeating the No. 18 Badgers, 69-65. Four players finished with double-digit point totals for Michigan State: Forward Joey Hauser (20 points), and guards Tyson Walker (13), Jaden Akins (12), and A.J. Hoggard (10). MSU’s offense was bolstered by the team’s sharp shooting from beyond the 3-point line, where the Spartans hit 53.8% of their attempts as a team.
During their current seven-game winning streak, the Spartans have made 39.6% of their 3-point attempts and held opponents to just 25.9% from downtown. Akins, Hauser and Walker have all hit more than 40% of their shots from deep this year, and should look to keep things up on the perimeter to negate Illinois’ length.
How to make Illinois vs. Michigan State picks
The model has simulated Illinois vs. Michigan State 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning Over, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Illinois vs. Michigan State? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college basketball picks, and find out.
