Michigan State Spartans vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 01/13/2023

Game Time: 9:00 pm ET, Friday, January 13, 2023

Venue:  State Farm Center, Champaign, IL 

Where to Watch:  Fox Sports 1

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  MSU +5, Illinois -5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  MSU +5, Illinois -5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  MSU +5, Illinois -5; Over/Under:  136.5 points

 

Michigan State Spartans:  12-4 (4-1) (2nd place, Big Ten)

Illinois Fighting Illini:  11-5 (2-3) (9th place, Big Ten)

 

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Michigan State Spartans:  5-0  last 5

Illinois Fighting Illini:  3-2  last 5

 

Michigan State is coming into this game with a 12-4 record overall and they are 3-1 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 4-1 in their conference games this season as well. They are entering this game on a 7 game winning streak with wins coming against the Penn State Nittany Lions, the Brown Bears, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies, the Buffalo Bulls, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Michigan Wolverines, and the Wisconsin Badgers in their last game. Joey Hauser led the team in points in that game with 20 while Tyson Walker was next on the team with 13 points. AJ Hoggard led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Mady Sissoko led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 52.3% from the field, 53.8% from 3-point range, and 94.1% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 70.3 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 64.9 PPG against them. Michigan State has an ATS record of 9-7 this season and their O/U record is 8-8.

 

 

Illinois is coming into this game with an 11-5 record overall and they are 8-1 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are also 2-3 in their conference schedule this season as well. They are entering this game on a 2 game winning streak with wins coming against the Wisconsin Badgers and the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their last game. Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team in points in that game with 25 while Coleman Hawkins was next on the team with 12 points. Coleman Hawkins led the team in assists in that game with 5 while Terrence Shannon Jr. led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 45.9% from the field, 27.6% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 76.9 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 63.8 PPG against them. Illinois has an ATS record of 8-7-1 this season and their O/U record is 7-9.

The current betting odds have Michigan State listed as a 5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Michigan State has been having a good season with a 12-4 record overall and have even been good in their 4 road games going 3-1 in those. They had a bit of a rough start to their year but they find themselves at the top of the Big Ten now with a 4-1 conference record as they have been rolling over teams since losing their only conference game to Northwestern. Illinois has also been having a good season though as they are 11-5 this year and are 8-1 in their home games. They have actually been struggling a lot in their conference play though with just a 2-3 conference record this year. They just pulled off a huge win on the road by over 20 points but Nebraska isn't a great team either while this Michigan State team has much better players and better coaching which has helped them turn things around in conference play since that 1st game. Illinois has been a good home team but they have struggled in the conference and they are going to struggle against this Big Ten opponents who has been on a roll lately. Michigan State has the potential to pull off an upset in this game but even if they do lose, it will be a very close game that goes down to the wire. The best way to place a bet here is on Michigan State to cover the spread in this game.

 

Michigan State Illinois Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, January 13, 2023 (9:00 pm ET start time) is MSU 79 Illinois 74.

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Michigan State Spartans: 4-14 ATS after a win by 6 points or less. 4-10 ATS after playing 5 consecutive games as favorite. 16-9 UNDER off a win against a conference rival.

Illinois Fighting Illini: 12-7 ATS after successfully covering the spread in 2 or more consecutive games. 31-22 UNDER in a home game where the total is 135 to 139.5. 139-96 UNDER off a win against a conference rival.

 

 

Michigan State Spartans:  None.

Illinois Fighting Illini:  L. Goode (G) Mid Jan - Foot.

 

 

“What you try to do in this league is win your home games and split on the road. We dropped the first conference game to Northwestern and we said, 'Boy we’re going to look back and that will hurt us.’ We have so many games, we have to go to Illinois on Friday and Purdue on Monday. It’s almost an NBA schedule. That’s why this league is so good and you’re always playing in front of packed houses. If anybody wants to challenge where this league is I’ll take them on.” - Tom Izzo after his team’s win against Wisconsin in their last game.

 

 

“Skyy has made the decision to take some time away from basketball. He remains a valued part of our program and will continue to receive full support. Skyy is a thoughtful, caring young man who right now needs to prioritize himself and his family. This is bigger than basketball. We understand that and stand with him every step of the way.” - Brad Underwood on Skyy Clark leaving the team.

 

 

 

J. Akins 

J. Hauser 

A. Hoggard 

M. Sissoko 

T. Walker

 

S. Clark 

C. Hawkins 

M. Mayer 

R. Melendez 

T. Shannon

 

 

PPG: T. Walker (13.9)

APG: A. Hoggard (6.5)

Reb/G: J. Hauser (7.8)

 

PPG: T. Shannon Jr. (18.1)

APG: C. Hawkins (3.6)

Reb/G: C. Hawkins (6.1)

 

Coaches:

Michigan State Spartans: Tom Izzo (28th season)

Illinois Fighting Illini: Brad Underwood (6th season)