The MSU men’s basketball team is coming off one of its biggest wins the season, but it won’t have time to take it in.
After beating No. 23 Ohio State on Sunday, No. 18 Illinois (17-7 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) is in town and looking to avenge its Feb. 3 67-61 loss to the Spartans (14-9, 5-5).
With only one day of preparation between ranked opponents, MSU head coach Tom Izzo decided to seek advice from the Spartans’ last head coach.
“I called my mentor Jud Heathcote and he said, ‘Good luck,’” Izzo said. “He was real helpful.”
While Izzo said the short break was his biggest concern, he had a simple solution. Instead of having a physical practice Monday, Izzo focused on the team’s game plan.
The game plan is a familiar one for the Spartans. Izzo said they will take a similar approach to tonight’s game as they did in Champaign, Ill.
“We can shake the cobwebs loose on a couple of our guys,” Izzo said, “and figure they can remember what we did a week and a half ago.”
Izzo said his other big concern was who would show up for the Illini.
“My second concern is which Illinois team we’ll get,” he said. “There’s no question they’re still a very talented team. Injuries have hurt them a little bit, yet on a given night they’re as good a team as any team in the top 10 in the country.”
Illinois head coach Bill Self said one reason his team hasn’t always shown up is because guard Frank Williams hasn’t been a sure thing this season.
“I think it’s been well-stated that we kind of go as Frank goes,” Self said. “I think when Frank starts playing better, more to his capabilities, I think you’ll start seeing us play better.”
Despite having an off-year, Williams is still leading his team with 16.4 points per game. And even though CBS’s Billy Packard said Williams was “playing like a dog” during Illinois’ previous loss to MSU, freshman guard Chris Hill said Williams is still capable of blowing up.
“Frank is one of the best players in the country,” Hill said. “On any given night, he could explode.”
That was the case during the two weeks after Illinois lost to the Spartans.
The Fighting Illini beat Michigan 68-60 on Thursday and Purdue 69-67 on Saturday. Against the Boilermakers, Williams scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high six rebounds.
But Williams isn’t the only Illini player on and off this year.
Even though forward Brian Cook is leading the team in Big Ten action with 13.9 points per game, he doesn’t always put together a complete game. Against MSU, Cook scored 20 points in the first half, but only scored two in the second.
And because Illinois has been hot and cold all season and MSU is playing with tired legs, the Spartans will need an extra boost from Breslin Center fans.
“If there was a game that we really need them, because they were awesome on Sunday, it would be this game,” Izzo said. “The extra adrenaline that a crowd can bring to a player is maybe how you can win games when everyone is worn-out.”
