Champaign, Ill. - The Spartans figured they couldn't win every game with offense alone, and they got hard proof of that against Illinois.
The Spartans (12-9 overall, 7-3 Big Ten) gave the Illini too many offensive opportunities, and Illinois (16-5, 7-3) took advantage, outshooting MSU on its way to a 75-51 win.
MSU's defense has concerned coach Tom Izzo throughout the season, but the Spartans have recently overcome that with a high-powered offense. Before Tuesday, MSU was shooting a conference-best 55.8 percent in Big Ten games. Against Illinois, it shot 48.6 percent.
"We have not checked all year," Izzo said. "When we were shooting great, we looked a little better, but we got what we deserved.
"I've said the same thing over and over. If we don't start defending, we can't win the big games. This was a big game that we didn't come close to winning."
The loss snapped MSU's four-game win streak and dropped the Spartans from first place in the conference. Izzo also missed a chance to win his 100th Big Ten game.
Junior guard Chris Hill said the team knows how to play defense, it just isn't executing.
"It's more mental," he said. "We know what we've got to do. It's just a mentality we haven't gotten yet."
Illinois' guards, especially Luther Head, hurt MSU from the perimeter, while MSU's offense never found a rhythm.
Head scored a game-high 17 points. He was 5-of-13 from the 3-point range.
MSU entered the second half facing a daunting 15-point deficit. The Spartans tried to climb out of their hole with the 3-point shot, but they weren't able to connect on enough of them to tighten the game.
Freshman guard Shannon Brown was the only Spartan to score in double digits. He had 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
Sophomore center Paul Davis struggled throughout the game. Izzo said part of that was Illinois' defense and part was Davis' reluctance to take shots when he had opportunities.
Davis finished with only eight points in 22 minutes. He played sparingly in the second half because of cramping.
The rowdy Assembly Hall crowd, dressed almost entirely in orange, appeared to rattle the Spartans early in the game - they were called twice for traveling, two shots slipped on the shooters' release and a handful of easy offensive opportunities was wasted.
Add those problems to MSU's first-half rebounding deficiencies and it's no wonder the team trailed 35-20 at the half. Seven of Illinois' 11 offensive rebounds came in the first half.
Illinois built its halftime lead with accurate 3-point shooting and a pesky defense that forced seven first-half MSU turnovers.
The Spartans played Illinois closely for most of the first half. But with about two minutes left in the first, Davis missed a chance to respond to a Head 3-pointer when his dunk flew off the side of the rim. On the ensuing possession, Illinois guard Dee Brown hit another three, putting the Illini up by 12.
While Illinois piled on the points late in the half, the Spartans' offense stalled. The spectacular shooting MSU displayed last weekend at Ohio State was nowhere to be found. They shot 38.1 percent in the first half.
Despite the loss, Izzo remained realistic.
"We're tied right now," he said of the conference race. "It's not like we're one game out. It's not like it's the end of the world."
The last time MSU played Illinois, the Illini won 70-40 at Assembly Hall.
MSU returns home to Breslin Center for its next game against Minnesota at 12:17 p.m. Saturday.
