Saturday's near-win at No. 5 Ohio State showed the MSU men's basketball team's tenacity, but tonight's game against Illinois might be a better indicator of the Spartans' resolve.
Less than 72 hours removed from their extremely dramatic and taxing comeback against the Buckeyes, the Spartans (17-5 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) will need to find a way to rebound quickly against the struggling but dangerous Fighting Illini (15-8, 3-5), who are playing to resuscitate their fading postseason bid.
"This is where you really make a statement, or you really grow up, or you really have a turning point," head coach Tom Izzo said Monday at his weekly press conference. "To come off an emotional game and go to arguably (the) toughest place to play in the league (Assembly Hall, where MSU hasn't won since 2002) … I'm really looking forward to see how we respond."
The Spartans, who whittled a 20-point halftime deficit down to one on Saturday, kept Sunday's practice limited to walk-throughs and film watching in an attempt to get refreshed.
"We don't have any choice but to bounce back," said junior guard Drew Neitzel, who played all 40 minutes against Ohio State.
Illinois' struggles have been injury-related, and the biggest casualty has been forward Brian Randle. The 6-foot-8 defensive stopper missed eight games at the beginning of the season after undergoing groin surgery and has sat out the Illini's last two contests with plantar fasciitis in his left foot that's bothered him all season. He likely won't play tonight.
Without Randle, Illinois managed only 47 points in a 17-point loss at Purdue on Saturday. The Illini haven't won consecutive games in more than a month.
Despite his team's quick turnaround, Izzo said he won't depart from the high-tempo, high-pressure game plan that keyed the Spartans' second-half comeback in their win against the Illini on Jan. 14.
"We'll find out what our mental and physical toughness is," Izzo said. "Because it will take all of it to get a win under these circumstances."
Rounding into form
Freshman forward Raymar Morgan played a season-high 35 minutes against Ohio State and appears to have fully recovered from the stress reaction that caused him to miss seven games earlier this season. Morgan had 14 points Saturday, one fewer than touted Buckeyes freshmen Daequan Cook, Mike Conley Jr. and David Lighty had combined.
Izzo said Morgan's leg is still sore after extended activity, but he should be cleared to practice fully in the next few days.
"If he can get through this week, I think he's going to be ready to go full-go," Izzo said. "(But) his half-go has been pretty good. He was every bit as good as most of the freshmen on that court."
Freshman guard Isaiah Dahlman was scheduled to have his injured right foot re-examined Monday, but Izzo said there's no chance he'll play tonight.
