JN: The more I watch Illinois, the more I think MSU has no business losing to them. I realize GameDay is in Champaign, and there’s going to be a lot of Orange at Assembly Hall, but as the Illini go, so go their fans. For such an imposing crowd, it can get awfully quiet. The absence of Kalin Lucas obviously is significant for MSU, but if you’re going to play minus a backcourt player in the Big Ten, Illinois is the team to do it against. The Spartans haven’t been able to go big often. Now is their chance to do it and gain back some momentum.

MSU 68, Illinois 61

CV: Tom Izzo said Saturday’s environment in Champaign will be crazier than the one they faced Tuesday in Wisconsin. That doesn’t bode well for a team that likely will be missing its starting point guard. Demetri McCamey’s combination of size and skill will be hard for sophomore guard Korie Lucious to defend, so expect to see junior guard Chris Allen guarding him a lot. The Spartans were able to keep Illinois center Mike Tisdale in check in their last meeting, but it’ll be tough to get him into foul trouble again at home. With everything going against the Spartans, this team has refocused, and I expect a good game out of senior forward Raymar Morgan, whom Izzo said had the best practice of his career.

MSU 65, Illinois 63

MB: With Kalin Lucas questionable for this one, it’s difficult to predict an MSU win in front of what should be a hostile and revved up crowd at Assembly Hall. Obviously if Lucas doesn’t go, Korie Lucious will be crucial for MSU. Can he handle increased minutes? We’ll see. Regardless of whether Lucas plays or not, the Spartans will need a team effort in this one — but it might not be enough.

Illinois 67, MSU 63

AD: Tuesday’s blowout loss couldn’t have gone much worse for the Spartans, but I think the embarrassment of the lopsided game on national TV will serve as a much-needed wake-up call for the Spartans. Tom Izzo will have the Spartans fired up for Saturday’s game in hostile Assembly Hall, and MSU will come out with one of its best performances of the season, with or without Kalin Lucas. This will be a statement game for MSU, where the Spartans prove why they sit atop the conference and still are the team to beat in the Big Ten.

MSU 78, Illinois 62

MSU women at Iowa

4:30 p.m. Sunday, Big Ten Network

JN: Playing on the road will be crucial for the Spartans, but they appear to have figured out a few of the things that were going wrong during a very puzzling skid. They must keep the ball rolling against lesser opponents in order to stay competitive in the conference.

MSU 55, Iowa 49

CV: The Spartans are clicking at the right time, and the Hawkeyes will be the next team to be caught in MSU’s wake. MSU will own the glass and Allyssa DeHaan will post a double-double, leading the Spartans to another key conference victory.

MSU 68, Iowa 55

MB: The Hawkeyes are a weird team, yet typical of the Big Ten this season. They’d lost four in a row before winning three straight entering Thursday’s game with Ohio State. This is a game MSU should win, make no bones about it. The Spartans have a talent edge on almost every team in the league, and that should be enough here as Allyssa DeHaan will go off again.

MSU 74, Iowa 60

AD: After a skid that had many MSU fans wondering why the team was struggling so badly, the Spartans have gone on a tear of late. Allyssa DeHaan is playing at a high level and is getting support from her teammates. I think this one will be close, especially with Iowa’s tendency to jack a ton of 3-pointers. But MSU will get the job done late in the game.

MSU 56, Iowa 53

MSU hockey at Alaska

11:05 p.m. Friday (WJIM 1240-AM)

10:05 p.m. Saturday (Comcast)

JN: I’m waiting for the Spartans to get a significant sweep to really get some momentum going. A win against Michigan at the Joe last weekend would have been crucial, but MSU certainly will settle for three out of four on the year against their rivals. Coach Rick Comley will need to do his best to make sure the Spartans don’t treat the Alaska series as a pair of hangover games.

3-1 Alaska, 3-2 MSU

CV: The Spartans have been on and off as of late, but with U-M week behind them, this team will get refocused. The long trek to Alaska will be a team bonding experience and we’ll see the unselfish play we saw earlier in the season from MSU. Fairbanks is always a tough place to play so I see a split for MSU, but that’s considered a success.

3-1 Alaska, 3-2 MSU

MB: These games always are tough. Long, long trip plus late start times could be an equation of failure for the Spartans this weekend. It will be interesting to see how the team responds to Saturday’s game against U-M. That was a tough one. This has split written all over it.

3-1 Alaska, 4-3 MSU

AD: I’m very interested to see how MSU responds after Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to U-M. All the elements are stacked against the Spartans this weekend, including a full day of travel and Olympic-sized ice. Alaska has struggled of late, and MSU needs to take care of business this weekend in Fairbanks. An MSU sweep will add some valuable padding to its second-place CCHA standing. And I think that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

4-2 MSU, 5-1 MSU