“This is one of those teams that doesn’t come around often in skill, speed, reserve and experience,” head coach Tom Izzo said.

After starting the season 13-2 and going 2-0 to start the Big Ten, the Fighting Illini have lost three straight games to Wisconsin, Northwestern and Purdue.

Illinois is led by Rayvonte Rice, who averages 17.7 points per game, good for second in the Big Ten. Tracy Abrams is in the top 15 in the conference in assists at just over three per game.

“Sometimes, it’s hard to get back up off the carpet, especially when you lose a home game, then you lose a tough one on the road,” Izzo said of his upcoming opponent. “It’s a team that’s beaten some real good people. We’re going to have to play a lot better than we played (against Northwestern).”

MSU is coming off a lackluster 54-40 win at Northwestern Wednesday night, led by sophomore guard Garry Harris’ 14 points.

Harris has been battling the injury bug himself this season, missing some time with an ankle injury, but he has come alive in the last few outings and shown sparks of the player he knows he can be.

Following the Northwestern win, Harris gave himself a C grade for his performance this season.

“I wouldn’t mind shooting over 20 shots,” Harris said. “Everybody loves shooting the ball as long as it’s going in. I want to do whatever I can do, whether it’s taking 19 shots or taking 5 shots and playing well defensively and getting teammates involved. It’s doing whatever it takes to win.”

Harris took a backseat to backcourt partner senior guard Keith Appling the last time the Spartans and Fighting Illini faced off, an 80-75 win at the Breslin Center at the end of last January.

The Spartans have been battling injuries all season, and have been without senior forward Adreian Payne for the last two games with a foot injury, and multiple other players for smaller injuries and sickness.

Payne was out of his walking boot at practice Thursday, and both junior guard Travis Trice and junior forward Branden Dawson were full participants.

The biggest thing is getting everybody healthy, a prospect Izzo said they have time to do, but he doesn’t know how much it’s going to cost them.

“It’s been more frustrating because I like this team and I like what we look like when we’re all dressed the same,” he said. “I never think we looked like the team I know we can look like. Adreian looked good in a suit, but I have no interest in his prom date.”