Illinois was without junior center Kofi Cockburn because of his concussion symptoms and sophomore guard Andre Curbelo due to COVID-19 safety protocols. The duo has started every game they appeared in and average 31.3 points per game combined, but Illinois found plenty of other contributors to step up and fill its scoring void early on.

The Illini were led by senior guard Trent Frazier, who scored 16 points and dished out five assists. His scoring effort catapulted him into the top 10 all-time scorers in Illinois history. Senior guard Alfonso Plummer and freshman guard Luke Goode were Illinois’ other top scorers with 11 and nine points, respectively.

Junior forward Malik Hall led the comeback efforts with six points down the stretch, including four points in the final 90 seconds, cutting the deficit to two points. Junior point guard Tyson Walker, however, could not hit the 15-foot jump shot to tie the game with fewer than 30 seconds left. MSU got the ball back, and Hall was fouled with 0.2 seconds left but missed the free throw, which would have sent the game into overtime.  

The wheels did not come off immediately for MSU as the teams traded baskets early on in the first five minutes of the game, with Illinois jumping out to a 9-7 lead thanks to a reverse layup from Frazier.

Illinois’ offensive assault continued throughout the opening 10 minutes. After missing its first four shots of the game, Illinois made its next seven to go on a 13-2 run. The run was largely powered by Frazier — who scored 10 straight points during the run to push Illinois’ lead to 17-9 eight minutes into the game.

The struggles continued for the rest of the half for the Spartans defensively because they could not stay in front of Frazier, who used his drive and kick ability to serve as the catalyst for the Illini’s offense. 

The turnover issues, which have persisted throughout the year, bit MSU once again early. MSU turned the ball over six times in the first 12 minutes of the game, leading directly to eight points for Illinois. The Spartans finished with 9 turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Walker and freshman guard Max Christie combined to have six of the nine first-half giveaways. 

After falling behind 24-14 with eight minutes left in the half, Michigan State ratcheted up the defensive pressure. Illinois only scored 10 points over the final eight minutes of the half, and MSU was able to stay in striking distance while the offense continued to sputter. 

The Spartans were able to cut the lead to 24-18 with three minutes remaining in the first half, but Illinois exploded with a 10-2 run, closing out the half and taking a 14-point lead into the locker room.

The struggles compounded to produce MSU’s worst offensive half of the season, scoring only 20 points on 29.6% shooting. If it were not for the strong defensive efforts after Illinois’ run, MSU could’ve been facing a blowout entering the locker room instead of a daunting 14-point deficit, its largest halftime deficit of the season. 

Michigan State quickly cut the lead to single digits after sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard found senior center Marcus Bingham Jr. for an alley-oop three minutes into the second half.

Illinois immediately pushed the lead back to 12 points after junior forward Omar Payne converted an and-one on the following possession. The lead quickly ballooned back to 42-27 for the Illini through the first five minutes of the second half as MSU continued to give the ball away and miss shots.

Michigan State continued to look to cut into the deficit through frequent trips to the free-throw line but could not muster up enough stops defensively to cut the lead back down to single digits for the first 10 minutes of the second half. 

It was Frazier and his ability to splice through MSU’s ball screen defense with ease that powered Illinois once again while MSU tried to surge. Every time Illinois needed a bucket to extend the lead, it turned to Frazier to create for himself or others. 

MSU cut the lead to six points with 7:26 left after senior forward Joey Hauser hit a three-off a pick and pop, and Walker buried a midrange jumper to make it 54-48. 

MSU and Illinois continued to trade baskets before Hall cut the deficit to four with a pair of free throws with 1:53 left. Hall cut the lead to two points with just over a minute left before missing the final free throw to close the door on MSU’s comeback hopes.

Michigan State drops to 15-4 on the year and 6-2 in conference play. Illinois unseated MSU at the top of the Big Ten with the win and moves to 7-2 in conference play. MSU returns to action on Saturday, Jan 29, against Michigan in the Breslin Center.