“We just got to realize that you’re not playing a team sometimes, you’re playing the game and you’re playing against yourself,” he said. “If you get up 15, that doesn’t mean you win the game. And that’s the part that’s been the most disappointing.” 

After the loss, Michigan State is now two games back of first place in the Big Ten with six crucial games to go. Junior center Julius Marble II, their lone bright spot against Penn State, said it’s “gut-checking time” while Izzo noted the need for his team to start stacking good performances to stay alive in the race for a championship. 

“They’ve got to continue to grow,” Izzo said. “We are making some progress, we just can’t sustain it. And that is gonna be what the end of the year is for.” 

Scouting the opponent 

Saturday’s game marks Michigan State’s second matchup against Illinois (18-7, 11-4) this season, with their first resulting in a 56-55 loss that saw the Spartans put up one of their worst halves of basketball all year before mounting a comeback that fell short by one missed free throw from junior forward Malik Hall. 

Despite the absence of junior center Kofi Cockburn and sophomore guard Andre Curbelo, fifth-year guard Trent Frazier’s 16 points, 5 assists and strong defense were enough to buoy the Illini as the Spartans threatened in the final minutes. On a team with plenty of veteran guards, Izzo singled out Frazier’s presence and his importance to Illinois. 

“Frazier stirs the drink,” he said. “He can spray the ball, he can guard the ball, he can shoot the ball and he knows when to get the ball into Kofi.” 

Frazier (12.4 points per game, 4 assists per game) has recently been backed up at the point by Curbelo (8.4 points per game, 3.4 assists per game), a “Kyrie Irving'' type that Izzo noted for being as good with the ball as any college basketball player he's ever seen.

Graduate student guard Alfonso Plummer provides a deep shooting range (39.8% from the arc) as the team’s leader in made threes. In a guard-heavy lineup, senior guard Da’Monte Williams functions as the “glue” of the team with his defense and shot-making ability while graduate student guard Jacob Grandinson provides a tough matchup with his size at the four. 

Then there’s the man in the middle. Cockburn, a Big Ten Player of The Year candidate, has dominated opposing defenses to the tune of 21.4 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per game and will undoubtedly be one of Marble and senior center Marcus Bingham Jr.'s toughest tests this season. 

With a healthy and experienced roster paired with the best defense in conference play according to KenPom, Izzo said there’s a “one and one” situation between Illinois and Purdue for the best team in the Big Ten. Hall, one of the key players in Michigan State’s first comeback bid against the Illini, said he’s excited to finally play them at full strength but remains focused on the effort and intensity his team needs to bring to the game. 

“At this point, I don’t really think who we play and who’s on the court and who’s not on the court is the deal,” he said. “I think it’s more of a Michigan State thing internally, it’s about us bringing it. When we bring it and we bring it to the best of our ability, it doesn’t matter who we play.” 

The timing of this game brings a mild parallel to last season. Nearly a year ago, the Spartans knocked off No. 5 Illinois 81-72 to start a do-or-die push to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Izzo noted the similarities between that run and their upcoming stretch this season but noted the differences between them: for instance, in 2021, they were playing for “survival” as opposed to a title in the congested upper half of the Big Ten. 

Regardless, Izzo said he feels his team is at a point where they can begin to play their best basketball in these next six games, starting with Illinois. 

“We’re getting near where every Michigan State team, since the first Big Ten Championship we won, was at that was successful,” he said. “Not every team got there…we’re sitting there knocking on the door and that’s (where) we want to be.” 

Michigan State tips off against Illinois at noon. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.