Illinois Basketball: 3 things to watch for in the Illini game against Michigan State

Illinois basketball is looking to extend the winning streak to three games as we take on the Michigan State Spartans Friday night.

The Illini have looked pretty good the past few games, with big wins over No. 14 Wisconsin and on the road against Nebraska. Both of these wins were by double-digits, and our defense has looked impressive.

I want to see this train continue picking up steam. Illinois has the firepower to rattle off a lot of wins in the coming months, and the next victim is going to be the Spartans.

Here are three things to watch for in the Illinois basketball game against Michigan State.

1. Will Ty Rodgers continue to get double-digit minutes

Illinois is a pretty good team that is decently deep. A lot of that depth has to do with the class of 2022 coming in and making an impact immediately.

The love for Sencire Harris is well-earned. He is a tremendous player who has incredible defensive abilities. Jayden Epps has also blown Illinois fans away with his great ability to score the basketball. But the third member of this great freshman trio is only just now getting his legs underneath him.

Ty Rodgers was the second-highest recruit coming out of the class of 2022 for the Illini. He has been coming off the bench, and as of late, Rodgers has been a big part of the team’s success.

Rodgers was able to log 16 minutes in the recent 26-point win over Nebraska. I want to see him continue to receive minutes, so I am going to be watching to see if Brad Underwood continues to play Rodgers for more than 10 minutes in the game against Michigan State.

I believe Underwood has gained more and more trust in Rodgers in the past month or so. Over the past seven games, Rodgers has seen at least 14 minutes in six of those contests.

Rodgers is a big part of Illinois’ future, so getting him experience now will only help the program down the road. I can’t wait to see this kid develop.