After a massive win over Indiana, the Illinois basketball team takes on a top 15 Michigan State squad.
It is kind of impressive how many ranked opponents the Illini have played this season. The game against Michigan State will mark the sixth-ranked opponent in the first 18 games.
On top of that, Illinois has a projected five more ranked opponents left on the schedule after Sunday. That would give us 11 ranked games this season, which is one of the highest marks I have ever seen.
Taking down the Spartans is going to be a tough test. Michigan State is always a tough matchup, and we have to battle them in East Lansing. To get the victory, Illinois is going to need to play a great game.
Here are three keys for the Illinois basketball team to beat the Michigan State Spartans
1. Illinois will need all hands on deck
Going into numerous games this season, Illinois has been by far the deepest team. It is hard to find a deeper team than the Illini, as we can legitimately go nine deep on any given night.
On Sunday, Illinois will be going up against one of the deepest teams we will face all season long. Michigan State has a roster that is quite impressive, and they are going to run multiple groups out on the floor.
One of the main keys to taking down the Spartans is having all hands on deck. Illinois is going to need every one of those depth pieces on Sunday because Michigan State is going to try to wear us down.
The Spartans have 10 players seeing at least 13 minutes per game this season. Those are meaningful minutes too. These aren’t just blowout stats.
In Michigan State’s last win over Penn State, nine different players registered at least 13 minutes, and the only player to not hit 13 minutes, Xavier Booker, is a force off the bench. This team is good and deep.
Illinois can hold their own when it comes to depth, though. We go nine deep with Jake Davis being our No. 9 player. He is someone who has earned a ton of trust in the last few weeks.
This is going to be a tough matchup for the Illini. Michigan State will try to wear us down. We are going to need all bodies ready to go on Sunday.