Pointspread: Michigan State -2 Total Line: 128 The Michigan State Spartans will look to keep pace with Ohio State in the Big Ten standings when they take-on the Illinois Fighting Illini this Tuesday night at Assembly Hall in Champagne. The game is set to tip-off at 7 p.m. (ET) and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.
Michigan State finds itself a half game behind the Buckeyes in the standings with a 6-2 straight-up record in Big Ten play. It is 17-4 SU overall and 12-6 against the spread. The Spartans are 4-4 SU (5-3 ATS) on the road this season and the total has gone 3-4-1 in the eight games.
They remain one of the top shooting teams in the nation; hitting 48.6 percent of its shots from the floor and a respectable 36.9 percent from three-point range. Michigan State is averaging 75.7 points a game and has been effective under the boards on both sides of the court with a total of 39.5 rebounds a game.
Illinois comes into this contest in desperate need of a win after dropping its last three games. The latest setback was a 77-72 overtime loss to Minnesota this past Saturday as a 4.5-point road underdog. It is now 15-6 SU overall and 4-4 SU in the conference. The Fighting Illini are 11-1 SU at home, but just 4-6 ATS. The total has gone an even 5-5 in those 10 games.
This will be a tough matchup for Illinois as it is averaging just 67.9 points and 34.4 rebounds a game while shooting 45 percent from the field. It will need a huge effort from Brandon Paul and Meyers Leonard, who have combined for 28 points and 13 rebounds per game this year.
The Spartans are 5-1 ATS in their last six games following a SU win and 6-2 ATS in their last eight conference games. The total has gone "over" in eight of their last 12 games overall.
The Fighting Illini are 1-4 ATS in their last five games against the Big Ten. The total has stayed "under" in nine of their last 11 games against a team with a winning record.
Head-to-head in this series, Michigan State is 0-3-1 ATS in the last four meetings and 3-7 ATS in its last 10 trips to Assembly Hall. The total has stayed "under" in seven of the last nine meetings in Illinois. Stick with the Fighting Illini to keep things close enough to cover, but they cannot avoid a fourth straight defeat.
The Pick: Michigan State 72 Illinois 69 
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