LIVE! Illinois, Michigan State seek to extend win streaks | Sports

PREGAME — 10 minutes before opening tip

Listed starting lineups for each team …

— Illinois: Terrence Shannon Jr., Sencire Harris, Matthew Mayer, Coleman Hawkins, Dain Dainja.

— Michigan State: Tyler Walker, Jaden Akins, A.J. Hoggard, Joey Hauser, Mady Sissoko.

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PREGAME — 30 minutes before opening tip

Coleman Hawkins has played in each of the last three Illinois-Michigan State games — a loss in 2021 and a pair of wins in 2022.

The junior forward was a freshman when then-Illini star Ayo Dosunmu suffered a broken nose at the hands of Spartans forward Mady Sissoko, earning the latter player an ejection from MSU’s 81-72 win.

The resulting injury led to Dosunmu donning a black face mask that became especially popular around and beyond Champaign-Urbana. But it didn’t exactly endear a then-freshman Sissoko to the Illini.

Sissoko has started in all 16 of MSU’s games this season and is averaging 6.3 points and 7.1 rebounds.

“Ayo got whacked in the face.  I can’t really get mad at Sissoko now,” Hawkins said. “But it’s kind of always been just a brutal battle — tough, physical battle. (I’m) letting these guys know it’s either the refs are going to call it tight, like Coach said, or they’re going to let us play.”

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PREGAME — 60 minutes before opening tip

After allowing more than 70 points in each of its first three Big Ten games this season — all losses — Illinois held Wisconsin to 69 points (bolstered by some late makes with the final result all but clinched) and kept Nebraska to 50 points.

Though the Illini offense clearly looks healthier in the team’s most recent outings, coach Brad Underwood made sure to point out earlier this week that the reasons for that aren’t strictly based within what the offense is doing.

“You win in this league with defense. Offense might win you a game where you make some shots. That wasn’t the night (against Nebraska),” Underwood said. “The ball movement was very, very good. I thought that our ability to skip it, which they force you to do, and then our ability to drive close-outs, not just to score but the ability to pass, was the best we had all year.

“But you’re going to win in this league with your defense. I feel great with where we’re gaining growing on that.”

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PREGAME — 75 minutes before opening tip

RJ Melendez and Coleman Hawkins are among the Illini taking some extra shots by themselves in the pregame warmup period while most of their teammates prepare in the locker room.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the attempts largely were coming from three-point range. Hawkins drained 6 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc last weekend versus Wisconsin, and Melendez opened up his offensive game with six tries from distance on Tuesday against Nebraska, swishing two of them.

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PREGAME — 90 minutes before opening tip

Good evening from State Farm Center, where Illinois men’s basketball (11-5, 2-3 Big Ten) is trying to improve to .500 in Big Ten play with its third consecutive league win tonight.

In order to obtain that, Brad Underwood’s team will need to knock off Tom Izzo’s red-hot Michigan State Spartans (12-4, 4-1), who are in the midst of a seven-game win streak.

Illinois is coming off a pair of rousing victories in its last two games, upending then-No. 14 Wisconsin 79-69 last weekend in Champaign before overwhelming Nebraska 76-50 last Tuesday in Lincoln.

Michigan State defeated Wisconsin its last time on the court, posting a 69-65 triumph versus the Badgers in Madison on Tuesday. Also victims in the Spartans’ ongoing run of success were Michigan (59-53), Nebraska (74-56) and Penn State (67-58). MSU’s lone loss in league action thus far came to Northwestern (70-63) on Dec. 4.

The Illini have won each of the last two meetings with the Spartans. Will they be able to make it three? Follow along all night long for updates.

Here’s a look at some of The News-Gazette’s published content focusing on Underwood’s team ahead of this game: