Thursday, January 7, 2016

Breslin Student Events Center

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

The Illinois Fighting Illini travel to Breslin Student Events Center to play the Michigan State Spartans on Thursday, January 7, 2016. The opening line for this game has Michigan State as 13.5 point favorites and the over/under has been set at 144.

The Fighting Illini come into this game with an overall record of 8-7 and a road record of 0-2. They are 7-5 against the spread and their over/under record is 7-6. The Spartans have an overall record of 14-1 and a home record of 7-0. They have an over/under record of 5-9 and they are 8-6 against the spread.

Kendrick Nunn comes into this contest averaging 18.5 points per game while playing 34.7 minutes per night so far this season for the Fighting Illini. He pulls down 5.5 rebounds per game and dishes out 1.8 assists per game as well. His field goal percentage is 47% while his free throw percentage is currently at 79%. Malcolm Hill averages 17.9 points per game in 34.7 minutes per contest this season. He averages 3.7 assists per contest and 5.6 rebounds per game for Illinois. His field goal percentage is 44% for the year while his free throw percentage is 83%.

Denzel Valentine averages 18.5 points per game while playing 30.6 minutes per contest this year for the Spartans. He grabs 8.3 rebounds per game and has 7.1 assists per contest on the year. His field goal percentage is 46% and his free throw percentage currently is at 85%. Bryn Forbes averages 13.8 points per game this season and he sees the court an average of 26.6 minutes per contest. He also averages 2.5 rebounds per contest and 1.3 assists per game. His field goal percentage is 48% and his free throw percentage is 82%.

Illinois averages 75.7 points per contest this season which ranks them 105th in the nation. Their average scoring margin is 1 and their shooting percentage is 45% as a team which has them ranked 109th. Behind the arc they shoot 37% which is good for 77th in the country. They average 32.8 rebounds per game and 14.5 assists per game which ranks them 297th and 101st in those offensive categories. In the turnover department they rank 10th with 10 per game. The Fighting Illini allow 74.7 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 220th in the nation. They also allow a 46% shooting percentage and a 39% average from behind the arc ranking them 268th and 315th in those defensive categories. Opponents average 36 rebounds a game which ranks 166th and they give up 13.7 assists per contest which puts them in 207th place in the country. They force 13.9 turnovers per game which ranks them 94th in the Division 1.

Michigan State averages 79.6 points per game this year which ranks them 51st in Division 1 college basketball. Their average scoring margin is 18.3 and their shooting percentage is 49% as a team which has them sitting in the 23rd spot in the country. Behind the arc they shoot 39% which is good for 32nd in the nation. They average 43.5 rebounds per game and 21 assists per contest which ranks them 6th and 2nd respectively. In the turnover department the Spartans rank 126th with 12.5 per game. The Spartans allow 61.3 points per game to their opponents which ranks them 11th in the country. They also allow a 36% shooting percentage and a 27% average from behind the arc ranking them 2nd and 7th in those defensive statistics. Opponents average 29.9 rebounds a game which ranks 8th and they give up 10.9 assists per contest which puts them in 34th place in the nation. The Spartans force 9.6 turnovers per game which ranks them 346th in college basketball.

Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Trends

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 7-5 against the spread

The Illinois Fighting Illini are 7-6 against the over/under

Michigan State Spartans Betting Trends

The Michigan State Spartans are 8-6 against the spread

The Michigan State Spartans are 5-9 against the over/under

Illinois Fighting Illini Injuries

12/20/15 F Leron Black Knee out indefinitely
11/30/15 F Mike Thorne Jr. Knee out for season
11/14/15 G Tracy Abrams Achilles out for season
01/06/16 G Khalid Lewis Illness "?" Thursday vs. Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans Injuries

12/21/15 G Denzel Valentine Knee expected to miss 2-4 weeks

Guy's Pick: Take Illinois

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