Michigan State Spartans vs Illinois Fighting Illini Prediction, 2/15/2025 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Saturday, February 15, 2025

Location: State Farm Center in New York, NY

TV: FOX

State Farm Center is the site where the Illinois Fighting Illini (17-8) will attempt to beat the Michigan State Spartans (19-5) on Saturday.

The Michigan State Spartans faced Indiana and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-67 in their last game. When it comes to fouls, the Spartans finished with 24 and Indiana totaled 18 fouls. They made 3 out of their 13 tries from beyond the arc. Indiana finished the contest at 71.4% at the charity stripe by making 20 of 28 attempts. On top of that, Indiana pulled down 30 rebounds (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. Indiana recorded 10 assists and had 8 steals for this game. In reference to defending, Michigan State allowed the other team to go 48.0% from the floor on 24 of 50 shooting. They also distributed 15 dimes in this game while creating 8 turnovers and earning 2 steals. In terms of grabbing boards, they earned 34 with 12 of them being of the offensive sort. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Spartans knocked down 21 of 25 attempts for a rate of 84.0%. Michigan State ended the contest with a 38.2% field goal percentage (21 out of 55) and converted 4 out of their 23 shots from downtown.

Jaden Akins is one player who was a factor for the game. He scored 14 points on 6 out of 15 shooting. He played 35 mins and also collected 3 rebounds. He ended up shooting 40.0% from the floor and recorded 1 assist.

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Michigan State comes into this one with a win-loss record of 19-5 for the year. They lose possession by turning the ball over 12.2 times per game and as a team are committing 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Michigan State is snagging 40.5 boards per contest and has tallied 427 dimes for the year, which ranks 15th in college in terms of passing the rock. The Spartans are hitting 28.8% on three-point attempts (134 of 466) and 81.0% from the free throw line. They have an average of 79.3 pts per game (61st in Division 1) on 46.6% from the field.

On defense, the Spartans are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and they draw 19.9 personal fouls. They currently rank 135th in college hoops in allowing assists to the opposition with 308 relinquished so far this season. The Spartans defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 39.9% (566 of 1,417) and they surrender 30.5 boards per contest as a team. They are surrendering 29.3% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 64th in the country in PPG from their opponents (67.6).

In their last game, the Illinois Fighting Illini got the victory with a final of 83-78 when they faced UCLA. When it comes to team rebounding, Illinois permitted UCLA to grab 21 in total (4 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 52.2% from 3-point land by connecting on 12 of 23 and walked away from this one shooting 10 of 15 from the free throw line (66.7%). The Fighting Illini allowed UCLA to knock down 28 of their 58 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.3% in this game. In all, the Fighting Illini went 27 out of 53 from the field which gave them a rate of 50.9%. In reference to 3-point shots, Illinois buried 11 of 28 tries (39.3%). They were able to make 18 of the free throws for a rate of 90.0%. UCLA committed 14 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Fighting Illini to the free throw line for 20 attempts. They coughed up the ball 14 times, while recording 3 steals for the contest. The Fighting Illini were able to collect 24 defensive boards and 9 offensive rebounds for a total of 33 for the contest.

Kasparas Jakucionis ended up being a factor for the Fighting Illini for this game. He earned 24 points in his 37 mins on the hardwood and added 4 dimes for the matchup. He made 8 out of 14 for the contest for a rate of 57.1%, and had 8 rebounds.

Illinois has a record of 17-8 for the season. As an offensive team, the Fighting Illini are connecting on 45.1% from the floor, which ranks 167th in college. Illinois has scored 2,127 pts so far this season (85.1 per contest) and they pull down 44.6 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 14.9 times per contest (102nd in the country) and they are losing possession via turnover 11.9 times per game. The Fighting Illini have committed 16.4 fouls every game and they connect on 75.9% from the free throw line.

The Illinois defense surrenders 31.1% on three-point shots (155 of 498) and opponents are converting on 71.1% of their free throw shots. They have allowed 11.4 dimes and 33.3 rebounds every game, which is ranked 48th and 120th in college hoops. The Fighting Illini are ranked 174th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 71.3. They are able to force 9.6 TO's every game and allow teams to shoot 39.9% from the floor (24th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Illinois

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