| MATCHUP | Illinois Fighting Illini | Michigan State Spartans |
|---|---|---|
| Team Records | 20-3 | 19-4 |
| Where | Breslin Center, East Lansing, MI | |
| When | Saturday, February 7, 2026 | |
| Time | 08:00 PM EST | |
| TV | FOX | |
Illinois Fighting Illini Betting Preview
Illinois managed a decent 8-3 record across their opening 11 games this year. Those losses came courtesy of Alabama, UConn and Nebraska. The Illini have been on a winning streak since then, taking out Missouri, Southern, Penn State, Rutgers, Iowa, Northwestern, Minnesota, Maryland, Purdue, Washington, Nebraska and Northwestern since December 13. That makes for a 20-3 overall record.
On Wednesday in the Northwestern matchup the Illini went into the break with a crazy 47-19 lead. Illinois didn’t let up in the second half, posting a 37-25 run on the way to an 84-44 blowout victory at home. Leading the team in scoring was Andrej Stojakovic with 17 points and four rebounds. Tomislav Ivisic added a team-high 12 rebounds with five assists and five points in the win.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
Over on the Michigan State side, they kicked off their campaign with a win in each of their first eight outings. After their first loss to Duke on December 6, Michigan State beat Penn State, Toledo, Oakland and Cornell before another loss to Nebraska. Next came wins over USC, Northwestern, Indiana, Washington, Oregon, Maryland and Rutgers. After consecutive losses the Spartans stand at 19-4 overall this year.
Matched up against Minnesota on Wednesday the Spartans were sitting in the locker room with an 11-point deficit 32-21. Michigan State fought back on a 52-44 run the rest of the way but it wasn’t enough in a 76-73 loss on the road in the end. The Spartans’ Coen Carr led the team on 16 points while Jeremy Fears doubled up on 10 points and 11 assists in 32 minutes.
Illinois Fighting Illini @ Michigan State Spartans Betting Trends: February 7, 2026
Why the Michigan State Spartans will win
- Michigan State has won 11 of its last 12 night games at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
- Illinois has lost four of its last five games against AP-ranked opponents at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
- Michigan State has won the first half in each of its last four night games against Illinois at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
Why the Illinois Fighting Illini will win
- Illinois has won each of its last 10 games against Conference opponents.
- Michigan State has lost each of its last seven games against Top 10 AP-ranked opponents.
- Michigan State has lost the first half in nine of its last 10 games against Top 5 AP-ranked opponents.
Total Points Facts
- Nine of Michigan State’s last 10 games against the Big Ten Conference Conference at Jack Breslin Student Events Center have produced a total of 142 or fewer points.
- Fifteen of Illinois’ last 17 games against AP-ranked opponents have produced a total of 144+ points.
Illinois vs Michigan State Prediction
I’ll lean toward Illinois. It’s hard to pick against the Illini during this winning run, and they’re coming off an absolute dismantling of Northwestern. Illinois shot 48.3 percent from the field in that one with a 48-20 rebounding edge and 20 team assists. The Illini held the Wildcats to just 29.2 percent shooting from the field on the other side. Illinois has a dozen straight wins in their pocket right now, scoring 73 or more points in each of those.
As for Michigan State, they didn’t play too badly overall in their road loss to Minnesota but really didn’t get going until the second half. The Spartans finished with a 34-22 rebounding edge and a 30-24 advantage in the paint alongside just eight turnovers. Michigan State has lost consecutive games now, but they won seven straight prior to that. The Spartans may give Illinois a bit of trouble if all goes to plan.