Sunday’s matchup between the two leading contenders for the Big Ten title will see No. 12 Michigan State take on No. 19 Illinois State on CBS. Michigan State entered the weekend as the only team in the conference without a loss in a Big Ten game, but Illinois isn’t far behind in the standings at 5-2.
After losing to USC last weekend in the first game since the calendar turned to 2025, Illinois answered with a 94-69 win over Indiana on the road. The Fighting Illini have won six of their past seven games since losing at home to Tennessee last month.
Michigan State enters the weekend on a 10-game winning streak. The Spartans’ last loss was at the Maui Invitational against Memphis on Thanksgiving week. Since then, Michigan State has posted wins over North Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio State, and most recently, Penn State.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of Michigan State’s matchup with Illinois.
How to watch Michigan State vs. Illinois live
Date: Sunday, January 19 | Time: Noon ET
Location: Breslin Center — East Lansing, Michigan
TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app (free)
Stream on Showtime on Paramount+ (try it for free)
Michigan State vs. Illinois predictions, picks
All odds are by SportsLine Consensus
Michigan State has emerged as one of the favorites to win the Big Ten championship after getting off to a strong start in conference play. Illinois is a different team with star guard Kasparas Yakutsionis in the lineup. Yakutsionis sat out last week’s loss to Illinois at USC, but returned for the game against Indiana. With Yakutsionis healthy, Illinois pulled off a road upset against the Big Ten’s last undefeated team. Pick: Illinois +3.5
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