Thursday night was a sight for sore eyes as Michigan State resumed Big Ten play with a battle against Illinois in East Lansing. The Illini, which had upset Michigan earlier in the season, were looking to pull out a big win and make a statement in conference play, but it was the Spartans who had the last laugh, beating Illinois 76-56.
The Spartans dominated from start to finish, racing out to an 11-2 lead in the first few minutes before Illinois hung around until halftime when it was just a 36-30 game.
It seemed like Illinois would hang around until the final buzzer as a thorn in the Spartans’ sides, but Tom Izzo must have gotten through to his guys at halftime because they came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders.