Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan State Spartans Prediction, 2/7/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Illinois Fighting Illini vs Michigan State Spartans

Date: Saturday, February 7, 2026

Location: Breslin Center in East Lansing, MI

TV: ESPN+

The Illinois Fighting Illini (20-3) are hitting the road to Breslin Center on Saturday where they will go up against the Michigan State Spartans (19-4).

The Illinois Fighting Illini played Northwestern and notched a win by a score of 84-44 in their last game. Illinois wrapped up the contest having earned a 48.3% field goal percentage (28 of 58) and made 17 of their 38 shots from beyond the arc. From the charity stripe, the Fighting Illini knocked down 11 of their 14 tries for a percentage of 78.6%. Regarding grabbing rebounds, they earned 48 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 20 dimes for this game as well as forcing the other team into 1 turnovers and having 1 steal. With regard to defense, Illinois allowed 29.2% from the field on 19 of 65 shooting. Northwestern recorded 10 assists and had 7 steals for the contest. In addition, Northwestern pulled down 20 boards (5 offensive, 15 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Northwestern went 50.0% when shooting free throws by converting 2 of their 4 shots. They converted 4 out of their 25 shots from long range. When it comes to fouls, the Fighting Illini finished with 9 and Northwestern accounted for 11 fouls.

Andrej Stojakovic is one guy who was a major contributor for the contest. He ended up going 50.0% from the floor and totaled 2 assists. He saw the court for 28 mins played and collected 4 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 17 points on 4 of 8 shooting.

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Illinois enters this matchup with a win-loss mark of 20-3 so far this year. They average 84.6 points per game (30th in college) while hitting 46.9% from the floor. The Fighting Illini are connecting on 36.1% on three-point shots (258 of 715) and 78.9% from the free throw line. As a unit, Illinois is pulling in 41.6 boards per contest and has accounted for 339 dimes this year, which is 137th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 9.5 times per game and as a team they are committing 12.7 fouls every game.

On the defensive end of the court, the Fighting Illini are able to force 7.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.3 personal fouls. They are ranked 144th in college hoops in giving up assists to their opponents with 295 surrendered on the campaign. The Fighting Illini defensively are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 40.1% (585 of 1,458) and they relinquish 30.1 boards per game as a squad. They are surrendering 31.4% from beyond the arc and they are 34th in the country in points per game allowed (67.2).

When they last played, the Michigan State Spartans took a loss by a score of 76-73 when they faced Minnesota. The Spartans were able to snag 25 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive boards for a total of 34 for this contest. They turned it over 8 times, while earning 5 steals for this game. Minnesota had 14 fouls in this game which took the Spartans to the charity stripe for a total of 17 tries. They were able to bury 12 of them for a rate of 70.6%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Michigan State converted 9 of their 24 attempts (37.5%). When the final whistle was blown, the Spartans ended up going 26 out of 58 from the floor which had them at 44.8%. The Spartans allowed Minnesota to knock down 22 of 46 attempts from the floor which left them shooting 47.8% in this game. They went 47.6% from three-point range by connecting on 10 of 21 and ended up shooting 22 out of 31 from the free throw line (71.0%). In regard to how they attacked the glass, Michigan State permitted Minnesota to grab 22 in all (2 offensive).

Coen Carr pitched in for the Spartans in this matchup. He recorded 16 points in his 28 minutes on the court and had 2 assists for the game. He converted 5 out of 11 in this matchup giving him a rate of 45.5%, and accumulated 6 rebounds.

Michigan State has a record of 19-4 this season. The Spartans commit 16.0 fouls per game while shooting 74.4% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 18.8 times per contest (8th in Division 1) and they turn it over 12.1 times per contest. Michigan State has tallied 1,814 pts for the season (78.9 per contest) and they pull down 41.1 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Spartans are hitting on 47.3% from the field, which has them ranked 67th in the nation.

The Spartans are ranked 18th in college in PPG surrendered with 64.9. They are forcing their opponents into 10.9 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 39.4% from the field (18th in D-1). The Michigan State defense gives up 31.0% on three-point shots (183 of 591) and opponents are converting on 74.1% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.8 assists and 27.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks 138th and 1st in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Illinois

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