No. 11 Michigan State turns Illinois’ festive night upside down as Tom Izzo earns Big Ten wins record

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CHAMPAIGN — Michigan State coach Tom Izzo stood near one sideline at the State Farm Center on Saturday night, chatting with a TV reporter about earning Big Ten Conference win No. 354.

His Spartans’ 79-65 victory over Illinois officially made Izzo the all-time leader in Big Ten wins, pushing him past Indiana’s Bob Knight.

Near the opposite sideline, as disappointed fans filed out, Illinois staff worked to flip around the jersey banner of former Illini All-American Terrence Shannon Jr. Illinois honored Shannon, the team’s single-season scoring leader with 736 points, with a ceremony at halftime.

The Shannon event started with a highlights montage and a congratulatory video message from coach Brad Underwood. But when Shannon pulled on a string to unveil his banner for the State Farm Center rafters, it was upside down.

A promising night for Illinois went upside down from there too.

The Illini led by as many as 16 points in the first half, riling up a raucous crowd. But their energy — and their shooting — fizzled in the second half. Illinois went the final 8 minutes, 29 seconds without a basket, missing their final 19 shots.

The Illini at one point missed three straight 3-pointers on one possession. Underwood said his players took some good outside looks late, but he lamented that they backed off from trying to make plays inside.

“The succession of those (outside shots) was probably the thing that bothered me, and that’s where we have to help this young group grow,” Underwood said. “We’ve got to understand that we’ve got to get the ball downhill. … No excuses. I have to continue to hammer these guys about finding the paint.”

Illinois led 65-64 when Ben Humrichous made its last basket with 8:29 to play.

Illinois guard Kasparas Jakučionis and forward Morez Johnson Jr. each had 17 points and five rebounds. But Jakučionis missed six shots in Illinois’ final scoreless stretch. That included a layup that was originally called goaltending by Michigan State…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-11-michigan-state-turns-061800810.html

Author : Chicago Tribune

Publish date : 2025-02-16 06:18:00

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