Illinois vs. Michigan State capsule

Illinois (12-17, 4-12) vs. No. 17 Michigan State (23-6, 11-5)

8 p.m., Assembly Hall, Champaign (ESPN2, Illini Sports Network)

ILLINOIS (12-17, 4-12) ppg rpg

F Rodney Alexander Jr. 6-7 4.8 3.1

C Shaun Pruitt Sr. 6-10 12.6 7.1

G Demetri McCamey Fr. 6-3 7.8 2.8

G Trent Meacham Jr. 6-2 10.5 2.4

G Chester Frazier Jr. 6-2 4.9 5.1

MICHIGAN STATE (23-6, 11-5)

F Raymar Morgan So. 6-7 15.1 6.3

F Goran Suton Jr. 6-10 8.8 8.1

C Drew Naymick Sr. 6-10 4.1 4.0

G Drew Neitzel Sr. 6-0 13.5 2.7

G Kalin Lucas Fr. 6-0 10.2 1.4

Noteworthy: Illinois leads the all-time series 53-50, after Michigan State scored a 51-41 victory when the two teams met on Jan. 30. The Spartans' last win at Assembly Hall came in 2002. . . The Illini are 0-7 vs. ranked teams this year and have dropped their last eight games against top 25 teams dating back to last season. . . Pruitt is 15 points away from becoming the 41st player in school history to score 1,000 career points. . . Michigan State has 27 turnovers in the last four games. The Spartans lead the Big Ten and rank 12th nationally by shooting 48.7 percent from the field. . . Suton was named the league's player of the week Monday after averaging 15.5 points and 12 rebounds. . .

Key for Illini: If the freshmen can provide a boost, Illinois' chances of winning are much greater. Without the rookies, there's little depth.

Key for Spartans: Show some toughness on the road. The Spartans are 5-18 in Big Ten road games over the past three seasons, including a 2-5 mark this year.

Key quote: "Everybody realizes it's been a disappointing season. The way we played at Iowa, Minnesotea and Indiana at home, that's how we should have played all year. We have to deal with the circumstances. We have to make the most of it.'' -- Illinois coach Bruce Weber.

Prediction: Michigan State 58, Illinois 54