Cockburn leads No. 12 Illinois against No. 19 Michigan State after 20-point game
Illinois Fighting Illini (18-7, 11-4 Big Ten) at Michigan State Spartans (18-7, 9-5 Big Ten)
East Lansing, Michigan; Saturday, 12 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: No. 12 Illinois visits the No. 19 Michigan State Spartans after Kofi Cockburn scored 20 points in Illinois' 70-59 loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
The Spartans have gone 10-2 at home. Michigan State is fourth in the Big Ten with 25.8 defensive rebounds per game led by Marcus Bingham averaging 4.8.
The Fighting Illini are 11-4 in Big Ten play. Illinois is 7-2 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 12.0 turnovers per game.
The teams square off for the 10th time in conference play this season. The Fighting Illini won the last meeting 56-55 on Jan. 26. Trent Frazier scored 16 points to help lead the Fighting Illini to the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Gabe Brown is shooting 37.0% from beyond the arc with 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Spartans, while averaging 12.1 points. Malik Hall is shooting 48.7% and averaging 7.1 points over the last 10 games for Michigan State.
Frazier is averaging 12.4 points and four assists for the Fighting Illini. Cockburn is averaging 13.1 points over the last 10 games for Illinois.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 5-5, averaging 68.1 points, 30.7 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 5.4 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.0 points per game.
Fighting Illini: 6-4, averaging 69.0 points, 31.1 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 4.9 steals and 2.7 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.5 points.
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