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A few weeks ago the Illinois Fighting Illini were in first-place in the Big 10 conference and were one of the biggest surprises in all of college basketball. Illinois has now dropped three games in a row and are now just 4-4 in conference.
Tuesday the Illini (15-6, 4-4) welcome the 9th ranked Michigan State Spartans (17-4, 6-2) to Assembly Hall. The Spartans have won their last two games after falling earlier in the month to Michigan and Northwestern.
Michigan State is led in by Draymond Green with 15.3 points and 10.4 rebounds. The Illini are led by junior Brandon Paul who comes in averaging 14.6 points per game.
The last 13 times the Illini and Spartans have met have been decided by 10 points or less. Illinois is looking to win their third straight against the Spartans at Assembly Hall.
Tuesday's game is scheduled to tip at 6:00 and will be televised on ESPN.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, head over to Illinois blog Hail to the Orange . For more from around college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.