Illinois is 4-0 in the Big Ten.  Michigan State is 4-0. 

The Spartans were favored to be at the top of the Big Ten Standings..along with Purdue.  The Illini were picked for somewhere the middle of pack in the league...some picking them slightly above that.

Purdue has stumbled in the past week...losing at Wisconsin and at home to Ohio State...the Buckeyes getting superstar Evan Turner back on the floor just in the nick of time.to help them pull off the upset in West Lafayette.

Michigan State has won Big Ten games at Northwestern and Iowa....and won home games against Wisconsin and Minnesota.  So they have won the games they were expected to win.

The Illini have mirrored that start with wins over the Wildcats and Hawkeyes....as well as picking up hard-fought victories against rebuilding Indiana and pesky Penn State.  Like Michigan State...the Ilini  have won the games early in the Big Ten race they needed to win.

Michigan State will be favored to win on Saturday at the Breslin Center...and they have gone 6-1 against the Illini in the last 7 games.  But the games have been close.  The Ilini led the Spartans at the half in East Lansing last year...and were tied with the eventual national runners-up in Champaign.    Bruce Weber and his staff do a good job preparing for Tom Izzo's teams and I am expecting a  good battle again tomorrow.

The key for the Illini will be to not let the Spartans rule the offensive glass.  If the Illini give Michigan State a lot of  extra offensive possessions....they wont give themselves a chance.

The Breslin Center is a great venue for college basketball with the Izzone in full voice around the court.  I look foward to bringing you the Illini and Spartans from East Lansing on Saturday.