Tom Izzo sees No. 12 Michigan State basketball getting tougher after beating No. 20 Illinois on Sunday, but also knows so will the Spartans' schedule.

Michigan State basketball continues to march toward Tom Izzo's 27th straight NCAA tournament bid. Here's where Spartans stand in bracket projections.

Michigan State redshirt freshman point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.'s play was vital in the Spartans' win over Illinois on Sunday.

Rutgers jetted out to a quick 9-2 lead, hitting five of its first eight field goal attempts as Penn State missed seven of its first 10 shots. But the game flipped quickly, the Nittany Lions answering with a 14-7 run to tie the game at 16 after nine minutes.

Thursday’s Big Ten slate includes the Michigan State Spartans (15-3) versus the Oregon Ducks (14-5) at 6:00 PM ET on BTN.Buy tickets for Michigan State vs. Oregon Michigan State vs. Oregon

Tom Izzo managed to beat his old friend Brad Underwood on Sunday as Michigan State basketball held on to beat Illinois at home. It was a tough, grind-it-out win over Illinois as the Spartans struggled to hit shots, but they did outperform Illinois at the free throw line and that was ultimately the difference.

The Spartans' 7-0 start in Big Ten play is their best since the 2018-19 season when they last played in the Final Four.

Michigan State football has a pair of new assistants on staff. Coach Jonathan Smith hired safeties coach James Adams and quarterbacks coach Jon Boyer earlier this month to round out his staff and both inked two-year deals in contracts provided to MLive via a Freedom of Information Act request.

Former Alabama head coach and current ESPN analyst Nick Saban offered an impassioned defense of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on Monday. "Having been

(At) N.Y. Islanders 3, Columbus 1: Bo Horvat scored twice in New York's three-goal second period, Simon Holmstrom also scored and Mathew Barzal had two assists as the Islanders won their second straight and fifth in seven games. Ilya Sorokin made 25 saves.

Auburn claimed the program’s second No. 1 ranking last week and won both its games despite playing without injured big man Johni Broome. The Tigers rolled over No. 14 Mississipp