Michigan State Basketball still has a chance to play for a National Championship.
On Tuesday, the Spartans were able to upset No. 5 Illinois in East Lansing to earn their biggest and most important win of the season thus far 81-72.
This was complete team win for MSU as they managed to play an extremely physical game against an Illinois team that usually thrives in the paint. The Spartans held Illinois stars Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn to a combined 30 points on 11-for-29 shooting.
Aaron Henry led the way for the Spartans with 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Langford set a career-high with 16 rebounds to go along with 13 points, 2 steals, an assist, and a block. Rocket Watts also had probably his most impressive game of the year, scoring 15 points and adding 5 assists while running the offense.
Izzo used a revolving door of bigs on Illinois star Kofi Cockburn, but it was Joey Hauser and Marcus Bingham who stood out. Bingham had 7 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 really impressive blocks, including one against Kofi Cockburn that was a highlight of the night.
To his credit, Hauser had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block, and he also helped ice the game with some clutch free throws and this dagger three:
Joey Buckets! 🙌
It's a Hauser Dagger for @MSU_Basketball: pic.twitter.com/fTnGhS6Dac
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) February 24, 2021
Here are the full highlights from the game:
STATEment win. 💪@MSU_Basketball put the No. 5 team in the country away with style: pic.twitter.com/IB9jjnZmDI
— Michigan St. on BTN (@MichiganStOnBTN) February 24, 2021
