Michigan State Shows Illinois Who's Boss Of The Big Ten

If there were any questions about who the team to beat in the Big Ten was, they were emphatically answered by the Michigan State Spartans on Saturday.

State (5-0 Big Ten, 15-3 overall) is now alone at the top of the conference with their 73-63 victory over Illinois.

At one point, the Illini were down by 20, lacking the necessary energy and depth to keep pace with the Spartans' over-drive gear.

Don't believe the "overrated" hype that State was tagged with in December—they're for real.

Every Spartan fan knows about the losses to UNC, Texas, and Florida, that's water under the bridge now. Time to look ahead as the Spartans are approaching their peak.

Bruce Weber's Illini were believed to be one of two teams that would rival the Spartans in Big Ten play, and State just showed them otherwise. Fans are now anxiously awaiting the team's next true test, a showdown in East Lansing with Purdue on Feb. 9.

Kalin Lucas was more than effective, leading the break and looking good doing it. Lucas finished with 20 points, shooting 6-of-12 from the field. If there was a "coming out" game for Lucas this year, Saturday's game was it.

The Illini were able to dictate the tempo early and made a run in the late stages of the second half. The Illini's perimeter shooting was indeed crisp in the first 20 minutes, but quickly fizzled out after halftime. 

D.J. Richardson and Demetri McCamey couldn't elude the shadowing defense of Chris Allen and Kalin Lucas as they were all but shutdown in the final stanza.

Frustrated and winded, Illinois just couldn't keep up with the transition game.

Mike Tisdale was a non-factor—Delvon Roe and Draymond Green made sure of that.

Green, one of the "working class guys" on the roster, clocked in with another stellar performance. He finished with seven points, eight rebounds, and four assists. He may not be the flashiest or fastest, but he's becoming a leader who Izzo will continue to rely on.

The Spartans are blossoming and coming into their own. The issues of fine-tuning their offense and establishing some sort of identity are being addressed and answered.

Pick your poison, Big Ten foes, State can dress it up or dress it down and still get it done. Versatility has become a strength for them, shedding any "one-trick-pony" epithets.

Proving once again that ball and tempo control are the basis of success, Kalin Lucas and Korie Lucious cranked out quality minutes along with superior ball-handling.

Any loose ends that may have been lingering at halftime were dealt with. Any thoughts of being unsure who would step up and grab the conference by the reigns were responded to.

Chris Allen's shooting slump is still a problem, but bench production isn't. Raymar Morgan posted 14 points and seven rebounds.

Izzo must now prepare his men; there's targets on their backs, and everyone's gunning for the green and white.