6Illinois 41 - 51 Michigan State
Final
  for this game

No. 7 Michigan State looks for record-setting start

Jan 30, 2008 - 3:59 PM Illinois (10-11) at No. 7 Michigan St (18-2) 9:00 pm EST

EAST LANSING, Michigan (Ticker) - No. 7 Michigan State will attempt to set a record on Wednesday against Illinois.

The Spartans (18-2, 6-1 Big Ten) will try to record their best 21-game start in school history against the struggling Illini (10-11, 2-6), who had lost seven of their past eight games prior to a 70-37 rout of Northwestern on Sunday.

"It (19-2) does mean something because this team can hang its hat on that," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "Every team wants to leave a legacy, and that could be part of what this team is remembered for down the road."

The Spartans have never won 19 of their first 21 games in the 109-year history of the program. Michigan State started the 2000-01 season 18-2 before losing to Illinois. The Spartans, 12-0 at home this season, have won four straight since a 43-36 loss at Iowa on January 12.

Sophomore forward Raymar Morgan averages 16.6 points and 6.8 rebounds for Michigan State. Senior guard Drew Neitzel, named the conference's player of the week on Monday, averages 14.1 points for the Spartans.

Senior center Shaun Pruitt leads Illinois with 12.8 rebounds and 7.7 rebounds per game. The Illini have won eight of the last 12 meetings in the series.






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