TV channel, college basketball best bets, picks, predictions and how to watch No. 19 Illinois vs. No. 12 Michigan State on Sunday on CBS and Paramount+
The No. 12 Michigan State Spartans (15-2) will try to extend their 10-game winning streak when they face the No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini (13-4) Sunday afternoon on CBS and Paramount+. Michigan State is the only team unbeaten in Big Ten play, improving to 6-0 with a 90-85 win against Penn State on Wednesday. Illinois bounced back from a loss to USC last Saturday with a 94-69 win at Indiana on Tuesday. These teams split the season series last year, with the home team winning both matchups.
Tipoff is set for noon ET at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. The latest Michigan State vs. Illinois odds from SportsLine consensus list the Spartans as 3.5-point favorites, while the over/under for total points scored is 156. You can watch Sunday’s game on Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, which you can get free for the first week when you sign up here.
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How to watch Michigan State vs. Illinois
- Illinois vs. Michigan State date: Sunday, Jan. 19
- Illinois vs. Michigan State time: Noon ET
- Illinois vs. Michigan State live stream: Paramount+ (Get a free 7-day trial)
College basketball picks for Michigan State vs. Illinois
Before tuning into the Illinois vs. Michigan State game, you need to see the college basketball picks from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. The model simulates every Division 1 college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters Week 11 of the 2024-25 season on a 195-134 betting roll (+2882) on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to 2023. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.
For Michigan State vs. Illinois, the model is backing the Fighting Illini (+3.5) to stay within the spread. Illinois has been outstanding since the calendar flipped to 2025, starting with a historic performance against then-No. 9 Oregon on Jan. 2. The Illini set a national record for the largest road win over an AP Top 25 team, cruising to a 32-point victory in that matchup.
They had another impressive outing at Indiana on Tuesday night, scoring the most points by a visiting team in regulation at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in a 94-69 final. It was just the second time in 773 games at Assembly Hall that Indiana has lost by at least 25 points. Illinois leads the nation in rebound margin (+12.4) and ranks tenth nationally in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency ratings.
The Illini are elite on the offensive end as well, ranked 20th in offensive efficiency. They have covered the spread in four of their last six games, and they have won four of their last five games against Michigan State. SportsLine’s model has the Illini covering the spread in well over 50% of simulations. Stream the game here.
How to watch, live stream the college basketball on CBS
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