No. 12 Michigan State got the test that many were waiting for when it hosted No. 19 Illinois on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans passed the

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.

As long as Tom Izzo is the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, they’re not a team that should be overlooked.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo is impressed by what he sees from Illinois. The Spartans beat Illinois Sunday.

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.

Izzo is taking the threat of the Illini seriously as he prepares his Spartans for Sunday's matchup in East Lansing

No. 12 Michigan State men’s basketball took down No. 19 Illinois 80-78 Sunday afternoon. MSU now improves to 7-0 in conference play with the victory. Coach Tom Izzo spoke to the media after his team’s victory: Subscribe to our News 10 newsletter and YouTube page to receive the latest local news and weather.

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo had high praise for the Spartans' next opponent, the Illinois Fighting Illini.

The Spartans' win over Illinois bought breathing room against one of the Big Ten's most dangerous title contenders.