Michigan State Spartans take on Illinois live on Wednesday night in Big Ten College Basketball action at 7:00 PM ET

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo is known as a tough grader when it comes to his team, but even he could not be all that upset at the Spartans after a five point loss to then-No. 7 Indiana on Sunday. The team looked impressive throughout the game and will try to continue that play on Thursday night as the Spartans host the Illini in East Lansing.

"That is one thing I would've taken out of that game," Izzo said. "That was a pretty good basketball game to watch. I liked our competitive attitude. We had a couple inside guys play good and one outside play well. If we can get it to two and two, we have a chance to get even better."

Izzo's team has won 17 of its first 20 games and has looked like the team to beat in the Big Ten along with Indiana and Michigan, who are currently ranked one and three in the nation respectively.

The Spartans are ranked 13th in the nation and are 17-4 after falling to Indiana, but are still in solid position in the conference with a 6-2 record. Before the loss to the Hoosiers, Michigan State had won six straight games and won 12 of the past 14 games.

The game against Illinois marks the only game on the calendar this week, but it is a preamble for a big matchup next week against No. 23 Minnesota next Wednesday. Izzo decided to give his players a "mental day" to take the edge off and made the team only watch film in practice.

"I think this break will be perfect," he said.

Illinois will try to rebound after struggling in conference play, but Izzo and the Spartans know that the Illini are a tough team to beat, as they put up double-digit wins over Ohio State, Gonzaga and Butler earlier in the year. All those teams are ranked in the top 11.

The Illini are coming into the game after a tough 74-60 loss to Michigan at home and will need to start winning to have a chance in the conference. The team has dropped four of the past five games and six of the past nine.

"Biggest thing that we've got to do is understand that when things aren't going well for us on the offensive end, you cannot tie your mindset to that mentally, especially on the defensive end," first-year Illinois coach John Groce said.

The Spartans got some strong play from post players Adreian Payne and Derrick Nix against Indiana in the 75-70 loss, while freshman guard Gary Harris had one of his best games this year, scoring 21 points while shooting nearly 50 percent from the field. According to the AP, Payne had 18 points, nine rebounds, blocked a shot and had a steal. Nix scored eight points, made a game-high six assists, grabbed five rebounds and had two steals.

"Gary Harris took a major step again," Izzo said.

Michigan State has lost three of the past four games in the series, but all those came on the road at Illinois. The Spartans have been excellent at home, holding the Illini to an average of 55.0 points on 36.3 percent shooting in five straight wins.

Last season the Spartans went 29-8 and finished tied for first place in the Big Ten with a 13-5 record. The team won the Big Ten tournament and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Michigan State defeated Long Island and Saint Louis, but lost to Louisville 57-44 in the regional semifinal.

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