The 12th-ranked Spartans got nine critical second-half points from Frankie Fidler, and Tre Holloman hit two free throws with 5.4 seconds to play to ice their 80-78 victory over No. 20 Illinois on Sunday afternoon at Breslin Center.

After going down early, Michigan State basketball survived a nail-biter vs. Illinois to stay undefeated and alone at the top if the Big Ten.

No. 12 Michigan State was able to win its 40-minute battle with No. 19 Illinois on Saturday. Watch Spartans coach Tom Izzo's postgame presser here.

One of the age old tenets in college basketball is not to count out Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. As long as Izzo is at the helm, Michigan State will be a dangerous and competitive team. On Sunday,