To be fair to Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, there aren't as many Alan Andersons and Shannon Browns across college basketball as there once were.

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.

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

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.

After the 81-74 win over Rutgers on Saturday, it now marks 12 straight wins for the Michigan State basketball team with highlights like the victory over Illinois, North Carolina, and others. With many people impressed with the Michigan State basketball team like Magic Johnson,