The stars were out at the Breslin Center on Sunday to see Michigan State pull off a hard fought 80-78 win over Illinois.

There were the usual suspects Michigan State fans would not be shocked to see roaming the Breslin Center like Mateen Cleaves and AJ Granger – both were on the 2000 national championship team under coach Tom Izzo.

There was also a surprise special guest – Detroit Tigers pitcher and Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. He helped propel the Tigers to their first playoff appearance in 10 years this past fall.

Skubal was sitting courtside right near the Michigan State bench taking in an intense Big Ten basketball game between two top 15 teams (according to Kenpom).

“He wanted to come up for a game,” Izzo said about Skubal. “What a great guy. Players met him before the game and he was in the locker room after. I just said (to him) ‘a little different than baseball, huh?’ The place was rocking and there were five seconds left."

More on the atmosphere and big game feel inside Breslin:

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Michigan State got a chance to host its top quarterback target for the 2026 cycle Kayd Coffman on Sunday.

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Another post game recap is here! Sydney, Brendan, Jacob, and Paul analyze Michigan State's gritty win over Illinois, choose a player of the game, and share a few areas for growth for the Spartans.


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