Poor shooting leads to Spartans' loss to Illinois, 42-41

Brandon Paul made two foul shots that gave Illinois the lead with 45 seconds to play, then missed the front end of two 1-and-1s in the Fighting Illini’s 42-41 win over the Michigan State Spartans.

The shooting—32.6% for Illinois and 24.1% for Michigan State — was so bad that players suggested the ball may have had too much air in it.

Draymond Green didn’t score until eight minutes left in the game. He was fighting the flu, got into early foul trouble, and battled through a late leg cramp. The Spartans didn’t reach 30 points until 7:39 was left in the game.