CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Tom Izzo shuffled his starters.
He wanted more from Nick Ward. He wanted more defensive rebounding. He wanted more cohesion.
No. 9 Michigan State instead turned the ball over, including a rare ugly night from Cassius Winston, and continued to give up offensive boards.
And the Spartans nearly pulled off another seemingly improbable comeback victory. Instead, they took another loss, the synchronicity from the first 20 games rapidly evaporating.
MSU rallied from a seemingly insurmountable 14-point, second-half deficit in the final 13 minutes to take a late lead, but Illinois recovered for a 79-74 victory Tuesday night at State Farm Center.