The Spartans' win over Illinois bought breathing room against one of the Big Ten's most dangerous title contenders.

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.

MSU, which is ranked No. 12 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, is coming off a 90-85 victory over Penn State on Jan. 15 in East Lansing. Illinois (13-4, 5-2 Big Ten) is ranked No. 20 in the Coaches Poll and is coming off a 94-69 win over Indiana in its most recent game on Jan. 11.

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo is impressed by what he sees from Illinois. The Spartans beat Illinois Sunday.

Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood was less than thrilled with the officiating crew during Sunday's loss to Michigan State.

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.

As long as Tom Izzo is the head coach of the Michigan State Spartans, they’re not a team that should be overlooked.

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.