The College Basketball Belt · rivalry
Illinois vs. Michigan State
6Belt meetings
3Illinois wins
3Michigan State wins
2Title changes
Illinois and Michigan State have met 6 times with the College Basketball belt on the line, from January 10, 1979 to February 20, 2018. The belt changed hands in 2 of those games. The belt series is level at 3–3.
| Belt game | Date | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 768 | Jan 10, 1979 | Illinois beat Michigan State 57–55 | Title change |
| 782 | Feb 23, 1979 | Michigan State beat Illinois 76–62 | Defense |
| 1,336 | Jan 27, 1995 | Michigan State beat Illinois 75–67 | Defense |
| 1,453 | Feb 11, 1998 | Illinois beat Michigan State 84–63 | Title change |
| 1,730 | Jan 5, 2006 | Illinois beat Michigan State 60–50 | Defense |
| 2,226 | Feb 20, 2018 | Michigan State beat Illinois 81–61 | Defense |