The College Basketball Belt · rivalry
Illinois vs. Michigan State
6Belt meetings
2Illinois wins
4Michigan State wins
1Title changes
Illinois and Michigan State have met 6 times with the College Basketball belt on the line, from January 11, 1978 to February 20, 2018. The belt changed hands in 1 of those games. Michigan State leads the belt series 4–2.
| Belt game | Date | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 625 | Jan 11, 1978 | Michigan State beat Illinois 82–70 | Title change |
| 655 | Jan 10, 1979 | Illinois beat Michigan State 57–55 | Defense |
| 669 | Feb 23, 1979 | Michigan State beat Illinois 76–62 | Defense |
| 989 | Feb 16, 1990 | Michigan State beat Illinois 70–63 | Defense |
| 1,480 | Jan 5, 2006 | Illinois beat Michigan State 60–50 | Defense |
| 1,976 | Feb 20, 2018 | Michigan State beat Illinois 81–61 | Defense |