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ESPN play-by-play man Jason Benetti gives major shoutout to Illini students, fans in win over MSU
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ESPN play-by-play broadcaster Jason Benetti has been in a lot of hostile college basketball arenas and Tuesday’s atmosphere inside the State Farm Center was pretty raucous. After Illinois pulled off an upset of Michigan State to take over the No. 1 spot in the B1G standings, Benetti had major praise for those inside the building.
“My ears are still ringing,” Benetti tweeted on Wednesday morning. “(Illinois) fans were loud last night. What an atmosphere.”
Despite being without star center Kofi Cockburn (concussion protocol) and key guard Andre Curbelo (COVID-19 protocols), Illinois found a way to knock off Michigan State in Champaign. The Illini rode the hot hand of Trent Frazier, who scored a game-high 16 points in the 56-55 win.
My ears are still ringing. @IlliniMBB fans were loud last night. What an atmosphere.
— Jason Benetti (@jasonbenetti) January 26, 2022
Michigan State had an opportunity to send the game into overtime with a pair of late free throws but Malik Hall missed the front end and made the second to end the game.
Illinois improved to 7-2 in the B1G with the victory while Michigan State dropped to 6-2. The Illini have a half-game lead on the Spartans and Wisconsin (also 6-2).
The B1G is known to be home of some of the best environments in college basketball. Tuesday night’s atmosphere from the State Farm Center certainly ranks up there with one of the best crowds we’ve seen all season.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB