CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood almost bristled at the notion that his new-look team hadn’t yet experienced the well-known Michigan State physicality. Underwood began going down the list.

There was Arkansas and Tennessee. Missouri and Northwestern.

“Take your pick,” Underwood said. “…There’s a reason we play the schedule we play. We’re not playing a bunch of rum dums in the non-league. We’re playing physical teams that can go beat you up and get you ready for what lies ahead. Michigan State is obviously one of those teams. Northwestern, they called two fouls in the entire half in a bloodbath. We’ve seen physical. We’ve seen all that. That doesn’t seem to bother us too much.”

No. 19 Illinois (13-4, 5-2 Big Ten) built its nonconference schedule to be prepared for moments like this: top-20 games with early Big Ten title implications on the road. This one just happens to be against a Michigan State (15-2, 6-0 Big Ten) team that has won 10 games in a row and is perfect in Big Ten play.

And, perhaps you’ve heard, Michigan State is a team that makes no bones about being a physical team. 

Good luck finding a stat for physicality, but there are surefire tells of a physical team tucked in the analytics. No. 12 Michigan State ranks No. 14 defensively, according to KenPom, No. 21 in offensive rebounding percentage and No. 18 in opponent offensive rebounding percentages. Those paint a clear enough picture of a Tom Izzo-led team.

Plus, it’s Izzo. Underwood has had enough battles with him to know what to expect out of an Izzo-led team.

“We know what we’re in for,” Underwood said. “It’s always the annual rock fight and make your way to the parking lot, strap it on and if you don’t you don’t get out of there without a win. You’ve got to play really hard and play well.

“They’re at the top. They’re at the top. What’s Tom been there 55 or 60 years now? …They do what they do, man. I’ve got so much respect for that guy because of how hard they play and how he coaches ’em. He’s got a veteran group that does that. It’s why we play the non-league schedule. Rick Barnes is the same way: old, wily, tough. That’s what you get with Tom Izzo. If you don’t get off the mat once they hit you, they bury you and you’re six feet under. You’ve got to rise to that occasion. That’s who I’ve been my whole life. You get up off the mat and throw the next haymaker, see if it lands and let’s roll. That will be a big test.”

Illinois prides itself on being a physical bunch too. Underwood first dropped his Pizza Hut parking lot line in East Lansing two years ago. He wants his team to take his own identity of a never-down, fight-like-hell group. He wants his teams to crash the glass, hit opponents on rebounders and prepare for a fight in whatever form it takes.

Just like the Spartans, Illinois has its own markers of physicality. It ranks No. 10 in defense, according to KenPom, No. 25 in offensive rebounding percentage and No. 5 in opponent offensive rebounding percentage.

“I think we’re a physical team,” said center Tomislav Ivisic, chief Pizza Hut officer on this Illini team. “In practices, we try to be better, make each other better, fight for rebounds. That’s our biggest assignment, for offensive rebounds every play has to go.

“When we come to the games, it’s wired from us. It’s a little bit easier because we practice like that every day and really put a lot of effort into physicality.”

Underwood and his staff set out a nonconference schedule to build to games like this. They didn’t want January or February surprises stylistically or athletically. The goal was always to build for later in the season, to take a young team and harden them up before conference play and to win. A lot.

In fact, Illinois winning three Big Ten road games in a row is a testament, Underwood said, to his quickly his team has crafted that toughness.

“I try to still have a pretty heavy hand in all of that,” Underwood said. “I try to make practices harder than the games. I try to create environments. I try to create stress. I try to create adversity in practice while still trying to build some confidence. Our practices aren’t for the weak. If you don’t want to practice and get better then you don’t need to come to school here. I think that mentality is what this group has thrived on and they’ve been really good with handling that.”

Illinois, according to KenPom, is No. 21 in strength of schedule. Michigan State is No. 41. The Illini are 5-2 against KenPom top-50 teams. Michigan State is 5-1 in those games. Illinois is 1-2 against KenPom top-30 teams. Michigan State is 1-1.

Underwood wouldn’t change his nonconferene approach for anything. It’s served the purpose, at least for now. It doesn’t insure a win at Michigan State, and Underwood has no misgivings about that. But Underwood’s goal was to put his team in a position to be prepared for these moments. 

“It’s exactly what we thought it would be: really good teams,” Underwood said. “I think we had some questions, you know, we play Missouri every year and after their season last year. Now, Missouri has proven to be one of the top teams in the SEC. 

“It’s probably satisfied just about every area that we wanted to hit. We’ve seen the great defense of Tennessee and the physicality. We’ve seen the fast play. We’ve seen Alabama. We’ve been on the road and we’ve seen great environments. We’ve seen five-way switching, we’ve seen hard hedges, we’ve seen drops, all with elite athletes and elite caliber players. That’s what this team needed. This team didn’t need a cupcake schedule and a false reality. We’ve been punched in the face and we’ve gotten back up. That’s what the Big Ten provides for you is an opportunity to get punched and you better get your rear end off the mat and get back up. We’ll see how it all plays out at the end of the year.”