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Michigan State Basketball: 5 takeaways from epic comeback vs. Northwestern

By Connor Muldowney

ROSEMONT, IL - FEBRUARY 17: Jaren Jackson Jr. (C) of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after making a basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half on February 17, 2018 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 65-60. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
ROSEMONT, IL - FEBRUARY 17: Jaren Jackson Jr. (C) of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates after making a basket against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half on February 17, 2018 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. Michigan State defeated Northwestern 65-60. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State pulled off an epic comeback victory over Northwestern on Saturday and we learned quite a bit about this team.

Did you catch your breath yet? Michigan State pulled off one of the best comebacks in Big Ten history against the Northwestern Wildcats on Saturday afternoon, 65-60.

After finding his team down 22 points at the half, with 27 points being the biggest first-half deficit, Tom Izzo told his team in the locker room that they needed to chip away at the Wildcats’ lead. He wanted the Spartans to be down by just 10 points with about 10 minutes left and his team answered the call, pulling within 53-46 at that point.

The rest was history as his team engineered an epic comeback, led by a tremendous defensive effort — allowing a total of 11 second-half points — and sharpshooting by Matt McQuaid and Cassius Winston.

It was a game the head coach will never forget, but what did we learn from the win?

5. Leadership is not lacking

In the post-game presser, Tom Izzo talked about having some of his leaders step up when he needed them to most and he referred to guys like Miles Bridges, Cassius Winston, Matt McQuaid, Jaren Jackson Jr. and even Kenny Goins.

McQuaid and Goins may be looked at as role players, but Izzo said he was pleased to hear them speak up in some of the huddles in the second half. It’s that kind of leadership that keeps this team going.

While he mentioned a select few, there are players like Tum Tum Nairn and Ben Carter who lead by example and are looked up to by their teammates. They may not see the floor as much as they would like, but they have a positive impact on the team.

The best teams in the Tom Izzo era are the ones that have been led by the players. In 1999-00, it was Mateen Cleaves; in 2009-10, it was Kalin Lucas; in 2011-12, it was Draymond Green; in 2014-15, it was Travis Trice; in 2015-16, it was Denzel Valentine.

Now, we look at a handful of players stepping up, which could result in his strongest team yet.

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