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Michigan State Basketball: Can offense remain red-hot vs. Northwestern?

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans drives the ball to the basket during the first half of the game against the Northern Illinois Huskies at the Breslin Center on December 29, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Northern Illinois 88-60. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - DECEMBER 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans drives the ball to the basket during the first half of the game against the Northern Illinois Huskies at the Breslin Center on December 29, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State defeated Northern Illinois 88-60. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State basketball resumes Big Ten play with a home battle against Northwestern. Will the Spartans improve to 3-0?

Over the years, Northwestern has given the Spartans all they can handle, even supplying Michigan State with a couple of upset losses.

This year, we don’t know much about Northwestern (9-4, 0-2 Big Ten) though the Wildcats gave both Indiana and Michigan a tough battle in conference action earlier in the season. They haven’t beaten anyone of note outside of Utah and Georgia Tech — neither are close to being ranked.

Could the Wildcats be headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history? They would need a huge Big Ten regular season to make that happen which doesn’t seem likely with a lackluster offense.

Here’s how you can watch Wednesday’s Michigan State vs. Northwestern game:

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 2
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Attack, attack, attack. The Spartans must get the ball down low to Nick Ward and attack the post more than they did against Northern Illinois. When they don’t post up, they struggle to score at will but when Ward is on his game and getting deep into the paint, Michigan State creates problems inside and out for opponents.

This isn’t limited to just Ward, either. Xavier Tillman needs to get the ball down low and continue his hot streak for the green and white.

Though the Wildcats don’t exactly fill it up from 3-point range, leading scorer Vic Law makes 41 percent from downtown which makes him a threat to go off. Michigan State must defend the perimeter and the rest of the defense will take care of itself. The Wildcats are the type of team that could get hot from the perimeter and make this game closer than it truly needs to be. Shut down the arc and Northwestern will struggle.

Players to Watch

Scottie Lindsay is finally gone, but that leaves one top scorer for the Northwestern Wildcats who feels like he’s been on the roster for a decade. The Wildcats average just 74 points and shooting 35 percent from long-range. There’s potential to make some noise on offense.

  • Vic Law: 18.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, 46% FG, 41% 3-point
  • Derek Pardon: 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds, 62% FG

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Prediction

Michigan State’s offense may sputter a bit in this one trying to play their game against Northwestern’s defense. The Wildcats can slow opponents down, but the second half will be more of a run-and-gun performance from the Spartans that we are used to. After a slow start, Michigan State will pull away to win by double-digits at Breslin Center.

Final Score: Northwestern 63, Michigan State 75

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