Spartan Avenue
Fansided

Michigan State Basketball: 3 takeaways from blowout win over Northwestern

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after a second half three point basket while playing the Northwestern Wildcats at the Breslin Center on January 29, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 79-50. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 29: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after a second half three point basket while playing the Northwestern Wildcats at the Breslin Center on January 29, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 79-50. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 29: Gabe Brown #44 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a three point basket with Foster Loyer #3 while playing the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Breslin Center on January 29, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 79-50. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN – JANUARY 29: Gabe Brown #44 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates a three point basket with Foster Loyer #3 while playing the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at the Breslin Center on January 29, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. Michigan State won the game 79-50. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

1. MSU played poorly and still dominated

Michigan State got up for the Wildcats initially but that lasted about as long as Fruit Stripe gum. The Spartans played sloppy basketball for just about the rest of the first half after jumping out to a 16-2 lead. They were throwing the ball into traffic, getting beat on back-door cuts by Northwestern and missing open shots.

The Spartans saw their first-half lead shrink to just three before getting it back up to 11 by halftime but no one felt good about that heading into the locker room.

Coming out in the second half, Michigan State remained ice-cold despite mounting a 20-2 run from all the way back in the last two minutes of the first half. They were up big and just extended that lead thanks to some hot shooting from guys like Foster Loyer, Cassius Winston and Gabe Brown. Marcus Bingham Jr. got hot as well as Julius Marble and the Spartans mounted a 35-point lead in the second half.

Tom Izzo would be the first to tell people that his team did not play well and even though that was the case, the Spartans still won by 29 points.

Next. Michigan State's all-2010s starting five. dark

That just goes to show how good Michigan State truly is and how dominant the Spartans can be if they just put every phase of the game together — like they did in a five-minute stretch during the second half.

Home/Spartans Basketball