Tom Izzo warned his team about not getting up for lesser opponents and what kind of effect that can have and Michigan State responded by getting out to a 16-2 lead in the opening minutes over last-place Northwestern on Wednesday night.
While that was exactly what the head coach wanted to see, it was short-lived as the Wildcats pieced together a 13-2 run and got right back into the game near the end of the first half.
Michigan State bounced back to regain an 11-point lead at halftime thanks to some life breathed into the lineup by a returning Kyle Ahrens as well as some bench production from Foster Loyer.