Evanston, Ill. – Michigan State opened Big Ten play on Sunday night, and it did not go well.
Whether it was the fact the Spartans had played only once in two weeks or something else, they looked out of sorts from the opening tip as Northwestern dominated for most of the game, rolling to a 79-65 victory Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was No. 4 Michigan State’s first loss to Northwestern since 2012, made even tougher to swallow considering the Wildcats won just three Big Ten games last season.
On this night, Northwestern was clearly the better team, shooting nearly 50% from 3-point range (10-of-21, 48%) and nearly outrebounded Michigan State, ending with just one less than the Spartans (33-32).