Michigan State Sloppy in B1G Opener, Loses to Wildcats, 79-65

Michigan State had beaten Northwestern 12 straight times, but tonight in a Big Ten opener, things didn't go their way.

One word comes to mind to describe how Michigan State looked in its Big Ten season opener against Northwestern.

Sloppy.

The Spartans received 13 points from its starters in the first half; its leading scorer was Gabe Brown with eight, and MSU was outscored by 14 during his 13 minutes on the floor.

Aaron Henry, Rocket Watts, and Joey Hauser combined for 21 points on 9-for-28 shooting (2-12 from deep), and the offense scored at a rate of 0.985 points per possession – overall, MSU shot 26-for-67, 39%.

Somehow Michigan State allowed NU to stick with them on the boards; 17-17 at the half, and the most alarming part of it? Foster Loyer led with four boards; no one else had more than two (33-32 MSU advantage). 

That shouldn't happen.

Sophomore guard Boo Buie picked up right where he left off last year after dropping 26 points at home vs. MSU, shooting it fifteen times for a career-high 30 points (5-for-6 on three-pointers) while adding three rebounds and four assists.

And junior forward Pete Nance gave Marcus Bingham Jr. all kinds of trouble prior to intermission (15 pts, 12 rebounds, 4 assists).

After 20-minutes of settling for contested jumpers and failing to score inside consistently, Michigan State needed to respond if the hunt for a fourth consecutive Big Ten title was going to start with a victory.

Following an injury to Hauser, Malik Hall started the second half for MSU, instantly providing a spark the Spartans needed.

With 15:17 left in the contest, Michigan State went on a 6-0 run, pulling within ten, and were finally getting stops on defense.

However, the Spartans endured a four-minute scoring drought, missing nine straight shots before Loyer drained a three-pointer, which allowed Northwestern to extend its lead to 18 (61-43) – and never look back.

MSU had beaten NU 12 straight times, but tonight the Wildcats got the better of Michigan State, defeating the Spartans, 79-65. 

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