Northwestern’s bid to reach .500 in conference Saturday was thwarted by a resilient Michigan State team. The ‘Cats fell 71-67 in overtime to the 24th ranked Spartans, but showed fight on the road at the Breslin Center. MSU’s Draymond Green hit two free throws to tie the game, and Northwestern fumbled away a chance late in regulation with the game knotted at 60. On Tuesday, the ‘Cats face Michigan so there is no time for a hangover, but this loss is sure to leave NU faithful bitter. Let’s take a close look at how the game unfolded.
Hero of the game | Michael “Juice” Thompson
Coach Carmody has put confidence in his point guard, and it shows. Northwestern’s senior point guard was on the floor for all forty-five minutes of Saturday’s game. This was the fifth time this season that Juice has played the entirety of a game. Unfortunately, Juice’s one blemish was his first and only turnover of the day with three seconds left in the second half, which cost the ‘Cats a shot to win the game at the end of regulation. Nevertheless, his 15 points, five assists and steady ball handling kept Northwestern going on a day where John Shurna (2-10, six points) didn’t bring his “A” game.
Stat of the game | MSU shoots 24-28 (85.7 percent) from the free throw line
In a game where Northwestern forced 15 turnovers and held Michigan State under 40 percent from the field, all seemed to be going in the ‘Cats favor. However, MSU made up their points at the free throw line to the tune of a plus-11 edge. Draymond Green and Kalin Lucas (11-11 and 6-6, respectively) were the biggest beneficiaries from the line. Green’s free throws were not only plentiful, but also clutch. The MSU junior tied the game late to force overtime and seemed to know he wasn’t going to miss. More to the point, Northwestern’s inability to box out led to a number of second chance opportunities and free throw opportunities that the Spartans readily converted.
Turning Point | Draymond Green’s steal-and-dunk to cut NU’s lead to 65-64, 2:47 left in overtime
A three-point overtime lead quickly disappeared as Green dunked home two of his 16 points on the day. A careless pass on the part of Drew Crawford lead to the miscue, and Michigan State was more than happy to capitalize. Though Northwestern still held a one-point advantage, the momentum had clearly swung in favor of the home Spartans. Almost a minute later, Keith Appling hit a three-pointer that put MSU up for good and left Northwestern wondering why they didn’t seal the deal in regulation.
One thing to Improve On | Defensive rebounding
If Coach Bill Carmody takes one thing from this loss to the Spartans, it should be that rebounding is a team concept. MSU players found holes in the zone too many times and were able to get several second chance opportunities. NU was outrebounded by the Spartans 34-25, and 8-2 on the offensive glass. Going forward, Coach Carmody needs to encourage his boys to play the whole defensive possession, which includes rebounding the ball. It’s no secret that Northwestern’s weakness is their athleticism, or lack thereof. That makes it all the more imperative that all five guys put in the work on the backboards.