Halftime Report
Northwestern fell flat on their face against Illinois last Tuesday, but memory of that harsh loss doesn’t seem to have tripped them up today. Northwestern has a bit of a cushion as they currently lead Michigan State 46-31.
If Northwestern keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 11-3 in no time. On the other hand, Michigan State will have to make due with a 9-6 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Michigan State Spartans @ Northwestern Wildcats
Current Records: Michigan State 9-5, Northwestern 10-3
How To Watch
What to Know
Michigan State has enjoyed a four-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. The Michigan State Spartans and the Northwestern Wildcats will face off in a Big Ten battle at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Michigan State is the slight favorite, but fans should be in for an exciting game likely to go down to the wire.
Michigan State has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven games by 20 points or more this season. They simply couldn’t be stopped on Thursday as they easily beat the Nittany Lions 92-61 at home. With Michigan State ahead 51-26 at the half, the game was all but over already.
Michigan State relied on the efforts of Tyson Walker, who scored 22 points along with six steals and five assists, and Malik Hall, who scored 24 points along with five rebounds and three steals. Hall continues to roll, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he’s played. Tre Holloman was another key contributor, scoring ten points along with six assists.
Meanwhile, Northwestern unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They were dealt a punishing 96-66 defeat at the hands of the Fighting Illini. Northwestern found out winning isn’t easy when your shooting is a whole 21.5% worse than the opposition.
Even though the team lost, they still had their share of impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Ty Berry, who scored 14 points.
Northwestern struggled to work together and finished the game with only eight assists. That’s the fewest assists they’ve managed all season.
The Spartans have been performing well recently as they’ve won six of their last eight matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. As for the Wildcats, their loss dropped their record down to 10-3.
Sunday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy match: Michigan State have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 37.5 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for Northwestern, though, as they’ve been averaging only 31.5 rebounds per game. Given Michigan State’s sizeable advantage in that area, Northwestern will need to find a way to close that gap.
Michigan State came up short against Northwestern when the teams last played back in December of 2022, falling 70-63. Can Michigan State avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Michigan State is a slight 2.5-point favorite against Northwestern, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 2.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 134.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Michigan State has won 7 out of their last 10 games against Northwestern.
- Dec 04, 2022 – Northwestern 70 vs. Michigan State 63
- Jan 15, 2022 – Northwestern 64 vs. Michigan State 62
- Jan 02, 2022 – Michigan State 73 vs. Northwestern 67
- Dec 20, 2020 – Northwestern 79 vs. Michigan State 65
- Jan 29, 2020 – Michigan State 79 vs. Northwestern 50
- Dec 18, 2019 – Michigan State 77 vs. Northwestern 72
- Jan 02, 2019 – Michigan State 81 vs. Northwestern 55
- Feb 17, 2018 – Michigan State 65 vs. Northwestern 60
- Dec 30, 2016 – Michigan State 61 vs. Northwestern 52
- Jan 28, 2016 – Michigan State 76 vs. Northwestern 45
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