Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State's 65-60 win at Northwestern

Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch gives his initial thoughts on the Spartans' 65-60 win Saturday over Northwestern in Rosemont, Illinois.

1. I hope you didn’t turn off the TV at halftime

ROSEMONT, Ill. — No one should ever write the lead, “It was a tale of two halves.” Did it once, still have nightmares. Got that, young sportswriters? But holy moly, I’ve never seen a game so decidedly one-way turn so decidedly the other than MSU’s 65-60 win over Northwestern on Saturday at Allstate Arena. Maybe the Patriots-Falcons in last year’s Super Bowl. Maybe.

Northwestern fans looked stunned. I think MSU’s players might have been stunned, too. This was a 53-32 Northwestern lead with 16:40 remaining. The game was tied 53-53 eight minutes later. 

MSU played a dreadful first half. But its second half said something about a team that is evolving, a team that trusts that it has the goods to win in any scenario. A team with some toughness now.

Cassius Winston’s offense — a pick-and-roll, high ball-screen attack that MSU has to use more often — a couple big plays by Jaren Jackson Jr. and the defense of Kenny Goins and Matt McQuaid were the keys. And an epic Northwestern collapse. The Wildcats hit only 3 of 26 shots and 1 of 10 3-point tries in the final 20 minutes. 

I’ll delve into it more in the column. It’s a lot to digest. But this improbable win says a lot of things about MSU’s team — not all good. Most importantly, though, it keeps the momentum this group had going and puts them two wins from a Big Ten title, perhaps an outright Big Ten title.

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2. This should make Michigan State fans nervous about March

You can’t trust this MSU team yet. You also clearly can’t ever count them out.

Saturday’s win over Northwestern was partly an act of God and human nature, as happens all the time on the road in college basketball — a home team gets hot, road team gets rattled and boom, suddenly Gavin Skelly is knocking down fadeaway 3-pointers for the ’Cats.

I thought MSU might be beyond this, that the Spartans had found something in terms of focus, determination and resolve to make their immense talent too much for even Northwestern’s best half of basketball. 

Instead, for a half, we witnessed the nightmare scenario for MSU and its fans — the NCAA tournament game against a hot-shooting underdog that gets away from them.

Then we saw why MSU is different than almost any other team in college basketball — its ability to overcome it. That focus, resolve and confidence were all there. It just took a while.

In March, against an NCAA tournament underdog that’s seen a better season than Northwestern, that comeback might not happen. That collapse might not happen.

MSU did Saturday what it couldn’t do two years ago against Middle Tennessee State. This is an MSU team with more overwhelming weapons than that crew — including, of all people, Goins, injured that day in St. Louis. Saturday, his defense — on power forwards and shooting guards alike — was as big a reason as any MSU turned the tide and went on a run.

3. A brutal home venue for Northwestern 

This season at Allstate Arena was probably unavoidable for Northwestern. Welsh-Ryan Fieldhouse needed a makeover and those take time. I’m not sure sharing a venue with Loyola — a more intimate gym, closer to campus — would have worked. Allstate Arena most certainly hasn’t.

Saturday was the latest example — at least two-thirds of the crowd was cheering for MSU.

This has been a tough season for a number for reasons for Northwestern — injuries, perhaps a lack of hunger after last year’s storied NCAA tournament run, but also a venue that’s an hour from campus in an area that is already home to tons of Big Ten alumni from other schools.

Northwestern is 15-13. The ’Cats don’t belong in the NCAA tournament. But they’ve played essentially 15 neutral-site games here, another two elsewhere and 10 on the road. It’s probably the toughest schedule in college basketball. If the NCAA tournament selection committee evaluated Northwestern considering its absence of a home-court, it might be closer to the bubble.

Remember, Kansas City is considered a neutral-site game for Kansas. Allstate in Rosemont sure as heck feels like it for Northwestern.

Contact Graham Couch at gcouch@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @Graham_Couch.