Michigan State basketball: 3 keys to beating Northwestern

What does Michigan State basketball need to do in order to take down Northwestern on Sunday night in Evanston.

Michigan State basketball hits the road for the first time since Dec. 10 for their next game. The Spartans travel to Northwestern to take on the Wildcats (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten) on Sunday night in a very important game.

Northwestern is a very solid team this year, but they have also had some brutal performances as well. But just like any road Big Ten game, MSU will have to play very well if we want to win.

Here are my three keys for the game for Michigan State to beat Northwestern.

1. Get lots of rest

Now this key has nothing to do with the game itself, but it is still extremely important. The way the schedules lined up for this game are not doing Michigan State any favors.

The Spartans are coming off their dominant win over Penn State on Thursday night and now have to go on the road with only two full days of rest. Meanwhile, Northwestern’s last game was on Tuesday, meaning the Wildcats have two more days of rest than Michigan State.

This may not seem like much, but it is more significant than you think. Especially when you consider that the home team is the one with the extra rest. I’m sure Tom Izzo and our athletic trainers already know how they’re going to get our guys the rest and recovery they need, but we will need to take it more seriously than ever to be ready for this game.

2. Take advantage of our depth

One advantage that MSU has in this matchup is depth. The Spartans have 10 guys averaging double-digit minutes this season compared to only seven for Northwestern.

To further cement Northwestern’s depth issues, the Wildcats also have four guys playing 29.5 minutes or more per game. The only Spartan seeing the floor that much is Tyson Walker.

There are a few ways we can take advantage of this. The first is by making this a very physical game. I usually don’t like hoping for a lot of foul calls, but the more total fouls the better for Michigan State. The Spartans have the depth to sustain a few player getting in foul trouble while Northwestern does not. So if their starters have to ride the bench with foul trouble then I love how MSU’s second unit matches up with theirs in extended minutes.

The second way we can take advantage of Northwestern’s lack of depth is by speeding the game up. This doesn’t mean take lazy and wild shots, but getting out in transition will be huge to tire out their team. I also would like to see the Spartans apply more full court pressure as well. Doing this will only tire out their players faster, meaning they need more time to rest on the bench or they get sloppy because they’re exhausted.

3. Find some way to contain Boo Buie

Boo Buie is a nightmare on the court. He is one of the premier guards in the Big Ten and is averaging 18.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.

Buie is someone every team will have to key on when they play Northwestern. But MSU needs to pay extra attention to him.

He is a Spartan killer. I hate admitting it, but it’s unfortunately the truth. Buie has faced MSU six times in his career, and in those games he is averaging 17.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game in those contests. These stats are all above his career averages. On top of that, the Spartans are 3-3 against the Wildcats while Boo’s been at Northwestern. I think we all expect to do better than that against Northwestern.

With Boo averaging career-highs in all three major statistical categories this year, he could be primed for a big game on Sunday. If Michigan State basketball wants to win this game, finding a way to slow him down is a must.

This will not be an easy game for the Spartans. Northwestern is a really good team and have even upset Purdue this year already. But accomplishing these three things would give MSU a great chance at winning on Sunday.