Michigan State basketball: 3 quick thoughts on win at Northwestern

Despite giving up 13 points in the first few minutes of the game and falling behind by five on the road, Michigan State basketball stormed back to take a huge lead into the half before coasting to a 10-point win on Sunday afternoon, 78-68.

Michigan State dominated for about 30 minutes on Sunday and took down a pesky Northwestern team in Evanston.

This marks the third road Big Ten win of the season for the Spartans as they’ve already beaten Ohio State and Minnesota. The old saying is that if you win half your road games and take care of home court in conference play, you’ll win the Big Ten. That means Michigan State needs just two more road wins in conference play to test that theory.

Here are my quick thoughts on the Spartans’ big win to improve to 14-2.

1. Frankie Fidler showed signs of life

It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say Frankie Fidler had a really good game, but the Omaha transfer stepped up in his 15 minutes off the bench, scoring eight points with five rebounds, a block, and a steal. He was 3-for-6 from the floor and played one of his best games as a Spartan despite taking just six shots. This is the type of play MSU needs from him moving forward.

Fidler showed signs of life which is huge for the outlook of this season.

2. Jeremy Fears is starting to look comfortable

Earlier in the season, it felt like Jeremy Fears Jr. was still getting used to playing at a fast-paced level after missing the second half of his freshman season. He was struggling with consistency and confidence, to an extent, but recently something has clicked. He has looked like the “floor general” we all expected when he began his Michigan State basketball career.

After securing his first-ever double-double against Washington last time out, Fears dished eight assists with 12 points, making 4-of-5 shots from the floor and he only accounted for one turnover. Over the past two games, he has 24 points with 18 assists and just two total turnovers.

Fears is feeling himself lately and Tom Izzo has to be thrilled.

3. The juice is back with Michigan State hoops

Over the past 3-4 seasons, we’ve been witnessing some truly mediocre basketball and Izzo would’ve even admitted to that. The Spartans were really not playing the way Izzo had gotten fans used to and they were barely sneaking into NCAA Tournaments.

This team is different.

With Sunday’s 10-point win, Michigan State has now won four of its five Big Ten battles by at least 10 points and now has three roead wins and a 5-0 record in conference play. On top of that, the Spartans are 14-2 overall and will likely move into the top 15 of this week’s AP Top 25.

What really proved to me that the juice is back with this program was the fact that Izzo was screaming at his team while up 15 in the second half and time winding down. Michigan State is no longer content with coasting to victories, Izzo wants the pedal on the metal at all times.