Couch: 3 quick takes on Michigan State basketball's 76-66 win over Northwestern

1. That was a nice finish by MSU, but not a win to celebrate

EAST LANSING — The final score and vibes leaving the court at Breslin Center don’t tell the story of this one. Michigan State got away with one Thursday against Northwestern, even as well and determined as the Spartans played down the stretch to win 76-66.

That first-half-plus Thursday is as out of sorts as I’ve seen MSU’s basketball team all season, up there with the first half in the exhibition at Connecticut. It wasn’t just Jeremy Fears’ early foul trouble, it was how Fears and the whole operation looked even when he was on the court — a step behind. out of sync, unfocused.

Tom Izzo took the blame for his team looking tired — saying he wouldn't let anyone on his team or staff in the building Friday, that they needed a day off. Maybe that was it.

At some point this team flipped a switch, perhaps about the time Izzo picked up a technical with 13:49 remaining and the Spartans trailing 41-38, though it took another minute to see it on the scoreboard.

Northwestern deserves some credit. They were the more tenacious side for a good chunk of the game. They’ve got some seasoned Big Ten and high-major guys, especially Nick Martinelli, who scored 28 points in 39 minutes. They should be better than 8-7 and 0-4 in the Big Ten.

That’s a win for MSU that should only be celebrated to a point. Because it was a losing effort, until the Spartans locked in defensively and on the glass and Fears, Jaxon Kohler, Coen Carr and two freshmen carried them down the stretch.

Fears was tremendous late, scoring all 15 of his points in the second half, along with four of his five assists. But MSU can’t withstand performances like that from him — even on nights when it seems like the officiating is out to get him for a while. He’s got to say poised and create the rhythm for the Spartans, like he did down the stretch.

Let this night be a lesson for MSU’s basketball team, one they were lucky to learn in victory.

2. Freshman thoughts — difference-making nights for Jordan Scott and Cam Ward

On a night when not much was going right for MSU for a long time, the Spartans’ two true freshmen, Jordan Scott and Cam Ward, played a massive part in rescuing them.

You can tell how much this staff trusts Scott in close games by how often he’s on the floor at important times in the game. And for good reason — well into the second half, he still led MSU in plus-minus at plus-seven, despite playing just 12 minutes at that point. He and Ward both finished plus-12, behind only Jeremy Fears’ plus-15.

On a night when MSU didn’t seem to be as active and quick to the ball as usually, Scott still was. If there was a tie-up on the floor, he emerged from the pile. Late with, MSU trying to build on a 55-50 lead, it was Scott who tracked down the offense rebound, of course, and gave it back to Jaxon Kohler for another 3-point try, which Kohler hit.

Scott made an early 3, grabbed two offensive rebounds and dished a couple assists in 18 minutes and, again, MSU was just better with him on the floor, which he was at the most critical times of the second half.

Ward, too, played consequential and positive minutes late into the game, his work on the offensive glass especially notable — including one rebound, where the then scored through a defender while being fouled and hit the free throw to cut Northwestern’s lead to 45-43, when MSU was trying desperately to get a foothold in this game.

Ward later forced a travel on an important Northwestern possession. He finished with seven points and seven rebounds, four of them on the offensive end in 15 minutes.

3. Kohler still needs more shots and MSU needs more from Carr earlier

Jaxon Kohler took nine shots and made five of them Thursday, including three 3s (on six tries) on his way to 15 points, just about his average these days. That’s a guy that should probably be taking 12 or more shots a game at this point. There are some opportunities to get him the ball in the post in transition, before the double-team comes. There’s more still to get out him, I think. This might seem like a weird take on a day Kohler turned the ball over six times. But there's more juice to squeeze here.

Coen Carr had some good moments in Thursday’s game — including the fast break dunk in the second half that made you think MSU was going to be OK. I think he can be more than a moments guy or a some-games guy. His second half — five points, four rebounds and steal was a pretty good effort. But he’s disappearing at times, beyond his free-throw struggles. Some of that I think is in his control.

Contact Graham Couch at [email protected]. Follow him on X @Graham_Couch and BlueSky @GrahamCouch.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MSU basketball survives Northwestern: 3 quick takes