Spartans shred Wildcats' zone

The 1-3-1 zone is designed to offset Northwestern's physical deficiencies, cause chaos and force indecision from opponents.

Bill Carmody's defense, if employed correctly, helps bridge the gap between the Wildcats and their Big Ten foes.

Michigan State widened it very quickly Thursday night.

The 10th-ranked Spartans showed no hesitation against the NU's "junky" scheme, attacking the weakest part of the zone. A superb shooting display combined with standard inside dominance subdued Northwestern 78-62 before 6,738 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

NU (6-10, 0-6) remained the Big Ten's only winless team.

Needing to slow things down like it did Saturday at Wisconsin, Northwestern let Michigan State (17-2, 5-1) set the pace immediately.

As has been their custom for years, the Spartans dashed to the exposed corners of the zone and swished open 3-pointers. Michigan State went 8 of 9 from beyond the arc in the first half and finished the game at 61.1 percent.

"They spread it out high and there were some openings on the baseline," said Spartans coach Tom Izzo, whose team had assists on 25 of 29 field goals. "We wanted to penetrate and kick out."

Senior guard Drew Neitzel led the shooting surge with 20 points (six 3-pointers). While forward Raymar Morgan dominated inside (23 points, 8 rebounds), reserve guard Chris Allen hit all 4 of his 3-point attempts in the first half and finished with 17 points.

"The looks they were getting were too open, too clear," Carmody said. "We weren't getting out to the corners at all.

"I have to look really closely at the tape and figure out how come they're getting open shots."

A 3-pointer from Kevin Coble (17 points) cut the deficit to 38-31 in the final minute of the first half, but Allen ended things in predictable fashion, with a 3-pointer from the corner.

Neitzel began the second half the exact same way as Michigan State opened -- with a 12-0 run. NU never got any closer than 10.

Craig Moore did all he could to keep the game competitive, scoring a career-high 28 points. He sparked a 13-0 run near the end of the first half, scoring 8 consecutive points.

After Michigan State built a 53-31 lead early in the second half, Moore hit 3 consecutive 3-pointers. He finished the game 7 of 14 from beyond the arc.

Not bad for a guy who was yanked from Wednesday's practice for lackluster play.

"I almost didn't start him tonight," Carmody said. "He was sort of floating around. I didn't like his behavior."

Carmody saw better body language Thursday.

"It was kind of a weird thing," Moore said. "I thought I was in the doghouse."

Moore didn't get much help in the backcourt from Michael Thompson, who endured arguably the toughest game of his young career. NU's second-leading scorer (13 ppg) didn't score a point in 27 minutes.

"He hasn't had that many bad games," Carmody said. "Maybe it wasn't his night, but it's good for him to see that and learn."

NU's learning continues Sunday at Illinois.

"Right now we're at the bottom," Moore said. "The only way to go is up."