Lucas, Summers lead Spartans over Northwestern
This couldn't and wouldn't end well.
Not with Sports Illustrated in the house Saturday night to chronicle Northwestern's leap into the Top 25.
Not with Michigan State smarting after last year's shocking home loss to the Wildcats.
And not with the Spartans gaining easy access to the middle of NU's 1-3-1 zone trap, which made it easy to gain access to the middle of NU's basket.
Treating the standing-room-only crowd to a running and dunking and shooting and passing and shot-blocking display - each aspect done with intensity and élan - No. 11 Michigan State dismissed Northwestern by a 91-70 count in Big Ten action at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"That's two games in a row now where we haven't stopped anybody," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "These guys were getting so many easy shots that we're certainly going to have to make some adjustments."
The Wildcats (10-3, 0-2) built their No. 25 national rank, in part, on holding their opponents to 38.5 percent shooting. But Illinois hit 50 percent Wednesday night and MSU took it to the next level with a 57 percent success rate.
Junior guard Kalin Lucas, the reigning Big Ten player of the year, delivered 21 points, while Raymar Morgan and Durrell Summers added 17 apiece.
Perhaps the more relevant stat? Michigan State earned assists on 22 of its 31 baskets.
"They got the ball in the middle a lot and that kills a 1-3-1," said Northwestern junior guard Michael Thompson. "That kills pretty much any zone, getting the ball in the middle, so they were pretty much able to pick their poison - whether they wanted a 3-point shot or a layup."
Sometimes, the Spartans chose a layup and a 3-pointer.
The Wildcats owned a 3-point lead with 4:48 left in the first half, but Michigan State (11-3, 1-0) strung together 34 points in the next 14 minutes for the knockout.
The last of those 34 points came with 11:05 to go when Summers flew in and missed a dunk, but the ball bounced right out to Lucas in the corner for an easy 3.
Not long after that, with MSU leading by 20, each of the Spartans slapped the floor at the defensive end to show they weren't going to quit playing.
That have anything to do with Northwestern's 70-63 win in East Lansing last January?
"A little bit," Lucas admitted. "A little bit."
MSU coach Tom Izzo didn't want any letup, either. Morgan and Lucas weren't taken out until there was 2:25 go.
Lucas, by the way, didn't start the Spartans' previous game as punishment for not showing enough leadership.
"I think you also saw a much more aggressive Kalin Lucas," Izzo said. "And he was pretty doggone good defensively and he was aggressive offensively. And that's what he's got to do."
Sophomore forward John Shurna led NU with a career-high-tying 29 points, but Thompson was limited to just 8 points on 8 shots in 38 minutes as the Spartans clung to him wherever he went.
"He's a marked man," Carmody said.
Now NU goes back to being an unmarked program. Or does it?
"It was a big win for us against what I consider still a very good basketball team," Izzo said. "I mean, we're not 20 points better than them. It's just today we were."