With 11:30 left in the game and Michigan State running away with the contest, the Spartans issued one final statement that left the Wildcats’ tongues dragging.
Michigan State point guard Charlie Bell used his size advantage over two Northwestern players to tip a defensive rebound to himself three times until he could grab the ball.
Bell then streaked down the floor in a blur, leaving Cats in his wake. Attacking the paint while a helpless NU player backed toward the hoop, Bell dished to the wing, hitting a wide-open Marcus Taylor for a three-pointer that gave the Spartans a 58-36 lead.
“I saw Charlie driving the lane so I didn’t want to go in there and interfere with that,” said Taylor, the freshman heir-apparent to Bell. “I just popped out in case he got trapped in a double. We had two shooters out there, me and (shooting guard) Jason Richardson, and he just found the open man.”
Finding the open man was an easy job for Michigan State all night, thanks to an overwhelming speed advantage that left the Cats gasping for air – and searching for answers.
In their 74-58 loss Wednesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Cats (7-12, 0-7 Big Ten) managed to do a decent job of stopping the Spartans in a set offense. But in transition and on the fast break, NU had no chance against the defending national champions.
The Cats knew the up-tempo offense was coming – Michigan State (16-1, 5-1) attacked them in similar fashion two weeks earlier in East Lansing, Mich. – but still couldn’t scheme against the speed gap.
NU coach Bill Carmody said the Cats just can’t run with the Spartans, even at full speed, so there wasn’t reason to be upset.
“Our guys know it, they worked on it, but their point guards are fast,” Carmody said. “I’m looking at (my players) and I know they’re running as fast as they can run, and there’s nothing they can do about it.”
Carmody wasn’t the only member of the Cats shrugging his shoulders. The players – after getting the necessary postgame time for a cool-down – also said there was little defense against Michigan State’s pure speed.
“They get down court so fast,” said freshman guard Jitim Young, who was recruited by the Spartans. “As soon as they inbound the ball, bam, they’re up the court in, like, three seconds and now they’re playing a full-court game. It’s three-on-three or three-on-two, so we have to hurry. We have to sprint back.”
Michigan State dominated on the fast break, outscoring NU 17-2. And when the fast break didn’t generate immediate points, one or two quick, crisp passes turned into easy transition baskets. The Spartans had 44 points in the paint and shot nearly 65 percent from the floor.
The fast break is a pillar of the Michigan State game plan, simply because of the team’s speed and aggressiveness. Plus, the Spartans’ superior rebounding skills – they’re No. 4 in the country on the boards – give them a chance to zip to the offensive end of the floor quickly.
Wednesday night was no exception.
“That’s been a staple of this program the last couple of years – defending, rebounding, running,” said Bell, a senior. “That’s something we pride ourselves on doing. We try to get rebounds, quick outlets and we try to get out there and get in the open court because we like to play the fast-break game. (Wednesday) was a good example of that.”
