In the Northwestern men’s basketball team’s 78-67 win over Purdue on Wednesday, the team posted a seven-year high for points in a Big Ten game.

Before the outburst, NU coach Bill Carmody wondered where his team was going to get its points from. The answer: everywhere.

Five Wildcats reached double figures, and NU’s three seniors — Aaron Jennings, Jason Burke and Winston Blake — combined to score 45 points.

But when the Cats (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten) travel to East Lansing, Mich., to meet Michigan State (13-9, 5-5) on Saturday, they’ll face a sixth defender — the road.

Unfamiliar rims haven’t been kind to the Cats this season, and their scoring average away from home is 56.0 points per game — compared to 65 at home. The Cats have eclipsed the 60-point mark just once outside Welsh-Ryan Arena.

But the NU team riding down I-94 today isn’t the same one that’s 1-6 overall on the road.

“Winning on the road is real tough, but our press has helped us a lot,” Carmody said, “Mohamed (Hachad) has been an energizer early. And once you get a feeling of winning you want to continue doing that.”

Hachad averaged 11 points and 3.5 steals in NU’s victories over Indiana and Purdue.

The Cats get the Spartans coming off a 64-53 loss Tuesday at Wisconsin and also face a struggling Chris Hill — Michigan State’s leading scorer.

The guard averages 14.2 points, but reached double figures just once in the past four games.

“He’s hurting a little bit because he’s playing at point guard, and he is not that,” Carmody said. “Right now he has to run the team and score and that’s different for him.”

Containing the Spartans’ star sophomore will be one of the top priorities in the Cats’ attempt to follow up the defensive effort that held the Boilermakers to 20 first-half points.

Rebounding will be another focus for NU. The Cats have the worst rebounding margin in the Big Ten — Michigan State has the best.

Although no Spartans’ player average more than six boards, seven players pull down more than three a game.

“We have to stay energetic about (rebounding),” NU guard Jitim Young said. “They’re going to hit the glass and we know that. We have to compete, and that’s not win on the boards all the time, but having the courage and the heart to keep going after those guys.”

With two wins to reflect on, NU has more reason to feel confident, Carmody said.

“The best part about it is maybe you don’t think it’s a fluke,” he said. “You beat Indiana, maybe they were looking ahead. But you beat Purdue atop the Big Ten, you might be more than a fluke. You might be something to build on.”

NU (10-11, 2-8 Big Ten) vs. Michigan State (13-9, 5-5)

2 p.m., Saturday

East Lansing, Mich., Breslin Center

Player to watch: Jason Burke.

The NU forward will try to repeat Wednesday’s 14-point performance.