For a player who wasn’t supposed to even take the court in Wednesday night’s 73-61 loss, Vedran Vukusic managed to make quite an impact — though his numbers were mostly below his season averages.

Coach Bill Carmody wasn’t sure Vukusic would be able to play until just a few hours before tip-off. Yet the forward’s presence was felt within seconds, as he batted away Michigan State’s first shot after the Spartans won the opening tip.

Adding 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half to spur the Wildcats’ big run, Vukusic demonstrated that he has become one of the key elements of both the Cats’ offense and defense, despite playing with a hyperextended knee suffered in the first half of last week’s victory over Illinois.

“Vedran is crucial, a huge part of our team,” said Jitim Young, who added that Vukusic was playing at about 70 percent against the Spartans.

With 2:10 left in the game, Vukusic blew past three Michigan State defenders to send in an off-balance shot that bounced up off the rim and in, cutting the Spartans’ lead to eight points and sending the crowd into a frenzy.

But, historically, his on-court minutes haven’t always evoked cheers from NU fans.

Two years ago Vukusic was prominently involved in one of NU’s most painful losses. In the waning seconds against then-No. 25 Ohio State in Columbus, the freshman drove to the basket, losing the ball — and the game — in the process.

But Vukusic has emerged from that freshman mistake — and the subsequent year he spent as a medical redshirt — as arguably the most important player on the squad.

He’s gotten significantly better at driving the lane, for one thing.

He’s just a sophomore in eligibility, but Vukusic is one of only three players to have been on the NU squad for three years.

“(The Cats) are good and they’re going to get better when Vukusic gets healthy,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said.

And Wednesday night’s game was a prime example of that as the Cats finally made their run in the second half.

While Vukusic said he felt significant pain during the game, he said he wasn’t limited. Wearing a large, black brace on his left knee, he grabbed four rebounds and four steals in his 38 minutes in the game — more time than any of his teammates.

In the second half, Vukusic was all over the court, playing physical defense and disrupting Michigan State from its steady rhythm.

“We were so much more intense in the second half, going for every steal, fighting for every ball,” Vukusic said.

Perfect words to describe his own play, as he helped get the Cats within seven points of the Spartans with less than two minutes left.

With his teammates explaining how important he is, it’s clear that Vukusic has fashioned himself into one of the best the Cats have to offer.

Two years can make all the difference.

Amalie Benjamin is a Weinberg senior. She can be reached at [email protected]