Northwestern Begins Conference Play at No. 20 Michigan State

NORTHWESTERN MEN'S BASKETBALL: GAME INFORMATION
DATE	Opponent	TIME	LOCATION	Watch	Live Stats
Sunday, Dec. 4	No. 20 Michigan State	6 p.m. CT	Breslin Center East Lansing, Mich.	BTN	Live Stats
Radio: AM 1000 W MVP Social: Twitter: @NUMensbball \| Instagram: @numensbball \| Digital Program

EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern men's basketball team gears up for Big Ten conference play as it travels to No. 20 Michigan State for the league lidlifter at 6 p.m. CT on Sunday, Dec. 4. BTN will televise the game with Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Stephen Bardo (analyst) on the call, while Dave Eanet (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (analyst) describe the action on AM 1000 WMVP.

The Wildcats have won their last two conference openers and will begin league action on the road for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Chris Collins, Northwestern is 6-3 when opening conference play. The 'Cats claimed wins the last two years over Maryland (67-61, 2021) and No. 4 Michigan State (79-95, 2020).

Playing in the final ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Monday (Nov. 28) night, Northwestern (5-2) dropped its second straight game and fell to Pitt 87-58 inside Welsh-Ryan Arena. Senior guard Chase Audige led the team in scoring for the third consecutive game by posting 14 points. The Coram, N.Y. native is second on the team averaging 12.4 points per game, and the only player in the Big Ten averaging over 12 points, four assists and two steals per game. Junior guard Ty Berry pulled in a team-high five boards and ranks second on the team averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. NU connected on 10 three-point field goals, its third time reaching double-figure makes this year.

Northwestern has leaned on its defense early in the year, allowing opponents to score 56.7 points per game, its lowest mark through seven games since 2012-13 (56.7). The 'Cats place 13th nationally and second in the Big Ten in scoring defense. Opponents are converting just 37.6% of their two-point field goal attempts, the best defensive mark nationally. NU has blocked over five shots per game, led by junior center Matthew Nicholson's 1.7 rejections per game. NU has held five of seven opponents under 60 points and is 69-15 in Collins' 10 seasons when doing so.

Michigan State leads the all-time series 94-40, but NU has won two of the previous three meetings. The 'Cats were victorious in the last meeting, downing the No. 10 Spartans 64-62 at the Breslin Center on January 15, 2022. Playing without leading scorer Pete Nance, Northwestern converted 17 MSU turnovers into 16 points. The Wildcats snapped an eight-game losing skid at the Breslin Center, winning its first game in East Lansing since 2009.

The two sides met in the 2020 conference opener inside Welsh-Ryan Arena, with the 'Cats pulling off a 79-65 upset victory over the then-No. 4 Spartans. It was the program's first win over an AP Top-5 opponent since January 27, 1979, also against MSU. Guard Boo Buie poured in a career-high 30 points, which is the last time a Wildcat reached the 30-point mark.

Michigan State (5-3) fell in its ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest on Wednesday (Nov. 30) night at Notre Dame, 70-52. Senior guard Tyson Walker leads the team averaging 15.1 points per game and netted a season-best 22 points in a win over Villanova. Graduate student forward Joey Hauser has a team-high 6.6 boards per game.

Northwestern returns home to Welsh-Ryan Area to resume non-conference play with a 1 p.m. CT tip on Sunday, December 11 against Prairie View A&M on BTN.

Northwestern Begins Conference Play at No. 20 Michigan State

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Players Mentioned

Chase Audige

Ty Berry

Boo Buie

Pete Nance

Matthew Nicholson

Northwestern University Athletics

Northwestern University Athletics