If basketball had three stars of the game like hockey, Kelvin Torbert would have been the undisputed first star Saturday.
The sophomore guard scored a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting in MSU's 64-51 win over Northwestern. He also was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line, while picking up five rebounds, a steal and a block.
"I think Torbert, for 30 minutes, played as well as he has since he's been here," MSU head coach Tom Izzo said. "Offensively, he was in a rhythm and he played very, very well."
His effort didn't go unnoticed by the 14,759 spectators. When he was taken out of the game with 1:15 to play, his teammates rushed the court in joy, while he received a standing ovation.
"I got goose bumps when he came out and got that standing ovation," sophomore guard Chris Hill said. "It's what everybody has been waiting for and looking for."
The Flint native's first-half performance was overshadowed by his team's lackluster effort. A 16-point favorite, MSU (14-9 overall, 6-5 Big Ten) trailed for most of the first half, taking a 28-25 lead into halftime.
But Torbert's eight first-half points came at crucial times for the Spartans. One of his baseline jumpers gave MSU a 17-16 lead - one it would never relinquish.
The former Mr. Basketball wreaked havoc on the defensive end, too.
The Wildcats (10-12, 2-9) had a rare fast break early in the second frame. Wildcat guard Jason Burke was sprinting up the floor for what looked like an uncontested lay-up.
Then, out of nowhere, Torbert sent the Breslin Center crowd into a frenzy with a Ben Wallace-like rejection that sent the ball into the first row of the Izzone.
"I had a chance at the ball and I went and made the play," he said. "I think it gave me a little boost and it got everyone else going too."
Torbert's defensive stand did just that, as MSU's defense would clamp down on the Wildcats. It would take Northwestern nearly five minutes to score another point.
But Torbert wasn't going to forget about his offensive game. He seemingly couldn't miss a jump shot, making four straight. His only two misses in the second half were attempted tip-ins from under the basket.
"When he raises up, there isn't much to do on him," Wildcat head coach Bill Carmody said. "He doesn't make long shots, but when he gets a head of steam, he's hard to stop. If he gets into the lane or on the baseline, he can rise up and it's up to him if it goes in or if it doesn't go in.
"He did seem like he had a little more zest than in previous games. You can't let him get to 12 feet, certainly not against my guys."
Torbert entered the game as MSU's third-leading scorer with 8.9 points per game. He bumped his average to 9.4 with his 22-point performance.
Izzo said Torbert has been the player showing the biggest leadership role with sophomore forward/guard Alan Anderson out of the lineup. The added offense is just what the Spartans need with Anderson injured. Anderson is the team's second-leading scorer, however a severely dislocated finger has forced him to miss the last three games.
"He's definitely got more weight right now," Anderson said. "All the weight he came out of high school with and now he's got more weight with me out. But he's a big guy and he can carry all that weight."
