MSU, which couldn’t find an answer from deep, had no choice but to feed the post early and often. Carson Cooper scored 11 points in the first half after failing to reach double figures in four of his last five games. He finished with a game-high 18 points, followed by Jeremy Fears Jr. and Jaxon Kohler, who each had 15.

Cooper and Kohler hit the glass hard yet again, combining for 17 rebounds as the Spartans outrebounded the smaller Wildcats 42-25. Head Coach Tom Izzo said he was proud of how his team grinded this one out.

"Give credit to them, but I give credit to us. We were out of it, both mentally and physically, [but] we found a way to win," Izzo said. "Thank God we're home. Thank God for our home court fans."

Fears picked up two early fouls in the first half and sat for over 12 minutes, hoping to preserve his physicality for the second half. In the time without him, the Spartans were dysfunctional and lacked any immediate force on offense. MSU shot 45% from the field in the first half and just 25% from three. 

Against a Wildcats team that turns the ball over less than nine times a game, MSU failed to keep the ball safe. MSU had 15 turnovers to Northwestern’s six, while scoring 17 points off MSU giveaways. 

MSU had its most success when it made quick, sharp passes and set hard ball screens, often finding open shooters on the wing off double teams in the paint. As the Spartans settled into the second half, they controlled defensive possessions more consistently and found the necessary gaps in Northwestern’s backcourt.

With 12 minutes to go, Kohler found himself wide open off a Jeremy Fears screen, leading to a wide-open pick and pop that erupted an alumni Izzone to take the lead for the first time in the second half. 

With four minutes left, Fears dribbled at the top of the key as his teammates swirled between defenders in search of space, but nothing materialized. As the shot clock ticked down to five seconds, the sophomore guard drove right down the lane, absorbed contact and faded away for a smooth basket that extended MSU’s lead to 10 as the horn sounded.

Fears said to this point in his career, he’s focused on finding the right balance between scoring himself and playmaking for his teammates. 

"I keep finding that balance of hitting the teammates when they’re open and being aggressive and making a play for the team in that moment, which might be the best play," Fears said. "So, it’s understanding that sometimes I might have to be aggressive, sometimes I might have to pass it, sometimes I may have to guard it."

In both of MSU’s losses to Duke and Nebraska, they struggled on offense down the stretch. Tonight, it was the opposite. After the game, Izzo said plays like those two are what ignite this team’s offense.

"It's crazy little plays like when Jordan got that rebound, kicked it out to Jaxon [Kohler] and he had a big three," Izzo said. "Those little plays like that are huge."

Up to that point, Northwestern had showcased its aggression, especially on the defensive end, despite shooting 6-for-26 from 3-point range. Big Ten leading scorer Nick Martinelli finished with 28 points, while the next-highest Wildcat scored nine. Martinelli was a pest for MSU until late, when Fears took the game into his own hands and cemented the win.

The Big Ten Conference has endured seismic changes in the past five years, but its basketball product remains among the best in the country. Currently, six Big Ten teams are ranked in the top 25 with another two receiving votes. Tom Izzo knows how tough the regular-season conference slate can be, and tonight was no different. 

"The conference is really, really good; It's different," Izzo said. "I don't know what we've been, I guess we've been pretty consistent."

After a mostly silent first 30 minutes, Kohler lit up the last quarter of the game. Kohler currently has the conference's second highest 3-point percentage at 53.3%. He shot 5-9 from the field and hit three from beyond the arc. The senior forward has become incredibly reliable from three, something absent from the Spartans over the past few years. 

MSU next faces Indiana to close its three-game homestand Tuesday, Jan. 13, at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on NBCSN and streamed on Peacock.