| Lineup | Michigan State | PG - Clifford Pierce (fresh) 10 pts. 2 ast. SG - Robert Bixby (fresh) 3 pts. SF - Timothy Talbot (fresh) 2 pts. PF - Carlos Brown (fresh) C - William Hamblen (fresh) 3 pts. 3 reb. 3 blk. | |
| Lineup | Northwestern | PG - Stephen Dantzler (fresh) SG - Steven Freeman (fresh) 4 pts. SF - Stanley Briscoe (fresh) 3 pts. 3 reb. PF - Andrew Wiley (fresh) 6 pts. C - Robert George (fresh) 2 pts. 2 reb. | |
| 20:00 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot inbounds the ball | 25-20 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a triangle offense (slowdown) and a man to man (-3) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a flex offense and a man to man (0) | |
| 19:31 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown misses short on a jump hook from the right block but he's hacked by Andrew Wiley - foul #2 on Andrew Wiley, team foul #1 | 25-20 |
| 19:31 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown misses the 1st free throw | 25-20 |
| 19:31 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown makes the 2nd free throw | 26-20 |
| 19:06 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe hits the finger roll and he's fouled by Timothy Talbot - foul #1 on Timothy Talbot, team foul #1 | 26-22 |
| 19:06 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe makes the free throw | 26-23 |
| 18:43 | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce is hacked by Stephen Dantzler - foul #2 on Stephen Dantzler, team foul #2 | 26-23 |
| 18:21 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown scores on a fadeaway from close range | 28-23 |
| 18:09 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the dunk | 28-23 |
| 18:07 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot grabs the defensive rebound | 28-23 |
| 18:02 | Michigan State | Robert George takes the ball from William Hamblen | 28-23 |
| 17:35 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe connects on the floater from the baseline set up by Andrew Wiley | 28-25 |
| 17:11 | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce makes the jumpshot from the right side | 30-25 |
| 16:58 | Northwestern | Steven Freeman is fouled on the floor by Carlos Brown - foul #3 on Carlos Brown, team foul #2 | 30-25 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard (SF), David Pigford (PF) Timothy Talbot, Carlos Brown | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 16:39 | Northwestern | Steven Freeman knocks in the driving attempt from the right block on a great pass from Stanley Briscoe | 30-27 |
| 16:10 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard's layup is rejected by Andrew Wiley | 30-27 |
| 16:08 | Northwestern | The rebound goes to Stanley Briscoe | 30-27 |
| 15:46 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe lays it in on a great pass from Robert George | 30-29 |
| Lineup | Michigan State | PG - Clifford Pierce (fairly fresh) 12 pts. 2 ast. SG - Robert Bixby (fresh) 3 pts. SF - Ronnie Maggard (fresh) 3 reb. PF - David Pigford (fresh) 4 pts. C - William Hamblen (fairly fresh) 3 pts. 3 reb. 3 blk. | |
| Lineup | Northwestern | PG - Stephen Dantzler (fairly fresh) SG - Steven Freeman (fairly fresh) 6 pts. SF - Stanley Briscoe (fairly fresh) 10 pts. 4 reb. PF - Andrew Wiley (fairly fresh) 6 pts. 2 blk. C - Robert George (fairly fresh) 2 pts. 2 reb. | |
| 15:35 | Michigan State | The short jumper by David Pigford is denied by Andrew Wiley | 30-29 |
| 15:34 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley gets the rebound | 30-29 |
| 15:09 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the turnaround from the right block but he's fouled by David Pigford - foul #3 on David Pigford, team foul #3 | 30-29 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot (SG), Michael Shorts (C) Robert Bixby, William Hamblen | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG), Joe Nisbett (SF), Jerome Poremski (C) Stephen Dantzler, Stanley Briscoe, Robert George | |
| 15:09 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the 1st free throw | 30-29 |
| 15:09 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 2nd free throw | 30-30 |
| 14:49 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot misses short on a shot from the right block | 30-30 |
| 14:48 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard grabs the offensive board | 30-30 |
| 14:21 | Michigan State | Michael Shorts lays it in on a great pass from Timothy Talbot and the foul's on Jerome Poremski - foul #2 on Jerome Poremski, team foul #3 | 32-30 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Carlos Brown (PF) David Pigford | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Ralph Brassell (PF) Andrew Wiley | |
| 14:21 | Michigan State | Michael Shorts makes the free throw | 33-30 |
| 13:57 | Northwestern | Joe Nisbett drills a 3pt shot from the left corner on a great pass from Nicholas Trojan | 33-33 |
| 13:49 | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce makes the floater near the basket on a nice dish by Timothy Talbot | 35-33 |
| 13:33 | Northwestern | Joe Nisbett hits a 3pt shot from the left corner on a great pass from Nicholas Trojan | 35-36 |
| 13:09 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown misses the easy layup | 35-36 |
| 13:08 | Northwestern | Ralph Brassell grabs the board | 35-36 |
| 12:56 | Northwestern | Steven Freeman misses the 3pt shot from the left corner | 35-36 |
| 12:54 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan tips it back up and in | 35-38 |
| 12:25 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot is called for a pushoff foul - foul #2 on Timothy Talbot, team foul #4 | 35-38 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Robert Bixby (SG), Joshua Tucker (SF), William Hamblen (C) Timothy Talbot, Ronnie Maggard, Michael Shorts | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Stephen Dantzler (PG), Johnny Parent (SG), Stanley Briscoe (SF), Andrew Wiley (PF), Robert George (C) Nicholas Trojan, Steven Freeman, Joe Nisbett, Ralph Brassell, Jerome Poremski | |
| 12:02 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe blows the layup | 35-38 |
| 12:01 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley snags the offensive board | 35-38 |
| 11:52 | Northwestern | Robert George hits the front of the rim on the jumper from the right block but he's hacked by Carlos Brown - foul #4 on Carlos Brown, team foul #5 | 35-38 |
| Subs | Michigan State | David Pigford (PF) Carlos Brown | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 11:52 | Northwestern | Robert George makes the 1st free throw | 35-39 |
| 11:52 | Northwestern | Robert George misses the 2nd free throw | 35-39 |
| 11:52 | Michigan State | William Hamblen gets the rebound | 35-39 |
| 11:33 | Michigan State | Joshua Tucker throws a bad pass out of bounds | 35-39 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Steven Freeman (SG) Johnny Parent | |
| Lineup | Michigan State | PG - Clifford Pierce (fairly fresh) 14 pts. 2 ast. SG - Robert Bixby (fresh) 3 pts. SF - Joshua Tucker (fresh) PF - David Pigford (fresh) 4 pts. 3 pf. C - William Hamblen (fresh) 3 pts. 4 reb. 3 blk. | |
| Lineup | Northwestern | PG - Stephen Dantzler (fresh) SG - Steven Freeman (fairly fresh) 6 pts. SF - Stanley Briscoe (fresh) 10 pts. 4 reb. PF - Andrew Wiley (fresh) 7 pts. 3 reb. 3 blk. C - Robert George (fresh) 3 pts. 2 reb. | |
| 11:11 | Northwestern | Robert George is whistled for a carry | 35-39 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Dominic Esposito (PG), Timothy Talbot (SF) Clifford Pierce, Joshua Tucker | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 10:46 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot knocks in the 3 pointer from the right corner on a great pass from Robert Bixby | 38-39 |
| 10:23 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe is called for the illegal screen - foul #1 on Stanley Briscoe, team foul #4 | 38-39 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce (PG) Dominic Esposito | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 10:07 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby comes up short on the 3 pointer from the right wing | 38-39 |
| 10:05 | Northwestern | Robert George grabs the defensive rebound | 38-39 |
| 09:55 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe can't connect on a pull-up jumper from the free throw line | 38-39 |
| 09:54 | Northwestern | Robert George tips it back up and in | 38-41 |
| 09:36 | Michigan State | David Pigford is hacked by Andrew Wiley - foul #3 on Andrew Wiley, team foul #5 | 38-41 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard (SF), Michael Shorts (PF) Timothy Talbot, David Pigford | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Johnny Parent (SG) Steven Freeman | |
| 09:07 | Michigan State | Johnny Parent takes the ball from William Hamblen | 38-41 |
| 08:49 | Northwestern | Stephen Dantzler throws a bad pass out of bounds | 38-41 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Joshua Tucker (SF) William Hamblen | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG), Joe Nisbett (SF), Ralph Brassell (PF), Jerome Poremski (C) Stephen Dantzler, Stanley Briscoe, Andrew Wiley, Robert George | |
| 08:24 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard knocks in the driving attempt from the left block set up by Michael Shorts and he's fouled by Ralph Brassell - foul #2 on Ralph Brassell, team foul #6 | 40-41 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Dominic Esposito (PG), Timothy Talbot (SG), David Pigford (PF) Clifford Pierce, Robert Bixby, Joshua Tucker | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Steven Freeman (SG) Johnny Parent | |
| 08:24 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard misses the free throw | 40-41 |
| 08:24 | Northwestern | Jerome Poremski snags the defensive board | 40-41 |
| 08:05 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan misses the jumper from the right side | 40-41 |
| 08:04 | Michigan State | David Pigford pulls down the rebound | 40-41 |
| 07:36 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot can't connect on a 3pt jumper from the left corner | 40-41 |
| 07:34 | Northwestern | Jerome Poremski grabs the defensive rebound | 40-41 |
| Lineup | Michigan State | PG - Dominic Esposito (fresh) 3 pts. SG - Timothy Talbot (fresh) 5 pts. 2 reb. SF - Ronnie Maggard (fairly fresh) 2 pts. 4 reb. PF - David Pigford (fresh) 4 pts. 3 pf. C - Michael Shorts (fresh) 3 pts. 3 reb. | |
| Lineup | Northwestern | PG - Nicholas Trojan (fresh) 4 pts. 3 ast. SG - Steven Freeman (fairly fresh) 6 pts. SF - Joe Nisbett (fresh) 8 pts. PF - Ralph Brassell (fresh) 2 reb. C - Jerome Poremski (fresh) 4 reb. | |
| 07:22 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan is whistled for a charge - foul #1 on Nicholas Trojan, team foul #7 | 40-41 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce (PG), Robert Bixby (SG), Carlos Brown (PF), William Hamblen (C) Dominic Esposito, Ronnie Maggard, David Pigford, Michael Shorts | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Stephen Dantzler (PG), Stanley Briscoe (SF), Andrew Wiley (PF), Robert George (C) Nicholas Trojan, Joe Nisbett, Ralph Brassell, Jerome Poremski | |
| 06:56 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown double dribbles | 40-41 |
| 06:39 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the easy layup but he's fouled by Timothy Talbot - foul #3 on Timothy Talbot, team foul #6 | 40-41 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Joshua Tucker (SF) Timothy Talbot | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 06:39 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the 1st free throw | 40-41 |
| 06:39 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the 2nd free throw | 40-41 |
| 06:39 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe gets the offensive rebound | 40-41 |
| 06:28 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe drills a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line set up by Stephen Dantzler | 40-43 |
| 06:01 | Michigan State | Joshua Tucker's pass is off the mark and out of bounds | 40-43 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard (SF) Joshua Tucker | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Johnny Parent (SG) Steven Freeman | |
| 05:44 | Northwestern | Robert Bixby steps in front of the Robert George pass | 40-43 |
| 05:19 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard is whistled for traveling | 40-43 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot (SF) Ronnie Maggard | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 05:02 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the floater from the left wing but he's hacked by Timothy Talbot - foul #4 on Timothy Talbot, team foul #7 | 40-43 |
| Subs | Michigan State | David Pigford (PF), Michael Shorts (C) Carlos Brown, William Hamblen | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG) Stephen Dantzler | |
| 05:02 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the 1st free throw | 40-43 |
| 05:02 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe makes the 2nd free throw | 40-44 |
| 04:37 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby misses long on a 3 from the left wing | 40-44 |
| 04:35 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe grabs the defensive rebound | 40-44 |
| 04:09 | Northwestern | Robert George misses badly on a shot from just outside the lane | 40-44 |
| 04:08 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe grabs the offensive board | 40-44 |
| 03:58 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan misses short on a pull-up jumper from the free throw line but he's hacked by Michael Shorts - foul #1 on Michael Shorts, team foul #8 | 40-44 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Dominic Esposito (PG), Ronnie Maggard (SF), William Hamblen (C) Clifford Pierce, Robert Bixby, Michael Shorts | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Steven Freeman (SG), Joe Nisbett (SF), Jerome Poremski (C) Johnny Parent, Stanley Briscoe, Robert George | |
| 03:58 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan makes the 1st free throw | 40-45 |
| 03:58 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan misses the 2nd free throw | 40-45 |
| 03:58 | Michigan State | David Pigford pulls down the rebound | 40-45 |
| 03:31 | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard misses the easy layup | 40-45 |
| 03:30 | Northwestern | Jerome Poremski grabs the board | 40-45 |
| Lineup | Michigan State | PG - Dominic Esposito (fresh) 3 pts. SG - Timothy Talbot (fresh) 5 pts. 2 reb. 4 pf. SF - Ronnie Maggard (fresh) 2 pts. 4 reb. PF - David Pigford (fresh) 4 pts. 2 reb. 3 pf. C - William Hamblen (fresh) 3 pts. 4 reb. 3 blk. | |
| Lineup | Northwestern | PG - Nicholas Trojan (fresh) 5 pts. 3 ast. SG - Steven Freeman (fairly fresh) 6 pts. SF - Joe Nisbett (fresh) 8 pts. PF - Andrew Wiley (fresh) 7 pts. 3 reb. 3 blk. 3 pf. C - Jerome Poremski (fresh) 5 reb. | |
| 03:18 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses badly on a fadeaway from the free throw line but the foul's on David Pigford - foul #4 on David Pigford, team foul #9 | 40-45 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Robert Bixby (SG), Carlos Brown (PF) Timothy Talbot, David Pigford | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Stephen Dantzler (PG) Nicholas Trojan | |
| 03:18 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 1st free throw | 40-46 |
| 03:18 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 2nd free throw | 40-47 |
| 02:58 | Michigan State | William Hamblen comes up short on the jumper in the paint | 40-47 |
| 02:56 | Northwestern | Steven Freeman grabs the defensive rebound | 40-47 |
| 02:56 | Northwestern | Northwestern calls a full timeout (2 :30 3 full remaining) | 40-47 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Clifford Pierce (PG), Timothy Talbot (SF) Dominic Esposito, Ronnie Maggard | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe (SF), Robert George (C) Joe Nisbett, Jerome Poremski | |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a triangle offense (slowdown) and a man to man (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a flex offense (slowdown) and a man to man (0) | |
| 02:40 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe hits a shot from the right wing | 40-49 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a triangle offense (uptempo) and a man to man (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a flex offense (slowdown) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 02:28 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby misses short on a 3pt attempt from straight away | 40-49 |
| 02:27 | Michigan State | William Hamblen grabs the offensive board | 40-49 |
| 02:15 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown misses long on a fadeaway jumper from the right side | 40-49 |
| 02:14 | Michigan State | Timothy Talbot snags the offensive board | 40-49 |
| 01:58 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown is whistled for a carry | 40-49 |
| 01:34 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe is fouled on the floor by Timothy Talbot - foul #5 on Timothy Talbot, team foul #10 | 40-49 |
| Subs | Michigan State | Ronnie Maggard (SF) Timothy Talbot | |
| Subs | Northwestern | | |
| 01:34 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe makes the 1st free throw | 40-50 |
| 01:34 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe misses the 2nd free throw | 40-50 |
| 01:34 | Michigan State | Carlos Brown gets the rebound | 40-50 |
| 01:22 | Michigan State | William Hamblen misses the easy layup | 40-50 |
| 01:20 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley snags the defensive board | 40-50 |
| 00:51 | Northwestern | Robert George's floater is tipped away by William Hamblen | 40-50 |
| 00:49 | Michigan State | The rebound goes to William Hamblen | 40-50 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and a man to man (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a flex offense (slowdown) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:45 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby connects on the fadeaway from the left side on a great pass from Clifford Pierce and he's hacked by Steven Freeman - foul #1 on Steven Freeman, team foul #8 | 42-50 |
| 00:45 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby makes the free throw | 43-50 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and intentionally fouling (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:43 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley is fouled in the backcourt by Clifford Pierce - foul #1 on Clifford Pierce, team foul #11 | 43-50 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG), Johnny Parent (SG) Stephen Dantzler, Steven Freeman | |
| 00:43 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the 1st free throw | 43-50 |
| 00:43 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 2nd free throw | 43-51 |
| 00:35 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby makes the 3pt jumper from the right corner | 46-51 |
| 00:35 | Northwestern | Northwestern calls a full timeout (2 :30 2 full remaining) | 46-51 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Joe Nisbett (PG) Nicholas Trojan | |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and intentionally fouling (-3) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:34 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley is fouled in the backcourt by Clifford Pierce - foul #2 on Clifford Pierce, team foul #12 | 46-51 |
| 00:34 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the 1st free throw | 46-51 |
| 00:34 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 2nd free throw | 46-52 |
| 00:28 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby misses short on a 3 pointer from the left corner | 46-52 |
| 00:27 | Northwestern | Robert George pulls down the rebound | 46-52 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and intentionally fouling (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:24 | Northwestern | Robert Bixby is called for the reach on Robert George in the backcourt - foul #2 on Robert Bixby, team foul #13 | 46-52 |
| 00:24 | Northwestern | Robert George misses the 1st free throw | 46-52 |
| 00:24 | Northwestern | Robert George makes the 2nd free throw | 46-53 |
| 00:20 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby can't connect on a 3pt shot from the right corner | 46-53 |
| 00:19 | Northwestern | Stanley Briscoe gets the rebound | 46-53 |
| 00:19 | Northwestern | Northwestern calls a full timeout (2 :30 1 full remaining) | 46-53 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG) Joe Nisbett | |
| 00:17 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley is fouled in the backcourt by Robert Bixby - foul #3 on Robert Bixby, team foul #14 | 46-53 |
| 00:17 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley misses the 1st free throw | 46-53 |
| 00:17 | Northwestern | Andrew Wiley makes the 2nd free throw | 46-54 |
| 00:13 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby scores on a 3pt attempt from the right corner | 49-54 |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and intentionally fouling (-3) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:10 | Northwestern | Johnny Parent is hacked by Robert Bixby in the backcourt - foul #4 on Robert Bixby, team foul #15 | 49-54 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Joe Nisbett (PG) Nicholas Trojan | |
| 00:10 | Northwestern | Johnny Parent makes the 1st free throw | 49-55 |
| 00:10 | Northwestern | Johnny Parent makes the 2nd free throw | 49-56 |
| 00:03 | Michigan State | Robert Bixby is whistled for a carry | 49-56 |
| Subs | Michigan State | | |
| Subs | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan (PG) Joe Nisbett | |
| Game Plan | Michigan State | Michigan State is playing a quick shot offense (quick shot) and a man to man (-2) | |
| Game Plan | Northwestern | Northwestern is playing a spread offense (hold ball) and a man to man (+3) | |
| 00:00 | Northwestern | Nicholas Trojan runs out the clock | 49-56 |