Big Ten Men's Basketball Tracker
Since the 2017–18 season, Michigan State and Northwestern have met 12 times, with Michigan State holding a 8–4 edge in the series.
Most recently Michigan State won 76–66 on January 8, 2026.
Right now Michigan State is 0–0 and Northwestern is 0–0, with Northwestern at 209 days since a win against Michigan State's 199.
| Date | Site | Winner | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thu, Jan 8 2026 | Michigan State home | Michigan State | 76–66 |
| Sun, Jan 12 2025 | Northwestern home | Michigan State | 78–68 |
| Wed, Mar 6 2024 | Michigan State home | Michigan State | 53–49 |
| Sun, Jan 7 2024 | Northwestern home | Northwestern | 88–74 |
| Sun, Dec 4 2022 | Michigan State home | Northwestern | 70–63 |
| Sat, Jan 15 2022 | Michigan State home | Northwestern | 64–62 |
| Sun, Jan 2 2022 | Northwestern home | Michigan State | 73–67 |
| Sun, Dec 20 2020 | Northwestern home | Northwestern | 79–65 |
| Wed, Jan 29 2020 | Michigan State home | Michigan State | 79–50 |
| Wed, Dec 18 2019 | Northwestern home | Michigan State | 77–72 |
| Wed, Jan 2 2019 | Michigan State home | Michigan State | 81–55 |
| Sat, Feb 17 2018 | Northwestern home | Michigan State | 65–60 |
Full schedules and drought counters: Michigan State Spartans and Northwestern Wildcats.
Michigan State vs Illinois, Michigan State vs Indiana, Michigan State vs Iowa, Michigan State vs Maryland, Michigan State vs Michigan, Michigan State vs Minnesota, Michigan State vs Nebraska, Michigan State vs Ohio State, Michigan State vs Oregon, Michigan State vs Penn State, Michigan State vs Purdue, Michigan State vs Rutgers, Michigan State vs UCLA, Michigan State vs USC, Michigan State vs Washington, Michigan State vs Wisconsin.
Northwestern vs Illinois, Northwestern vs Indiana, Northwestern vs Iowa, Northwestern vs Maryland, Northwestern vs Michigan, Northwestern vs Minnesota, Northwestern vs Nebraska, Northwestern vs Ohio State, Northwestern vs Oregon, Northwestern vs Penn State, Northwestern vs Purdue, Northwestern vs Rutgers, Northwestern vs UCLA, Northwestern vs USC, Northwestern vs Washington, Northwestern vs Wisconsin.