Northwestern fought hard on Wednesday night, coming back from double-digit deficits seven times throughout the game against No. 15 Michigan State.

But Boo Buie's career-high 26 points weren't enough as the Wildcats ultimately fell to a more physical and experienced Michigan State squad, 77-72, at Welsh-Ryan Arena.

Michigan State jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, strengthened by two 3-point Cassius Winston buckets on the first two possessions of the game. Northwestern did not get their first points until almost 3 and a-half minutes into the game off of a fadeaway mid-range jumper by Anthony Gaines.

The Cats clawed their way back to within 23-20 after a Gaines fast-break layup with 7:40 left in the half. MSU coach Tom Izzo called a timeout, and from then on MSU controlled the game, going on a 14-4 run to end the half leading 37-27.

The second half began as a back-and-forth affair, with MSU ultimately ballooning their lead to 16 with 14:56 to go.

That's when Buie single-handedly brought NU back, providing 13 of NU’s 15 points during a three-minute span that sliced the Spartans' lead to 51-46.

The joy was short-lived, however, as Izzo called another timeout and MSU increased the lead back up to double digits. NU made a late push with two minutes left as a Buie 3-pointer and a Pete Nance fadeaway cut the lead 71-67 with 43.1 seconds left.

But MSU made enough of their free throws down the stretch to close out the win.

Cassius Winston put on a clinic in controlling the tempo of a game for Michigan State, finishing with 21 points and 6 assists.

Buie led all scorers with 26 points and 4 assists. Nance was the other standout for the Cats, with 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Here are the takeaways from the loss that dropped the Wildcats to 0-2 in Big Ten play:

MSU’s size was a problem all game: Michigan State has one of the best and most experienced group of bigs in the nation, and it showed.

The Spartans were always going to be a tough matchup for Northwestern, who play exclusively freshmen and sophomores on the front line.

MSU doubled the Cats in rebounds, 48-24. “It was huge, especially with 14 of them being offensively,” said NU head coach Chris Collins.

Those 14 offensive rebounds resulted in 15 second-chance points for MSU. If they shored up the rebounding, NU could have found a way to pull this one out.

Buie needs to start: When asked of Buie’s performance, Izzo put it simply. “He had 26 so he was unbelievable.”

Yes, he was. Buie has shown a few times this season that he is capable of taking over a game for NU. But he gave his best outing against the Wildcats' toughest opponent to date.

With a 26 and 4 showing, Buie solidified himself as the team’s most dangerous guard. He has the dribbling ability to get to any place on the floor, and he knows how to get contact and finish on drives, as well as shoot 3s over guys deep in the shot clock.

Buie starting would also take pressure off of Gaines and Miller Kopp to provide scoring chances off the dribble, something they have both struggled with. Plus, Buie could guard the opposing team's point guard, a burden which currently falls on Gaines.

Collins wasn't exactly enthusiastic about the idea. “I'm less concerned about who starts, it’s about who finishes. I've liked him off the bench, but things can change.”.

Spencer and Kopp struggled: As Buie flourished, Pat Spencer and Kopp both had right nights on the other end of the spectrum, finishing a combined 4 of 15 from the field for 13 points and 4 turnovers.

Those numbers don't appear too bad on the stat sheet, but watching the game you could see that both players looked overmatched physically. Specifically, Kopp, who got pulled out of the game midway into the first half for repeated bad defensive rotations and giving up offensive rebounds.

Both players finished with a combined -25 in +/- and saw minutes below their season averages due to their play.

On to DePaul: DePaul, one of the pleasant surprises in college basketball and NU's next opponent, is currently 11-1, with big wins over Texas Tech, Minnesota and Iowa. They look poised to be a tournament team for the first time since 2004.

“We’ve had competitive games against DePaul," said Collins. "Every game has gone down to the wire. They’re having a terrific year it's gonna be a big test for us.”

If the Cats play like they did against the Spartans, they may be able to bounce back at Wintrust Arena on Saturday.