The most surprising thing about Northwestern’s 79-65 upset of No. 4 Michigan State wasn’t that it was the program’s first win over a Top 5 team in 41 years. It wasn’t due to the fact that it was the Wildcats’ first victory over the Spartans since 2012, nor was it because they had just blown a big lead against Pittsburgh less than two weeks ago.

No, the most shocking aspect of this stunner was the ease at which the Wildcats won. They dominated the game from buzzer-to-buzzer, out-Spartaning the Spartans.

After falling behind 4-0, the Wildcats scored the next 11 points and never looked back. They built a 13-point halftime lead, pushed it to as much as 21 in the second half and never really got threatened down the stretch as they drilled the previously 6-0 Spartans in both teams' Big Ten opener.

Northwestern's last win over a Top 5 team came on Jan. 27, 1979, when the Wildcats knocked off Magic Johnson and eventual national champion Michigan State, 83-65.

Here are our takeaways from a historic night at Welsh-Ryan Arena that pushed Northwestern’s record to 4-1 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten:

Buie went off: Boo Buie wishes Northwestern could play the Spartans more often. Last December, he put up a career-high 26 points against Michigan State. This year, he upped his number and scored 30.

The sophomore point guard was red-hot on Sunday night, hitting 9 of 15 shots from the floor and 5 of 6 on 3s. He also drained 7 of 8 free throws and finished with three rebounds and four assists.

Buie got whatever shot he wanted when driving to the basket, repeatedly beating Spartan point guard Rocket Watts off the dribble. He nailed back-to-back 3-pointers in the first half as part of a 10-2 run to help open up a 38-25 lead.

Buie had 14 in the first half and 16 in the second -- including a couple big 3s down the stretch to ice the win – as he controlled play from beginning to end.

Nance dominated inside: Pete Nance had maybe his best performance as a Wildcat, finishing with 15 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists as he commanded the post.

Michigan State’s winning formula over the years includes pounding teams on the boards, and Northwestern held its own against the deep and physical Spartans, who had just a 33-32 advantage in rebounds. Nance did most of the dirty work underneath.

Nance, who made 6 of 8 shots on the night, had 6 points and 6 rebounds early in the game to set the tone, and also threaded a beautiful backdoor pass to Ryan Greer for an easy layup. He had 11 points and 9 rebounds at the half, and when the buzzer sounded to signal halftime he let out a primal scream.

Nance was quieter in the second half, but still threw down two left-handed dunks as the Wildcats coasted to the victory.

Berry was a beast of the bench: With Miller Kopp, Chase Audige and Robbie Beran combining for just 14 points, Northwestern needed a scoring spark. Enter freshman sharpshooter Ty Berry.

Berry scored 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting, and hit 3 of 4 shots from beyond the arc, to become the third leading scorer for the Wildcats.

Audige hoisted a couple ill-advised shots early in the game and head coach Chris Collins pulled him off the floor and inserted Berry. The confident freshman crossed over a defender and hit a jumper off the dribble, and then a corner 3. He had a steal to start a fast break, and later hit another triple off of a screen.

There’s one thing clear about Berry early in his career: he is not afraid to look for his shot. He could develop into another dangerous weapon for the Wildcats.

Northwestern closed it out: The Wildcats have built plenty of first-half leads in recent years under Collins; the problem has been finishing them off.

Not tonight.

Whenever Michigan State went on a run or built some momentum, the Wildcats had an answer. When the Spartans put together a 6-0 run to close the lead to 50-40 in the second half, Northwestern ripped off the next 11 to build its largest lead, at 21, with 11:58 left.

Michigan State never threatened after that, as Northwestern shot 54.2% after halftime, including 4 of 9 3-pointers.

MSU didn’t look like MSU: The Spartans’ stars didn’t show up against Northwestern.

Watts not only got beaten by Buie on the defensive end, but he was also ice-cold shooting the ball. He missed his first nine shots from the floor and didn’t score until just 3:17 was left in the game. He finished with 5 points on 2 of 11 shooting.

Reliable guard Josh Langford had foul trouble all night and fouled out of the game with 6:32 remaining. Leading scorer Joey Hauser went scoreless in the first half, when he also hurt his leg and left the game. He returned in the second half but finished with just 5 points.

MSU coach Tom Izzo called the Spartans’ effort “disgusting” and said it was the worst performance in his 26 years in East Lansing.

Maybe the most un-Spartan-like stat of all was this one: Michigan State didn’t have a single second-chance point in the game.