Michigan State pulled off the biggest comeback in Big Ten history Saturday afternoon, erasing a 27-point deficit to pull off a 65-60 road win over Northwestern. The comeback also ranks as the fifth-largest in Division-I history.
Northwestern rolled out to a 43-16 lead in the first half and carried a seemingly insurmountable 49-27 lead over the second-ranked Spartans into the locker room at halftime. The second 20 minutes were a complete role reversal. Michigan State held their hosts to just 3-of-26 from the field and only 11 total points. Those 11 points tied the season-low for points in a half by a Division-I team this season.
Belive it or not, but Michigan State also owns the Big Ten (and NCAA record) for largest comeback in a football game, and that victory also came against the Wildcats. In 2006, Northwestern led Michigan State 38-3 with 9:54 to go in the third quarter before the Spartans raced back for a seemingly impossible 41-38 win.
Source: Mike Rutherford, “Michigan State pulls off biggest comeback in Big Ten history with 65-60 win over Northwestern“, SBNation, February 17, 2018.