The College Basketball Belt · rivalry
Michigan State vs. Northwestern
5Belt meetings
4Michigan State wins
1Northwestern wins
1Title changes
Michigan State and Northwestern have met 5 times with the College Basketball belt on the line, from February 1, 1952 to February 17, 2018. The belt changed hands in 1 of those games. Michigan State leads the belt series 4–1.
| Belt game | Date | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Feb 1, 1952 | Northwestern beat Michigan State 86–76 | Title change |
| 775 | Feb 2, 1979 | Michigan State beat Northwestern 61–50 | Defense |
| 1,344 | Feb 24, 1995 | Michigan State beat Northwestern 88–60 | Defense |
| 1,450 | Jan 30, 1998 | Michigan State beat Northwestern 72–66 | Defense |
| 2,225 | Feb 17, 2018 | Michigan State beat Northwestern 65–60 | Defense |