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Trice and Valentine scheduled players-only practice Monday

January 21, 2015
<p>Junior guard Denzel valentine comforts senior guard Travis Trice after a foul is called on him Jan. 5, 2015, during the game against Indiana at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Hoosiers, 70-50. Erin Hampton/The State News</p>

Junior guard Denzel valentine comforts senior guard Travis Trice after a foul is called on him Jan. 5, 2015, during the game against Indiana at Breslin Center. The Spartans defeated the Hoosiers, 70-50. Erin Hampton/The State News

Photo by Erin Hampton | The State News

According to NCAA rules, the men's basketball team had to take Monday off. But days after suffering a tough road loss to No. 13 Maryland, senior guard Travis Trice and junior guard Denzel Valentine decided that the Spartans needed more time in the gym.

The co-captain duo held a player's only practice on Monday. Trice said it's the first player's only practice of the season, and that it was necessary to help get the team back on track.

"It was a combination between coach, Zel, and myself," Trice said. "Coach kinda told us 'hey, you guys have the day off tomorrow,' and we were like well we're not doing that. So we felt like we just needed it honestly. We couldn't take a day off, especially after losing the way we did. We had a bad taste in our mouth."

Trice said it was just like an ordinary Izzo-led practice, without the coaching staff present.

"I think we needed it, especially after the way we lost on Saturday, just to clear the air," Trice said. "We're still confident where we're at, our goals haven't changed. And we're ready to just move on. I think it really helped us from a leadership aspect. When we're out there playing, the coaches are over here. When we step across that line, it's just us out there. It felt good to be reliant on ourselves."

Trice said he didn't scream as much as Izzo screams, but he said it wasn't necessary. Players were self-motivated and the intensity was still high. With a home game against Penn State on Wednesday, the Spartans are looking to right the ship in the midst of a competitive Big Ten race.

"That was a good thing about yesterday's practice," Trice said. "We really didn't have to because everybody knew the coaches weren't there. Just because the coaches weren't there doesn't mean that's an off-day or we're going to slouch or anything. It's almost like we took it up another level because we didn't have to, we were just cheering for guys because they were doing so well." 

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