Washington, D.C. - After the MSU basketball team's 13-point loss to George Washington on Saturday, head coach Tom Izzo said there will be changes.
"It's ridiculous that a veteran team would come out and play with such little intelligence as far as where to go and what to do - getting mixed up," Izzo said Saturday. "I'm very disappointed in this performance, and I expect to do something about it (Sunday).
"When you're seeing two and three years of the same stuff, pretty soon, you have to look at the coach. So, I'm going to have to find lineups that will play harder - best players don't always play the hardest."
A man of his word, Izzo made changes in his starting lineup, as senior guard Tim Bograkos made the 10th start of his career and sophomore forward Delco Rowley made only the second start of his career.
After Sunday's 66-60 win over George Mason (3-3), however, Izzo said he did not get what he wanted from the lineup changes.
"I didn't change the lineup, they did," Izzo added. "There are standards that they have to meet, and if they don't meet them, then they change the lineup."
The two usual starters that came off the bench Sunday were sophomore guard Shannon Brown and junior center Paul Davis. While Izzo said the team needs Brown to play "how Shannon can play," he made it clear that Davis' problems are the bigger issue.
For Davis, it was the first time he hadn't started a game since his freshman year. On Saturday, Davis had three fouls in the first half and finished the game with only seven points and four rebounds. He did bounce back on Sunday, however, scoring 12 points and pulling down seven boards.
"I didn't play like a starter should," Davis said. "I had no arguments with coach (about not starting). I'm not playing how I should be playing."
Senior guard Kelvin Torbert also struggled, scoring eight points the entire weekend. Torbert said scoring is not his main concern, and his teammates aren't worried about him, either.
The biggest problem the Spartans (4-2) had this weekend was not individuals, but the team's lack of focus and aggression, an area Izzo said he doesn't have an answer for.
"We're a senior group, I've been through this ? you have to look back and correct everything you did because the same thing is going to happen that did last year and the year before," senior forward Alan Anderson said after the loss to the Colonials.
"It's got to happen now. It can't wait until the Big Ten season or wait until the tournament comes - can't turn the light switch on and off like that."
MSU will have to turn the switch back on by Saturday, when the team plays Stanford at The Palace of Auburn Hills in the Spartan Clash.
The focus must be on MSU and not on its next opponent, Izzo said.
"I said we'll find out (about this team) when some adversity happens, when you're the bully on the block. It's not hard to be tough, when somebody punches you in the mouth, then you have to figure out what you're going to do," Izzo said. "We got punched in the mouth, and we didn't respond very well."
In the preseason, the team and Izzo talked in great length about how the Spartans must get back to their roots by playing tough defense and rebounding the ball.
"Our mindset needs to be defense and rebounding," Anderson said. "We stick to that, that can take you a long way. We got shooters, we got drivers - we just need guys to do what they can do (defensively)."
Anderson, the Spartans' vocal leader, made it clear on Sunday how he is going to play and how he wants the rest of his teammates to play. He battled for rebounds and made big plays en route to a 12-point, seven-rebound performance on Sunday. The message from Izzo and Anderson has been heard loud and clear.
"It's not physical, it's not skill, it's just focus," Davis said.
"You can't just turn it on and off, but it's not something that can't be done."
