The reminders of last year's magical MSU women's basketball season are everywhere.

Banners were lifted to the Breslin Center rafters at Midnight Madness last weekend recognizing the team's Final Four appearance, Big Ten Tournament and regular season championships.

Even McCallie's 11-year-old daughter and 7-year-old niece are dressing as former MSU point guard Kristin Haynie for Halloween.

So are the Spartans feeling pressure to prove last year's run was legit? Not according to their coach.

"I think you start over every year," McCallie said Wednesday at Media Day. "We will be a different team. You will watch us play and say, 'They are different this year,' but it won't be different bad — It'll just be different."

That doesn't mean McCallie and company don't believe they can repeat last year's success — they just plan on taking their own path to get there.

"We've got a lot we want to prove to ourselves, and I think we have the maturity to understand that it's all about us, and we create our own reality," McCallie said.

Expectations are high for the Spartans after winning a school-record 33 games last year. They're ranked in the top 15 in most national preseason polls.

But despite the huge strides the program made last season, its bitter ending — an 84-62 loss to Baylor in the national championship game — still resonates strongly for some players.

"That last game is always going to sit in our minds and motivate us until we get back for a second chance," senior forward Liz Shimek said.

McCallie said last year's experience is all the motivation her team needs to push for a national championship this season.

"It's just exciting because now they really know it's not hypothetical," McCallie said. "Once you've experienced it, you don't need to talk much about it. You need to go do it."

The Spartans return three of their starting five, including their two leading scorers — Shimek and senior guard Lindsay Bowen, a preseason Wooden Award candidate. Junior guard Victoria Lucas-Perry, junior guard Rene Haynes and sophomore center Laura Hall are expected to fill out the rest of the lineup.

The Spartans will be aided by a deep, highly-regarded freshman class. Center Lauren Aitch led Lansing Waverly to the Class A state championship last year, guard Jenny Poff was the Michigan Class A Player of the Year, forward Aisha Jefferson was Ohio's Miss Basketball and guard Tiffanie Shives is the first McDonald's All-American to play at MSU.

"Unfortunately, those labels don't mean anything in college," McCallie said. "The most important thing we tell all of our freshmen is, 'Forget where you came from, because what you need to do is learn what's here.'"

While McCallie said each of the freshman could compete for playing time at some point this season, Shives said they know their roles and are just enjoying being able to learn from the team's veterans.

"It's fun just being a part of this team because they've been there and I want to be at that level," Shives said.

While the loss of Haynie and center Kelli Roehrig will be difficult for the Spartans to overcome, McCallie said the team will adjust its game plan to the new roster, forcing a quicker tempo and making use of the team's abundance of perimeter shooters.

"We don't try to replace anybody — we will just evolve," McCallie said. "This team has the right to be who they are. I'm not going to interfere with that."

But as much as McCallie wants this year's team to find its own identity, she wouldn't mind if they had at least one thing in common with last year's squad.

"Would I absolutely give my right arm to play for a national championship again?" McCallie said.

"In a heartbeat."