“The first thing we’ll change this year is our style of play after being forced to slow it down last year,” Izzo said. “I’m pretty determined to run from the day that we started, which we did, and look back to getting to the point where this team’s scoring a lot of points.”

Izzo anticipates a playing rotation that could go as far as ten deep and that added depth, specifically in the backcourt, will be able to keep co-captains Neitzel and Walton fresh. Neitzel believes the extra depth will pay big dividends come tournament time for he and Walton, who each averaged more than 32 minutes a game last season.

“It’s going to be good throughout the whole season,” Neitzel said. “Not only game by game getting a little more rest but that added rest each game is going to help immensely come late February, early March. (By) getting that extra rest, you should stay fresh.”

While the fast-paced style of play lets the guards show off their athleticism, the Spartan post players are struggling with the change of pace, and Izzo is slowly growing impatient with their development.

“I’m still nervously awaiting our bigs to get better,” Izzo said. “They’re getting better but not at the rate they need to. That’s the only part that’s a little disappointing right now. If I have to move Raymar there some and go smaller, I’ll do that. So we’re going to play a lot of people, but we’re going to play the best people.”

If the Spartans play for stretches with the 6-foot-7 Morgan, who played post in high school, at the four, it would leave senior center Drew Naymick, junior center Goran Suton, junior center Idong Ibok and junior forward Marquise Gray fighting for time in the paint.

According to Gray, the thought of fewer minutes hasn’t been an issue in recent practices.

“You don’t really worry about who’s taking whose minutes or where are all the minutes going to go because everybody’s working towards the same goal,” Gray said.

“If it’s two bigs and three guards or four guards and one big, everything is working towards that goal.”