The team, comprised of nine underclassmen and four upperclassmen, is starting to get the point and come together on the court.

However, for every moment or play the flow and momentum seem evident, there are two that leave me thinking “What just happened?”

MSU head coach Suzy Merchant has been asked at least once every press conference whether or not the inexperience on the team is frustrating her or keeping the wins at bay.

The one answer Merchant has given all season about what this young team lacks, is a leader. She has said the freshmen may assume that being a leader is not their role on the team, and that is what is hurting them.

In the beginning of the season, Merchant said she didn’t believe in freshman players “hitting a wall” at some point in the season, but she has changed her tune a series of games later after a few dead second-half games.

I don’t blame Merchant for rethinking that theory. After witnessing fudged plays and pointless fouls in the second half, game after game, I’m a full believer of this theoretical “wall.”

While it is getting better every game, the lack of communication and understanding is evident among the young players, and the heavy reliance on sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan is hurting the team.

Now 23 games into the season, Merchant has said the freshmen on the team aren’t freshmen anymore with the type of minutes they are playing, and sophomores are more like upperclassmen on the team.

During the Spartans’ last game against Michigan, the team went on a late 16-5 run for the win. The lineup for that run consisted of all underclassmen — DeHaan, sophomore guard Mandy Piechowski, freshman guard Brittney Thomas and freshman forwards Cetera Washington and Kalisha Keane.

Of the four freshmen on the squad, three have played every game — with Keane and Thomas starting every time.

The problem is, their performances are hot and cold. Keane has been in foul trouble more times than not, and Thomas throws up anywhere from zero to 18 points in a game.

You just don’t know what to expect to show up on the floor any given game — an all-star or a wide-eyed newcomer.

The Spartans are currently guarding seventh place in the Big Ten, but the rest of the season is promising. If not this season, the next definitely will be, as improvement in both technique and on-court chemistry is becoming more and more obvious among team members.