Instead, the MSU men’s basketball team spent halftime of Friday’s 67-62 win over Kansas speaking to one another in a surprisingly calm manner.

“We were all sticking together, not yelling at each other or doing anything like that,” freshman forward Delvon Roe said. “We were in there trying to figure out how we were going to win this game and that’s what you need in situations like this.”

Too often this season, the Spartans have had to rely on Walton, a three-year captain, to light a fire under them. And while Walton did have his patented inspirational moment — during a Kansas timeout with MSU up 51-49 after Walton’s only points of the game — it was all he would get.

Although, he really wanted to own the locker room.

“Coach told us to kind of calm down, because I made mistakes, but also other players made some mistakes and we were just getting balls taken out of our hands by someone,” Walton said. “I think it was just one of those times where we had to come together as a team and say, ‘We’ve been working for this a long time, don’t let it slip out of our hands for doing something silly.’”

Walton, Roe and sophomore guard Durrell Summers said Friday night’s game was the first time all season the team spoke calmly to one another during halftime.

With a team that has a fiery leader in Walton and a fifth-year senior in center Goran Suton, it’s easy to forget that five of MSU’s top six scorers are non-seniors. Summers said a halftime like Friday’s helped the Spartans grow up.

“I think we are a lot,” Summers said of the Spartans growing up. “Guys may come in before coach or Trav and say something and say, ‘That’s my fault, I shouldn’t have made that pass,’ or something like that, so I think guys are just policing themselves.”

Izzo couldn’t agree more with Summers’ assessment of MSU’s growth, adding that most of the growth has come in the past three weeks. While it’s getting a little bit late for the Spartans — their season is now just a game away from ending — Izzo said he’s just happy his team is finally getting it after “bizarre” year.

“I think it sounds crazy, but I heard (Villanova head coach) Jay Wright say last night they’re actually getting better at the end of the year,” Izzo said. “That doesn’t normally happen, but I think with our team we are getting better at the end of the year.”