Head coach Tom Izzo, always more than willing to tell it exactly how he sees it, embraces those expectations.

And why wouldn’t he? The Spartans return seven of their top nine scorers, five players that averaged more than 17 minutes per game and 76 percent of their scoring. Still — as always — Izzo has concerns.

At the team’s annual Media Day last month, Izzo listed team leadership, chemistry and filling the center position as his major concerns for the upcoming season. And although those are valid areas, there are three other question marks I have with the Spartans as they embark on another Final Four run.

1) Who will fill in as MSU’s defensive stopper?

Not enough is being made of how much this team will miss Travis Walton. He was the unquestioned team leader, a fiery individual and, of course, a tenacious defender who was named the 2008-09 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year.

He shut down Michigan’s Manny Harris, Texas’ A.J. Abrams, Ohio State’s Jon Diebler and Minnesota’s Lawrence Westbrook. The Spartans will face all but one of those players this year, with the exception of Abrams. Who’s going to stop them now?

I’m looking at one person, the same player who, on the defensive end, has drawn constant glares and blank stares from Izzo during the past two seasons – sophomore guard Durrell Summers.

To me, he’s the most logical choice. He’s a long, athletic 6-foot-4 wing and the player with the measurables and athletic ability to develop into a lockdown defender.

Can he do it? He hasn’t proven it, but if Summers combines solid improvement on the defensive end with what I believe will be a breakout offensive season, the Spartans will be in good position to live up to the high expectations.

2) Will the Spartans continue their historic dominance on the boards?

Crazy question, isn’t it? I mean, this is MSU and, if the stories I’ve heard are true, they sometimes practice with football pads in something called the “War Drill.”

But along with losing the Big Ten’s best defender, MSU also lost the Big Ten’s best rebounder in Goran Suton. The Spartans definitely have players who have a nose for the ball, like senior forward Raymar Morgan, freshman center Derrick Nix and sophomore forwards Delvon Roe and Draymond Green. But they could get a huge boost if junior guards Chris Allen and Summers channel MSU guards of the past and attack the boards from the wings.

Izzo has challenged the two natural scorers to become more passionate about both defense and rebounding since they came to East Lansing, and if they can fulfill that challenge in year three the Spartans will be better off for it.

3) Will the Spartans improve on the awful free-throw shooting they displayed during last year’s regular season?

The Spartans shot 69 percent from the free-throw line during the regular season last year and Roe was the main culprit, with a personal clip of 45 percent in those games. Izzo said Roe has improved his free throw shooting, but others also need to step up. Lucas (81 percent throughout the whole season), Summers (72 percent) and Morgan (66 percent) each will see the ball in last-minute situations and, when they’re fouled, they’ll need to answer.

MSU lost three Big Ten games last year, and in a league that has six ranked teams, there is absolutely no “gimmie” game on the conference schedule.

Sure, the Spartans stepped up in that area during the postseason, shooting 76 percent (100-of-131) to reach the NCAA Championship game, but there’s a reason why the “little things” are so important.

Cash Kruth is the State News sports administration and general assignment reporter. He can be reached at kruthcas@msu.edu.