We haven’t seen anything remotely close to that in what feels like an eternity, but in Thursday night’s 75-57 win against Penn State, MSU basketball once again looked like MSU basketball.

From the very start, the players dressed in Green and White played like they were proud to put on their jersey.

It was enjoyable to watch the Spartans pound the ball inside and play tough defense on the other end. It was refreshing to watch players smiling, joking and having fun.

And at the same time, it also was frustrating to wonder what could have been if MSU had played the way they did Thursday night all season long.

Everything from senior guard Durrell Summer’s thunderous dunk in the second half to junior forward Draymond Green’s dominating triple-double — just the third player to do so in school history — made it feel like this team really could have been one of the best in the country.

Before the game against the Nittany Lions, Summers had said the Spartans needed to win the way they have in the past.

Thursday, they did just that.

After being outrebounded by Penn State in a loss early this season, MSU grabbed 15 more boards than the Nittany Lions. In previous years, that was standard, even expected of the Spartans. But Thursday, it felt like we had all witnessed a miracle.

Along with dominant rebounding, MSU controlled the pace. They ran the floor, and they defended nearly every shot.

Senior guard Kalin Lucas did everything Izzo could ask of him, scoring 24 points while playing all 40 minutes without showing an ounce of fatigue.

But even with all of the good that came out of Thursday, the Spartans still will wake up Friday and face the reality of their situation.

At 14-10 overall with six games remaining, MSU can’t afford to lose the confidence gained from the Penn State win. Not with the possibility of the Spartans missing the NCAA Tournament being all too real.

Much like Izzo said after the game, it’s unfortunate to be looking at a win against a good, but not great, Nittany Lions team and say it was a step in the right direction. But the fact of the matter at this point is, it doesn’t matter the opponent or the score, all that matters is the win.

But for MSU fans, it sure must have been nice to see the Spartans get that win the way everyone expects them to.