MSU’s second and final exhibition game was played exactly one week before the Spartans take on No. 1 North Carolina on the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego, a drastic change from playing Divison II schools in the friendly confines of Breslin Center.

But Friday, in MSU’s final tuneup before the regular season, Izzo said he and the Spartans had a job to do, which they did, handling the Chargers on the way to an impressive win.

“I was concerned about this game, especially with what’s been happening around the country,” Izzo said, referencing some big-name team’s struggles in exhibition play. “They really shoot the ball well and a couple of times, we got lazy.”

Izzo’s concerns likely were alleviated early, though, as the Spartans built a double-digit lead in the first five minutes of Friday’s win. And with the exception of some mental lapses defensively and struggles shooting from long range, MSU dominated throughout.

Senior forward Draymond Green was the spark early for MSU. Green scored eight points in the first 11 minutes, including two 3-pointers that helped the Spartans build a 27-14 lead.

However, it was then that Izzo said MSU showed some laziness. Hillsdale went on a 7-0 run a little more than midway through the first half to cut the lead to six, but that’s the closest the Chargers would get the rest of the game.

The run was stopped by junior center Derrick Nix, who finished a layup, then secured a rebound that led to a 3-point opportunity for senior guard Brandon Wood.

Although Green led MSU with 10 points in the first half, Nix, who came off the bench for sophomore center Adreian Payne, highlighted the first 20 minutes of play. Nix scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting and made both of his free throw attempts in the half. He finished the game with 10 points and three rebounds.

After the game, Nix, who lost nearly 30 pounds this offseason and appears much more assertive and confident on the floor, was asked if he finally is showing people what he truly is capable of.

“Ya’ll ain’t seen nothing yet,” Nix said.

It was more of the same in the second half, as MSU built the lead to as much as 26 on the way to the 22-point win.

Along with Nix, Izzo was pleased with the play of freshman point guard Travis Trice, who scored 10 points and dished out six assists. Most importantly, Trice finished the game with zero turnovers, an impressive stat for a true freshman.

“He seemed very comfortable out there,” Izzo said of Trice. “He was very good defensively and started seeing the court a little better and feeling more comfortable.”

A former AAU teammate of fellow freshman guard Branden Dawson, Trice said his head coach was spot on when describing the reason behind his performance.

“Guys were saying today, ‘Why don’t you just play like that all the time?’” Trice said. “I was like, ‘Man, I’m just trying to get more comfortable running the point and knowing what I need to do and what coach expects me to do.’”

“That just comes along with maturity and playing.”

Green ended the night leading all scorers with 15 points and also brought in nine rebounds. Dawson and Payne joined Nix and Trice with 10 points while Payne also added 10 rebounds.

Now, the Spartans can focus completely on the No. 1 Tar Heels. Izzo said he might have his team practice outside this week to prepare for the conditions on the aircraft carrier.

Regardless of venue, though, Izzo said MSU will be in for a much different challenge next week than the Spartans faced Friday night, with North Carolina featuring five starters who are projected to be taken in the first round of the NBA Draft.

But, Izzo also said he expects his guys to come ready to play, and he hopes to know more about his team one week from now.

“I have no idea how that game will turn out because I don’t really know where we are yet,” Izzo said. “But I do know we’re going to play our tail off.”