Although MSU knows not to take Central Connecticut State (5-2) lightly, sophomore guard Keith Appling said if the team keeps up the way it’s played, it will extend the streak.

“They have some pretty good guards, so we have to come out and play hard and defend the three,” Appling said. “Just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Keep playing hard, rebounding, making shots and defending, and we’ll get the win.”

The Blue Devils are the 27th highest scoring squad in the nation, averaging 80.4 points per game. The team also shoots 47 percent from the field, including 40 percent from 3-point range.

Three Blue Devils — forward Ken Horton and guards Robby Ptacek and Kyle Vinales — average 20 or more points, led by 23.3 from Horton.

With Sunday’s dominating 110-68 win over Nebraska-Omaha, MSU tops the nation in rebounding margin, besting teams by an average of 13 boards.

When the Spartans rebound, they win, senior forward Draymond Green said, referring to 2008-09 and 2009-10, when the Spartans went to back-to-back Final Fours. Green said rebounding isn’t a matter of talent.

“It’s definitely an effort thing and a will,” Green said. “Energy — rebounding is energy. I don’t care how high you can jump, if you want to rebound, you gotta go get the ball.”

The Spartans’ effort came from their early-season shooting struggles, junior center Derrick Nix said.

“We’re a rebounding team. If we can keep that up, we’ll keep winning,” Nix said. “In the beginning, we weren’t making a lot of shots as a team.

“We had to get offensive rebounds to get second-chance points, so now we get everyone going to the glass.”

Games against lesser-known opponents are important to keep skills fresh and to keep morale up, Nix said.

“You gotta use the games as confidence boosters,” he said. “You play better when you’re more comfortable.”