Head coach Suzy Merchant said traveling to Mexico will help the team bond while being challenged against good competition.

“I love that tournament time, right around the holidays,” she said. “The kids are done with their finals, they’re relaxed (and) they need a little sunshine on their face when you’re from the state of Michigan.”

Junior forward Courtney Schiffauer said the team is still searching for its identity with so many players taking on greater roles than they held last season.

“I don’t think we’ve found (our identity) yet, but I think we’ll definitely get there,” Schiffauer said. “We’re still searching for it. Our whole team is a hard working team so we’ll eventually find it, but I think it’ll take a little bit of time.”

Much of that identity could be formed on the road, where players can bond through spending more time together.

Since the players get along well together, Schiffauer said she thinks the trip could go a long way to improving the team.

“It’s a long trip this year and everyone’s excited to go,” she said. “We all get along, so I think we’ll bond a lot.”

One thing to watch during the trip will be Merchant’s use of guards Kiana Johnson, Jasmine Thomas and Porsche Poole.

Following the Spartans 67-42 victory over Oakland University on Nov. 27 when Poole led MSU with 16 points, Merchant said it was important to have one scorer the team could count on, and she believed Poole could be that player.

Yet in the past two games, Poole has received reduced playing time in favor of Johnson as Merchant tries to find a consistent rotation.

“She can really get it going, and then there are other days where she’s not very good,” Merchant said of Poole. “Her challenge, I think as a senior, is to be more consistent. Consistent as a competitor, energywise, focused and a little more engaged in what’s going on out there on both ends of the floor.”

Yet one of the biggest things MSU will gain over the next few weeks is an increase in practice time their schedule hadn’t allowed.

Senior forward Lykendra Johnson said getting the chance to practice and focus solely on basketball, with a break from classes, will allow the team to get back to basics.

“Work on the little things (and) get back to Michigan State basics, like rebounding the basketball and executing our plays,” she said. “If we get back to that, anything is possible.”