“Because I’m a little paranoid on how we handled things last year, I did talk to my team,” Izzo said. “We are playing well. We have moments where we’re playing really well, but I don’t need anyone getting fat and sassy.”

Izzo attributed the team’s yearlong, consistent defense, recent lack of turnovers and surge of sophomore Keith Appling as reasons for the win streak.

Appling averages 12.5 points per game on 45-percent shooting, but the intangibles have propelled the team. Izzo said Appling has pushed the ball up the court and kept improving his defense to a national-best level.

“We’re expecting him to pass, score and defend; very seldom do you expect someone to do all three,” Izzo said. “He’s done (the changing), we’ve changed nothing.”

Appling likes his increased role from last season.

“My role has changed drastically,” Appling said. “I have to score, find others and at the same time play defense.”

Meanwhile, Iowa (10-7, 2-2) — a team many thought would be at the bottom of the Big Ten — comes to East Lansing with two conference road wins, including at Wisconsin.

“They’ve been one of the surprise teams in a lot of ways,” Izzo said. “It’s a team that has earned their wins and played well in all but one game in the conference. My concern is the seven days off.”

In the week since the controversial overtime win at Wisconsin, MSU had an open schedule. Izzo said he could have gone crazy with two-a-days, but instead the team practiced, went to a movie, bowled and held meetings.

With no class, Izzo said the lack of structure leaves him concerned with how the team will respond coming back.

Izzo did say he was excited for classes to be back in session, not just for his players to be on a schedule, but for the Izzone to be back in session despite his recent critical comments of the student section.

Senior forward Draymond Green also talked about the Izzone at Friday’s practice. Green said the Izzone alumni game against Indiana showed him where the Izzone could and should be.

“(It needs to be) louder at all times. In the alumni game, whether we were up 17 or down nine, they were loud all the time,” Green said. “We definitely think that the Izzone needs to get back to where it has been (in the past). They have to pick up. Everybody wants us to pick it up, but we need them to pick it up too.”