“It’s hard,” Izzo said.

“It’s hard on them, it’s hard on me, but it’s good. It’s going to make them better in the long run.

“My ideal (rotation) would probably be nine or maybe even 10 (players), but a different way of 10. We’ve got to have a couple guys playing 30 (minutes), a couple guys playing in the mid-20s, a couple guys in the high teens and a couple guys (playing) eight, nine minutes that just give you some minutes here and there, and they’re going to have to be able to accept that until they move up on the ladder.”

The Spartans’ new look rotation could be on display when the No. 19 MSU men’s basketball team (7-2) takes on Loyola Chicago (6-2) on Saturday (2 p.m., Big Ten Network).

With the nonconference season winding down, senior center Derrick Nix said narrowing the playing rotation down is a normal part of the process.

“I think we’ll probably just go probably eight, seven (deep),” Nix said.

“I don’t want to call (out any) names, but a lot of people won’t be playing as the season goes along and that’s just how it is. That’s how it is every year. Everybody plays in the (nonconference season), but once Big Ten (play) starts, it’s about who you can rely on.”

Freshman guard Denzel Valentine said it will be tough for Izzo to make a decision because 11 players are playing at a high level in practice.

The challenge for Izzo has been made more difficult by the fact that there are three new freshman challenging for minutes, sophomore guard Branden Dawson is recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, and sophomore guard Travis Trice and freshman guard Gary Harris have both missed time due to injuries.

“It’s definitely got to be hard on him, but I think, as players, all we can really worry about is playing hard and doing what they ask,” Trice said.

“We’re so deep and diverse that we can go smaller and press or we can go bigger and pound it in, so that’s up for (Izzo) to decide, really, because we fit for both, whichever one he wants to do.”

Despite a number of different playing groups, junior guard Keith Appling said players need to adjust and find a comfort level with the players around them.

It’s a progression he said he’s certain will happen in the coming weeks.

“It really doesn’t make a difference because whoever’s out there, we all made a commitment to one another that we’re going to play hard,” Appling said.

“At the end of the day, it’s still basketball. We’ve been playing this game our whole lives, so it’s all about getting into the flow of things. Once we do that, I feel like our season will gel a little smoother.”