The three who started on the bench checked in just over five minutes into the game to help MSU cruise to a 98-65 win over Mount St. Mary’s, but it was still a topic of conversation for Izzo after the game.

“I got a lot of jobs in this job,” Izzo said. “And one of them is to graduate guys and one of them is to make sure that we stay accountable.

“It was some class they needed to be at … and they decided to try their way, and their way didn’t work, and that was all that was to that.”

After the game Dawson said he took note of the benching and blamed only himself for being out of the starting lineup.

“(Izzo) didn’t really tell us, but we knew in practice when we were walking through for Mount St. Mary’s and he said a different lineup,” Dawson said. “It was our fault, we missed class and he has been harping on it every day about going to class.”

However, the trio wasn’t the only normal faces that were left out of the starting five. Sophomore guard and leading scorer Gary Harris missed the game to rest his ankle. Izzo said the decision was a difficult one to make, especially since Harris wanted to be on the floor against the Mountaineers.

“I made that choice and it seemed like the right thing to do,” Izzo said. “He wanted to play, and he’s fine, but it’s just his ankle plateaued for a little bit.”

Izzo went on to say how having a 10 day break doesn’t come around often and missing one game wouldn’t harm Harris or the Spartans.

“I’ve done some dumb things before, but this was a smart thing,” Izzo said. “I’m thinking about his future, my future, the team’s future … but he’s good.”

Magic speaks to Spartans

Magic wasn’t in the air at the Breslin, but he was in the seats during Friday’s blowout win over Mount St. Mary’s. After the game Izzo took a back seat to NBA Hall of Fame member and former Spartan Earvin “Magic” Johnson as he gave the team their postgame speech.

“It’s amazing how coach just gives us so many great opportunities and brings in the best speakers,” redshirt freshman forward Kenny Kaminski said. “Magic Johnson is a top-five greatest player of all time, and I shake his hand whenever he comes in, and that’s amazing.”

Among his talking points, Johnson emphasized the importance of communication, something MSU will need when it faces No. 16 North Carolina on Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Dawson said Johnson also encouraged the team to sharpen up on the little facets of the game.

“Every time Magic comes in here, whatever he says is truth,” Dawson said. “Today (he said) we got away with a lot of calls and got a lot with a lot of things because it was Mount St. Mary’s, but come Wednesday we aren’t going to get away with all this stuff.”