“That’s a game not only myself, but my teammates wanted that win very badly,” Appling said. “Not only for the team and the Big Ten season, but for all the guys that came back to support us. It is just one game … the way I felt after that game I never want to feel again. We just have to use it for motivation.”

The display of emotion after Saturday’s win produced more than tears — it also showed head coach Tom Izzo that his senior guard understands his time as a Spartan is almost up.

Izzo went as far to say that Appling’s reaction to the hard-fought loss reminded him of former Spartan guard Mateen Cleaves.

“You know Keith, he’s not a real emotional guy, he’s kind of quiet, and when he walked into that locker room, the first thing I said in my mind is ‘Keith is growing up, he’s starting to get it,’” Izzo said. “He’s starting to realize the 3,817 times I’ve said that the window is very small, and there is a lot of things in life you get a second chance on, and there are some things you don’t.”

Beating U-M at home is a second chance Appling will never get, but Izzo went on to say the sense of urgency by the players is the reason teams and programs grow.

Unfortunately for Izzo, something that inevitably seems to grow is the list of injuries. Although he hasn’t missed a game this season, Appling’s wrist has been noticeably bothering him for the last few weeks.

Izzo said keeping him out of a game isn’t likely, but he held him back in two practices last week to also rest his ailing hip and back.

“(The wrist) was bad, and then it got better,” Izzo said. “The number of falls and hits he takes, giving him a week off isn’t necessary – it would help his hip and his body, but it’s not gonna help his wrist. Because the minute he falls on it again, I can’t give him a month off.”

No Payne in Iowa?

“Slim to none to none.”

Sorry Spartan fans, but that is what Izzo said of senior center Adreian Payne’s chances to play on the road against No. 15 Iowa on Tuesday night.

The latest update in Payne’s road back to the court is being able to run on 80 percent of his body weight using a high-tech treadmill.

As for how close he is getting to suiting up again for the Spartans, Izzo is hoping to see him back to 100 percent by next week.

With every close loss, there are people playing the “what if” game. “What if Payne played?” is a top question on people’s minds after Saturday’s loss to U-M.

Izzo has even heard rumblings from people that are accusing him of holding back Payne’s return because he isn’t taking the conference title as seriously as he should be.

“Am I sitting him back because I don’t care about winning the league? You don’t know me very well if you think that, because that’s stupid,” Izzo said.