“Disappointing loss for us yesterday,” Izzo said during a teleconference Monday. “They made a couple plays down the stretch, cut the lead to two. We came out in the second half and got into foul trouble and couldn’t guard Stauskas.”

MSU has been hampered by injuries all season, and the Spartans have been without junior forward Branden Dawson for the past nine games, five of them losses ­— including Sunday.

Seniors Keith Appling and Adreian Payne also are recently coming back from extended time away from the team, as Appling’s wrist dogged him since December before finally sidelining him.

Izzo said this has been a crazy year when it comes to injuries, and he can’t remember another like it in nearly 20 years at the helm.

“I haven’t had a past decade when I’ve had injuries like this,” he said. “When we go back and look at all the practices missed, there’s a five-year period where we haven’t had the same number of practices missed as we have this year.”

It won’t be easy for the Spartans to get back in the groove of playing with each other.

In their loss Sunday afternoon, Payne looked gassed for much of the game, and Stauskas scored the majority of his points when Appling, with his sore wrist, was guarding him.

However, Izzo said he thinks this team can overcome the adversity, get back to its winning ways and find a balance.

“We’ve got to make sure Payne realizes he’s still a threat inside and doesn’t leak outside,” he said. “When Dawson comes back, we’ll be better defensively. We’re 22-6, not 6-22. It will pass and we’ll get through it.”

MSU has a bit of a break before hosting Illinois on March 1.

Izzo said the sense of urgency was there in Ann Arbor, and there was no lack of respect for their opponent — it’s just going to take time to get back in the driver’s seat.

“Some of these things we should control, and some of these things we have no control of,” Izzo said. “It is what it is. We’ve just got to get better and get some practice time. I love this team, I love the talent of the team.”