The Spartans are mostly healthy after losing several guys to various ailments, with junior forward Branden Dawson's fractured wrist being the primary blemish on MSU's injury list.

Izzo wants to solidify his rotation, something he hasn't had a chance to do 11 games into the season with sophomore guard Alvin Ellis III, freshman guard Javon Bess and junior guard Bryn Forbes all missing practice time.

"I don't think this team's in shape," Izzo said. "I don't think one bit of it is their fault. Not one bit. When you only have four, five healthy guys, you have to structure practice differently. The problem is then, you're structuring for the guys who are kinda unhealthy. The guys that are healthy don't get as much in."

Conditioning is a key concern for Izzo, as he said several guys asked for a breather during Monday's game against The Citadel. Senior guard Travis Trice described the early portion of the season as a "long stretch," a reason why MSU's conditioning isn't quite there. 

"If you look at how our games have kinda been this year with the tournament down in Orlando, you go back-to-back-to-back ... we don't have that many breaks in-between," Trice said. "I think guys are wearing down."

In addition to figuring out the rotation and becoming better conditioned, junior guard Denzel Valentine would like to see MSU find a way to continue playing consistent defense during the break. MSU went on a 26-0 run against The Citadel in a key stretch that saw the lead expand from six to 32.

The Spartans held the Bulldogs without a point for 14:13 minutes, a streak that began at the 3:01 mark of the first half.

"If we play consistent defense like that, the sky's the limit," Valentine said. "We're gonna end up scoring points just like we did in the second half. And when we play defense like that, it opens up fast break opportunities so we're not having to go into sets every time. So we play better when we're playing defense and running."