His three key players for the Spartans include two sophomores, guard Matt McQuaid and forward Kenny Goins, along with fifth-year senior guard Eron Harris.

“Well, I don't think there's too much placed on our freshmen because I think they've gotten what they deserved,” Izzo said. “Our freshmen haven't been the problem.”

As a reference, Izzo pointed out the victory at home against then-No. 24 Minnesota. In that game, Izzo pointed out that two of the trio played well, which gave the team a boost.

Against the Golden Gophers, Goins scored eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the field and led the team with nine rebounds. Harris chipped in eight points and four assists. McQuaid missed all of his three shot attempts, failing to score for the entire game. He logged 18 minutes that night.

“The Matt and Kenny thing I think was a missed summer,” Izzo said. “I think that really hurt Kenny. As far as Eron goes, he's struggling a little bit. He really is. It's not from lack of effort. It's not anything he's doing wrong off the court. He's in here working on his game. When you get to be a senior, sometimes you start pressing. But some of the blame also goes to our screening and are we getting the ball to the right person at the right time.”

Constantly being asked when he will perform for the Spartans this season, McQuaid said the change from last year has him a little stumped, but Izzo is always trying to encourage him to shoot.

“It means a lot, coach is always trying to put confidence in us daily and we’re trying to work together and make it happen,” McQuaid said. “I think it is just different situations, you know. I kind of have a different role this year, just getting used to it and I have to step up more.”

McQuaid has plagued fans with constant pump-fakes this season on shots he would have had no problem pulling up for last year. His 3-point percentage as a freshman sat just north of 40 percent, while this year it stumbles in at 33 percent, second-lowest of the wing players.

A starter from the beginning of the season, Goins has struggled to gain traction for MSU. With the rise of freshman forward Nick Ward, Goins is still needed for large chunks of minutes because of preseason injuries and impending foul trouble.

Though Goins was never marked as an offensive threat, him being undersized as a big has stunted his growth. Last season, Goins was a valued X-factor in big games. He set his career-high in rebounds against Louisville with 13. On the road against Purdue, he set his career-high of nine points to go along with nine rebounds in that performance.

While a knee injury might have damaged his confidence, Izzo still needs the foundation of the front court to support the rest of the team.

“It’s a huge compliment for him to say that, it wasn’t the best circumstances that it came to this but nonetheless I have to step up and I have to perform, and it is not hidden to anyone in the program and it isn’t hidden to him either,” Goins said.

Goins said he needs to continue to work on defense and rebounding, but MSU fans could see a small rise in shot attempts.

“I do think I need to be a little for selfish, but I always have that confidence in my teammates that they can knock down the shot," Goins said.

MSU men’s basketball (12-7, 4-2 Big Ten) will be on the road at Assembly Hall in Bloomington, Ind. for its next game on Jan. 21. The game is set to tipoff at 4 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN. The Hoosiers (13-6, 3-3 Big Ten) have had their own consistency struggles so far this season, failing to display their highly potent offense, which is No. 1 in the Big Ten.