The absence of those players hurt in several ways —chief among them a dearth of experience and three-point shooting. Langford and Goins each shot better than 34 percent from deep last season.

With inexperience comes mistakes and hiccups, which the Spartans have had to deal with early in the season. 

But as the season has progressed, sophomore forward Marcus Bingham Jr. has felt more comfortable both with the game and at the three-point line, and could help fill the void in the Spartans’ roster, despite the early season struggles.

In his last game against No. 10 Duke, Bingham Jr. knocked down his first threes of the regular season, getting his confidence back at where he wants it to be.

“During the season, I probably missed a majority of the ones I took, before Duke, but I been in the gym more, trying to work on my shot, getting my confidence back and I hit two of them,” Bingham Jr. said.

While Bingham Jr. is seeing more minutes, he is making his transition to be a more well-rounded player, that includes more than just working on his three pointer.

Bingham Jr. added 25 pounds over the summer, strength coming with it. Playing against big men in practice, he feels confident that he can match up with whatever body he needs to.

“The guys I’m guarding in practice everyday like (Xavier Tillman), Braden Burke and Thomas Kithier, they’re all heavier guys and a lot of teams we play in the Big Ten are kind of heavy, so just starting off in practice and it’s giving me more confidence in the game,” Bingham Jr. said.

With the Spartans still looking to find a solidified rotation and lineup and Big Ten play on the way, Bingham Jr.’s development is happening at an ideal time and could help serve as the catalyst that gets this team rolling.