"I thought we played the game the right way the whole time," Fralick said. "That was a big emphasis of every possession: demanding our best. We talk a lot about being an 'every-possession' play and team, and I thought especially in that first half, we played like every possession had a lot of meaning to it."

Though an encouraging win for MSU, the Wayne State game was a light precursor for the long season ahead.

The real challenge begins for the Spartans against in-state foe Oakland. After establishing a winning culture in her first season, Fralick knows the program can reach a different level. A main focus for her this offseason was getting everyone involved in the process. 

"There’s no substitution for caring. I think there are players that care a lot about our team, players that care a lot about getting better, players that care a lot about Michigan State," Fralick said. "You can’t fake it. When you have it, your team plays different. When you have it, you compete differently, so we’re always in pursuit of that. At its core, you’ve got to really care about the people next to you and I’ve liked that so far about our group."

In a season spanning four months at minimum, a tight-knit culture is key to maintaining the same level of poise and togetherness through good times and bad. But when buying into a culture, actions speak louder than words.

Fralick has said the Spartans care. The next several months of basketball will tell the complete story. 

"Culture isn’t built in a day, it’s built every day. It’s in everything you do, it’s in every interaction. I think there has to be a constant intentionality around that, from a staff perspective but (also) from a player perspective. We’re constantly building or breaking that and we have to be mindful of that."

With eight returning players from last season, the experience of Fralick's squad will be important in starting the 2024-25 campaign on a positive note. 

"You can’t teach experience. We’re fortunate that we have a lot of kids with it," Fralick said. "There’s just nothing like the ball going up live, and the lights are bright and the game is fast, so that experience has been important. I think we’re still a team that’s finding our synergy together but I love our work ethic and our team connectedness has been good."

With the foundation of a 22-7 finish and NCAA Tournament appearance last spring, the Spartans continue on their path of a new beginning and face a season where they can build on what they've started.

"I love beginnings. There is always an excitement around beginnings of new seasons and what that becomes and what that looks like. I think we’re ready to play someone else," Fralick said.

The in-state showdown will begin at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 5 at Breslin Center.