However, Izzo is still searching for that extra gear as MSU prepares for Minnesota on Tuesday night and a crowded, challenging schedule ahead. He knows the Spartans aren’t playing their best basketball — not yet. 

"Have we hit our ceiling yet?" Izzo said during a press conference Monday. "No, I don’t even think we’re close. Can we get there? That’s everybody’s dream, but we aren’t maxing out. We’ve been consistent that somebody’s stepped up. We haven’t been consistent at the same guys are always stepping up.”

Winners of its last 12 contests, MSU holds a two-game cushion atop the Big Ten with 12 games remaining. 

The Spartans, absent of a singular star, have relied on a balanced — and unpredictable — approach, with 10 players available to step up on any given night. This "strength in numbers" formula has put MSU in a spot to win its first Big Ten Championship since 2020, even if it’s not always the same handful of guys leading the charge. 

"We are 17-2, we are 8-0 in the league," Izzo said. "And did I think we would be there? No, I didn’t … We are not maxing out. We are not winning games because we hit 12 threes like some teams are. We have been pretty steady. We haven’t had any real lows. I wouldn’t say we’ve had the highest highs, but we’ve been pretty consistent."

On Monday, MSU moved up one spot to No. 7 in the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll. College basketball analytics and metrics site KenPom ranks the Spartans No. 15 nationally, behind Big Ten teams Purdue (8), Illinois (10) and Wisconsin (14).

"I feel like our confidence is really high right now," senior guard Jaden Akins said Monday. "I feel like when we are at our best, we feel that we can beat anybody, and we just try to take that mentality into each game."

Unlike previous years, where standout individual performances were often required for MSU to keep pace, this season’s Spartans have leaned on a deep roster of contributors — a unified front that's made a difference from recent seasons. 

"It’s not comforting to not know for sure who’s going to get your points," Izzo said. "But it is comforting to know that if some guy is playing well, there’s nine other guys pulling for him."

The Spartans have played with a renewed sense of purpose and belief after four consecutive seasons of falling out of Big Ten title contention by mid-February. Akins, a senior, played on three of those teams, and this year’s group stands out to him. 

"It’s probably the closest team I’ve been on, for sure," Akins said. 

As Izzo said, MSU hasn’t faced many low points during its 17-2 start. Still, rocky waters are inevitable as the Spartans march into the meat of their conference schedule. Stakes will rise, and pressure will intensify. 

Forget the adversity that arises with rankings, fans and media, Izzo said.

"The biggest adversity is what happens when you win or lose games," Izzo said. "When you’ve won 12 in a row, there’s always adversity … But I think we’re building a base that’s good enough to handle a lot of things. We’ll see if that’s true."

MSU hosts Minnesota (11-9, 3-6) at Breslin Center on Tuesday night, almost eight weeks after the Spartans took care of a depleted Golden Gophers team 90-72 in Minneapolis on Dec. 4. Minnesota enters the matchup much healthier, with guard Mike Mitchell Jr. now at full strength. The Gophers are led by skilled left-handed forward Dawson Garcia, who is averaging 19.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game this season.

The Spartans have maintained their winning ways despite shooting only 29% from beyond the arc, relying instead on their ability to get to the free-throw line and score in transition.

"For us, it’s just a matter of different guys still not shooting the ball as well as I think we can," Izzo said. "We’re better in the league at 33%, but if we can get that thing up to 36 and (37%), I think then I’d be ready to say that a good team moves into the next category."

Following the game against Minnesota, Michigan State will head west for the first time in the revamped Big Ten to face USC on Feb. 1 and UCLA on Feb. 4 in Los Angeles.

Izzo is just three Big Ten victories away from surpassing Indiana legend Bob Knight’s record of 353 career conference wins.

The matchup between Michigan State and Minnesota is set to tip off at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 28, at Breslin Center. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock.