Tom Izzo knows there is no superstar senior to bail out this 2016 squad. No go-to veteran, no guiding hand among the troops, and he admits that can be a struggle at times.

Talking with the media on Monday, Izzo has been struggling to find perspective on this season due in part to the wild travel schedule the team had and how their development as a unit has been different in previous years because of that.

"When you have a lot of those four year guys, that are players for four years, they can explain it to them [the younger players] on the way up, and that's not there right now, it's not gonna be there, it's not the team we have, so we have to do a better job as coaches." Izzo said.

Izzo also shed some light on injuries to phenom freshman Miles Bridges (ankle) and Matt McQuaid (concussion protocol).

"Sanitation Engineer, Concussion Protocol, they're all in the same, fancy words for whatever, he [McQuaid] went through it pretty well... it has not been pronounced a concussion, just concussion symptoms"

With Bridges on the other hand, Izzo disclosed he has been in and out of the walking boot testing out the amount of pain is healing foot and ankle is going through.

"Don't over-read into that" Izzo said. "He'll have it on most of this week"

The Michigan State Spartans host Northeastern on Sunday as they get closer to the Big Ten schedule in late December, you can catch all the action on your home for Spartan sports, Classic Rock 94.9 WMMQ and Lansing's Big Talker 1240 WJIM.

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