It may seem silly in retrospect, but Michigan State head basketball coach Tom Izzo was worried about Thursday night's game against the Stony Brook Seawolves.

"We were concerned," Izzo said. "I talked to (Stony Brook coach) Geno (Ford) and I think he's a really good coach ... They've got five guys that are shooting over 40 (percent) from the three (point line), including their center."

Coach Izzo watched Indiana get a serious scare from Morehead State on Tuesday night. The Hoosiers needed a 20-2 run in the final nine minutes of the game to secure just a one-point victory. On the same night, Izzo watched UCLA lose to Cal State Northridge in a game that was not as close as the final four-point margin.

"The (former Michigan State head coach) Jud Heathcote rule, as I have told you before, is that the last game before Christmas and the first game after Christmas is when most upsets happen," Izzo explained.

Izzo found comfort in a somewhat surprising place to combat the "almost paranoia" that he was feeling leading up to this game.

"Last night, I texted A.J. (Hoggard) about some team that got upset," Izzo said. "His text back was, 'Don't worry, I'll have them ready to play." I said, 'Well, that means he's starting to take over the team.' That's very encouraging ...When he texted me that back last night, I believed him. That hasn't always been the case, and so I think we're all growing different ways."

As it turned out, Izzo's belief in A.J. Hoggard was well founded. The Spartans blitzed the Seawolves from the opening tip by going on a 20-2 run in the first six-and-a-half minutes of the game. By halftime, the lead was 36 points and the margin never dipped below 31 points for the rest of the evening. Michigan State cruised to a 99-55 victory.

Regarding the dominant performance, especially in the first half, Izzo relayed a comment from Stony Brook's Coach Ford.

"(Ford) just said our defense was so good early that they lost confidence in shooting," Izzo said.

The Spartans' performance over the past three big victories is in stark contrast to the previous stretch where Michigan State lost three of four games, including the first two Big Ten conference games of the year. A big topic of discussion following the rout on Thursday night is what has changed to allow such a turnaround.

In the losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska, Izzo explained that his team was in a shooting slump and that frustration spilled over into the Spartans' defense.

"If you look at her first couple of games and you look at our defensive field goal percentage and our three-point (defense), it was off the charts," Izzo said. "We were ranked seventh in the nation. Then as the shooting started going down, we weren't guarding as well, and it affected some guys."

It also did not help that the Badgers and the Cornhuskers were a bit hotter than usual on those two nights.

"Sometimes the other team just plays good, they make shots," Izzo said.

He explained to the media that his team "had a lot of meetings and a lot of talks," and in the process figured a few things out. It also helped that the team got healthier over the past two weeks.

"I'd say that the biggest thing too was the health of Tyson (Walker)," Izzo said. "The hip and the way he lost (weight due to) the sickness because, Tyson, he had his hands on more balls today. I just couldn't believe it. I sat there and said, 'You look like (Inspector) Gadget.' His hands were everywhere ... and then there's A.J. (Hoggard). I think those two have decided that we're gonna guard people."

Izzo also talked about the improved play of junior guard Jaden Akins, who led all scorers on Thursday's night with 22 points on 9-for-12 shooting, including 4-for-7 from deep.

Izzo mentioned that Akins has made some changes to his shooting mechanics over the past few weeks of practice.

"It's just a little adjustment on his shot and I think it's really helped," Izzo said about Akins. "I was impressed with Jaden's whole demeanor. I told him now he's got to do this when he doesn't shoot well. He's still got to have that same focus. But he took good shots for the most part, and he's been shooting the lights out in practice."

It's the Spartans' emphasis defensive end that has really impressed Izzo as of late.

"So, we're starting to put our defense together," Izzo added.

He then implied, "If we rebound and get our running game going," that the Spartans will have a chance to reach their potential.

Another bright spot in Thursday night's victory was the play of Michigan State's three freshmen who see minutes, all of whom saw more playing time due to the Spartans' large working margin throughout the game.

Point guard Jeremy Fears Jr. only scored a single point in 21 minutes, but he dished out 10 assists and played a key role in dismantling the Stony Brook zone defense by positioning himself in the center of the floor.

Freshman forward Coen Carr grabbed six rebounds and had three loud dunks as a part of his eight points.

Izzo also discussed how special it was for walk-on sophomore guard Nick Sanders to make a 3-pointer, his first basket as a Spartan.

"That was pretty cool," Izzo said about Sanders' basket. "Nick is an incredible student and so much like his dad (Detroit Lions' legend Barry Sanders), with his humbleness and his humility ... I think you could tell by the (reaction of) bench those guys have a real love for him because they know what he does every day. They were happier than he was."

But the most notable contribution from the young players came from former McDonald's All-American big man Xavier Booker, who tallied career highs in both points (11) and rebounds (seven).

"We tried to get Book some time because these kinds of games he's got to get some time in so he gets some confidence," Izzo said about Booker. "He's making progress and that's all I can ask."

After the losses to Wisconsin and Nebraska, Izzo drew criticism for not playing the promising freshman more. But the Hall-of-Famer on the Michigan State bench is taking a step-by-step approach.

"I have talked to his parents about it, so I will say it to you that he still gets pushed around sometimes," Izzo said. "But he's making progress. I think too many people look at the end goal instead of the journey to get there, and the journey to get there is hard."

Coach Izzo commented that a few adjustments to Booker's role at practice seem to be starting to pay dividends.

"Putting (Booker) on the scout team two-and-a-half weeks ago was probably the greatest thing I've done," Izzo said. "I did it with Xavier Tilman. I did it with (Denzel) Valentine. I did it with a lot of guys over the years, but it's really helped him."

There are still several areas where Booker needs to continue to grow. For one, Izzo would like to see Booker make better use of his natural athleticism.

"I keep telling him, he's got a 42-inch vertical" Izzo said. "I mean that's up there ... And yet he doesn't always use it. Now he's starting to block shots. He hasn't done that all year. He's just playing with a little more aggression. He's got a long way to go, but I like the journeys he's on, and that's pretty cool."

But if Izzo were to pick one thing about Booker that still needs improvement, it is playing with and showing more emotion. Izzo mentioned that he "chewed him out during the last timeout" for being too stone-faced on the court after both positive and negative plays.

"These are all part of the teaching points," Izzo said. "They might not matter at some programs. You damn well better understand that it matters in this one. So, Book is taking baby steps. And I really love the way players responded to him."

Following the game, Tyson Walker talked about how he and his teammates are working to reinforce Coach Izzo's message.

"It is good to see people do well," Walker said when discussing Booker. "We overdo it a little bit just to try to get him to show some emotion. He's getting better at it. But it's going to take time. It's going to come in time."

Coach Izzo said that the journey is what gets one to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: "That's how we are looking at it."

When a team wins a game by more than 40 points, it can disguise a few lingering issues that still need to be addressed. If Coach Izzo were to ask Santa Claus for one thing under the tree this year, it would likely be for better rebounding.

The Spartans gave up 16 offensive rebounds to Stony Brook. In the previous game, Oakland also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Neither opponent is known for clearing the glass. This is a concern moving forward when the competition gets stiffer.

"You've got to rebound," Izzo said. "I am concerned about our rebounding. We're not only not rebounding great, but we're not getting a lot of clean rebounds."

Coach Izzo also admitted that the Spartans' defense in the second half against Stony Brook was not up to par either, even if there was a reasonable excuse.

The fact that Michigan State gave up "40-some points in the second half was discouraging," Izzo said. "But I guess in some ways (when you are) 20, 30, 40 points up, it's probably hard. It's hard to coach. It's hard to play."

For now, Michigan State's coaches will be taking some time off for the holidays. Following the game both Walker (New York) and Hoggard (Pennsylvania) mentioned that they were headed back east for a few days to their respective homes. Walker mentioned that he planned to host a toy giveaway for local kids. Hoggard mentioned that he was looking forward to seeing his mom.

Izzo is already worried about how the break might affect his team, especially with a tough Indiana State team coming for a visit on Dec. 30. He says that he expects a "hell of a game" with good reason.

The Sycamores are currently 11-1 on the season, are ranked No. 56 in Kenpom (similar to Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern), and are currently No. 1 in the country in adjusted field goal percentage at a blistering 61.7%.

"We'll see how our guys come back, and we'll see what kind of condition they're in," Izzo said. "Today, they came with some vigor. That was a really encouraging part because that showed maturity and Tyson (Walker) and A.J. (Hoggard) deserve a lot of credit for that."

In true Christmas spirit, Izzo opening the press conference with a gentle ribbing of the press corps:

"Where the hell did all the media go?" Izzo joked about a smaller group of media members on Thursday. "(Are they) out Christmas shopping for me, or what?"

But Izzo also ended the evening with the following.

"Let me close by saying to everybody that I hope you have a happy holiday," he said. "Whatever way you're celebrating it, I hope you get to spend some time with your families.

"As you get older, you realize that your family is important and that you've got to find a way to spend some time with them. Christmas usually brings everybody together (as does the) holiday season in general. I hope you have a great time. I hope you take care of yourself, and I hope you show up here again for the game after Christmas."

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