Heading into Michigan State's upcoming Big Ten home opener against Nebraska on Saturday, Tom Izzo's Spartans are looking to improve to 2-0 in conference play, following a win at Minnesota on Wednesday night.

"The ball is starting to move again, and our fast break has been really good," said Izzo Thursday evening after practice. "We shot the ball well, we rebounded the ball well, we shot the ball well from the free throw line and got there."

If you know Izzo, though, you know there are always things to work on.

"The negatives where we quit checking with five minutes left, it got some rebounds that they stole, kicked out, and then Mitchell went crazy and we gave up 20 points in the last five minutes, so that was no way to finish,” Izzo said. "There were a lot more positives than negatives, but the negatives tick me off.”

It's clear that MSU's depth is one of the keys to the team's success to date.

“I think we've done a decent job on the bench," Izzo said. "Yet, we've stayed fresh, and right now, strength in numbers has been important. We're starting to get more of a rotation down. Guys are starting to run and play with each other.”

The team chemistry is also an important piece to Michigan State's success.

“I hate to say it because it sounds so cliché, but this team has really been close for each other, no jealousies, nobody is upset if somebody started or somebody's not," continued Izzo. "We're getting near that third of the season already, and it's good to be making a few steps forward."

The Spartans have shown their depth throughout the entire season, consistently putting out ten guys who can play at a high level. The depth was most evident in the game vs North Carolina, when six players had 12 or more points.

A key part of that depth is forward Xavier Booker.

"You feel like (his) confidence is improving," Izzo said of the sophomore Booker. "I know it's still early and he is turning a little bit of a corner. I thought the first half, though, the corner wasn't even in sight. So we got after Booker a little bit at halftime because you saw the difference in him, so he's starting to put together games. But he's gotta keep focusing in on every time he's out there and staying focused on the task and because we're realizing there's things we didn't know how he could do guarding certain people. He can do (it). He's just gotta put his mind to it, and make a decision, that's gonna be the most important thing.”

In the first seven games of the season, Booker averaged 3.9 points per game, but in the last two games, he put up an average of 11.5 points against North Carolina and Minnesota.

Forward Coen Carr is another sophomore making an outsized impact this season.

"That three possession deal he had, especially the block and then the dunk on the other end, that's reminiscent of nobody, because I've never seen anybody do that,” Izzo said. “Carr has been really good to coach, too. I mean, he really wants to hone in on things. His free throw shooting is getting a lot better and his shooting is getting better, so he's probably made as much progress in the last month and a half as anybody. But that whole sophomore class is playing better.”

Jeremy Fears Jr., Booker, and Carr have all had bounce back performances in the last few games to show how good that sophomore class really is for the Spartans, but Izzo knows consistency is what matters.

"We've been very consistent in everything we've done, we’ve ended pretty well," he said. "We’ve gotten to the free throw line. We’ve made three free throws, and we've missed a lot of shots. So last night we went inconsistent in one area, but it's the right area to go inconsistent on it. Hopefully that will continue - and help us continue to grow.”

The Spartans host Nebraska on Saturday at noon EST on Big Ten Network, hoping to start their season 8-2 with two early wins in conference play.

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