By Tony Garcia

Special to Detroit Free Press

Tony Garcia is an MSU writer for the Michigan-based sports website isportsweb.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press or its writers. Read isportsweb's column every Monday here and follow Tony on Twitter @RealTonyGarcia.

Coach Tom Izzo and his Michigan State Spartans have a certain reputation around college basketball.

Izzo's teams are generally known for being physically demanding down low, for dominating on the glass, and for playing suffocating defense.

Twelve games into the season, the Spartans rank 36th in the country in rebounding, 69th in points allowed (60.6), 105th in blocks and a lowly 288th in steals.

This doesn't sound like the rebounding, defending machine that we are used to seeing under Izzo.

So with the Spartans straying far from their usual formula, how will they be able to obtain any level of success?

Some say that because they haven't beaten a ranked team yet — going 0-2 in such opportunities — they won't have any success this season.

These are most likely the same people who say Mark Dantonio and his MSU football team were not successful this season because they went only 10-2 and are not in the inaugural playoff.

Regardless, chemistry is the strength of this MSU basketball team.

Michigan State's roster has three pairs of high school teammates, and their chemistry and ball movement are the Spartans' greatest assets.

After two years at Cleveland State, shooting guard Bryn Forbes has once again joined his high school teammate — and friend — Denzel Valentine, as the primary shooting and ballhandling threats at Izzo's disposal.

The duo won back-to-back Class B state titles in 2011 and 2012 at Lansing Sexton, and they have seemingly picked up where they left off.

"It feels like we haven't missed a step, honestly," said Forbes. "It feels like we still have the chemistry we had back then, but I feel like we're better players on both sides of the ball."

Their chemistry has propelled Michigan State into the top 10 in the nation in assists, averaging 17.9 per game. The ball movement around the court is creating wide-open shots for sharpshooters — like Forbes — who are shooting it at the best rates of their careers.

"It's something we worked on all summer together, we got a lot of shots up over the summer. I think it's just the hard work being shown," said Forbes.

Valentine is shooting 47% from the field, including 50% from behind the arc — both career highs. Forbes, a career 43% shooter, is hitting 49.4% from the field, by far his most efficient season.

It is no coincidence the two are simultaneously having career years.

"I think we hold each other accountable. ... We talk to each other and just keep each other to make sure we are doing the right thing," said Forbes.

This sets an excellent example for two of Izzo's top three recruits in the 2014 class.

Freshmen Marvin Clark Jr. and Lourawls (Tum Tum) Nairn chose to go to Michigan State together after they attended Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan.

Neither of them looks, or acts, like freshman.

At 5-foot-10 and 170 pounds, Nairn is more the size of a high school freshman point guard than the back-up on a perennial Big Ten power house.

Despite his lack of size — and his hesitancy to shoot — Nairn is playing a much larger role than his stature would indicate, and a lot of that ability comes above his shoulders.

Before Nairn stepped onto the court for Izzo, he was receiving Draymond Green comparisons — and it had nothing to do with basketball talent.

However it is Clark who is much closer in size and game to Green.

Clark, 18, is 6-6 and almost 230 pounds. He is 8 inches taller and 60 pounds heavier than Nairn, be he knows the two could be something special.

"I transferred to Sunrise to play with him," said Clark. "I'm happy we're playing together now, because that is something we always thought about."

Clark has made a more immediate impact than Nairn on the court because he is physically capable and the best option for the Spartans. Yet the two have shown great promise in their respective roles, and if they receive enough experience this year, they can emulate the growth of another recent pair of high school teammates.

Both Gavin Schilling and Alvin Ellis III were forced into larger roles than anyone anticipated last season — mainly due to injuries. Because of Keith Appling's wrist injury, Ellis was thrust into action as a freshman, appearing in 36 games. Just two years removed from his playing time with Schilling, the two absorbed knowledge from the two future first-round picks in front of them on the depth chart (Gary Harris and Adrien Payne) with every play.

Schilling was just 17 when he made his debut in green and white, and though he wasn't technically sound, he showed his athletic nature.

And even with a post rotation of Payne and Matt Costello — former Michigan Mr. Basketball — Izzo couldn't keep the big man off the court.

Though Michigan State doesn't have the tools many are accustomed to seeing them work with, they do have a different approach to winning this season.

Using their brain — not their brawn.