Michigan State's head coach Suzy Merchant watches her team from the sidelines during the first half of Michigan's 50-45 loss to State at Crisler Arena on Thursday night. Melanie Maxwell I AnnArbor.com

Suzy Merchant walked into her post-game press conference Thursday night, having just beaten rival Michigan for the sixth time in only her third year at the helm of Michigan State's women's basketball program.

She stepped behind the lectern and glanced quickly over the stat sheet. Before saying a word, she looked up, noticing a familiar face. She titled her head and offered a warm smile before going about her game-day business.

Same old Suzy Merchant.

Merchant, who took over Michigan State's program in 2007 after becoming the winningest women's basketball coach at Eastern Michigan, hasn't allowed the biggest move of her coaching career change her.

On the sidelines, Merchant is as intense as ever, using an occasional high-heeled foot stomp to drive home a point or depending on a high-pitched, two-fingered whistle to draw the attention of an official across the floor.

But at her core, Merchant is the small-town girl that has worked her way up the coaching ranks. There's the practical side of her that doesn't get wrapped up in her 6-1 record against Michigan because it simply represents two steps in a six-month marathon.

There's the meticulous game-planning side of her that spends late nights poring over the minute details.

Deeper down, there's also the nurturing side of Merchant, who early on in her Michigan State tenure, felt guilty that her busy schedule was requiring too much of her time and taking her away from her husband and young son.

In all aspects of her persona - both on the court and off - Merchant has remained true to herself, understanding that authenticity goes a long way in building and maintaining the relationships she's built. Not only in East Lansing, but over the course of her career.

"You just have to be yourself," Merchant said after the Spartans' 60-55 win over Michigan Thursday night. "If you are going to try and fake something and be something you're not, the kids are going to know it right away. So my goal right out the gates was just to be who I am."

At Michigan State, Merchant had the daunting task of replacing popular coach Joanne P. McCallie, who left to take over Duke's women's program. McCallie, who earned national Coach of the Year honors in 2005, had been a popular figure in East Lansing, growing attendance to Spartans women's games by 78 percent during her tenure.

Merchant had succeeded coaches in the past, but hadn't made the kind of jump she did after building Eastern Michigan into a Mid-American Conference powerhouse with a .629 winning percentage (246-145) before moving to Michigan State to maintain the level of success McCallie had established.

She immediately put her footprint on the program, overhauling the way the Spartans played defense. She took a team that relied primarily on a zone approach and put them in an aggressive man-to-man.

"When I look back at it, I knew over time, things would be OK," said Merchant, whose team is 16-8 this season. "It wasn't the smoothest of transitions in the beginning and people don't always want to buy in, but when they do, you feel it and you feel good about it."

Her first season wasn't easy. Graduation forced Merchant to start three freshmen and star forward Aisha Jefferson blew out her knee. Despite the setbacks, the Spartans won 23 games - tying Merchant for the most victories for a first-year coach in school history.

Last season, Michigan State flourished as the Spartans won at least 20 games for the fifth season. The Spartans earned a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, eventually advancing to the Sweet 16.

Even though Merchant had guided Eastern Michigan to the tournament, last year's trip was different. In order to advance, the Spartans were forced to upset McCallie's top-seeded Duke team.

"It was big, especially with the way we did it," Merchant said. "You can't look at that Duke game and not think that way a pretty defining moment for the program. It was a game where you had a little bit of a game plan but it was more (the players) refusing to lose that game.

"I felt like there was 100 percent transition at that point. It was kind of the icing on the cake to let go of the old and that the new is OK. It's a different style, but it's a good style."

While the Spartans had bought in to Merchant's style and personality, Merchant was finding her place in East Lansing. There were now more hands to shake, appearances to make and schedules to keep. She had a much higher profile than she during her nine years in Ypsilanti, forcing her to devote more of her time and more of herself to the job.

Suddenly, her face was on billboards around Lansing and she was being used in advertising campaigns on the Big Ten Network. She has also served as the honorary chairperson for several charitable organizations in Lansing, devoting herself to community service as she had to her Michigan State program.

But much as Merchant's vibrant personality embraced everything that came with the territory, it also took its toll.

Merchant always laughed when her secretary would call to set up simple phone calls. But as she became more involved in the job at Michigan State, Merchant found herself having to limit herself.

"The job is always bigger than anyone thinks it is," Merchant said. "It's just so much more intense just because of the outside element of the job. You just have to be more visible and more out there."

Merchant's recruiting schedule as also picked up, going from try to bring players from within Michigan's borders to Eastern to trying to draw players from more of a regional and national map to her Michigan State program.

When the Spartans went to the Final Four in 2005, four of the five starters came from within the state. Although her success against Michigan has helped keep her program ahead of its in-state rival for in-state recruits, Merchant knows she has to keep working to attract top talent to East Lansing.

Merchant also remains committed to the people she shares her life with, extending her family circle to her players - both at Michigan State and from her days at Eastern Michigan.

On Thursday, former Eastern women's standout Sarah Van Metre was able to touch base with Merchant, sneaking in a quick conversation in what was an otherwise busy day. Van Metre, who graduated from Eastern the day before Merchant was introduced as Michigan State's coach, notices the same attention to details that helped Merchant succeed with the Eagles.

Same old Suzy Merchant.

"I know she's always there for me if I need her," Van Metre said. "She told me once that she'd do anything for me and although I haven't needed her for that yet, it's always nice to have something like that in your hip pocket."

Jeff Arnold covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at jeffarnold@annarbor.com or 734-623-2554. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.