Michigan State coach Tom Izzo expects Nick Ward to return for Big Ten Tournament

Michigan State junior big man Nick Ward is expected to return this week in the Big Ten Tournament after a near month-long injury hiatus, coach Tom Izzo said on Monday. Ward injured his left hand last month and underwent surgery. He’s missed the last five games recovering.

“I do expect Nick to play,” said Izzo. “How much? I don’t know. I’m 99 percent sure he’s going to play unless there’s a setback.”

Ward is No. 6 Michigan State’s second-leading scorer on the season, averaging 15.1 points per game. His 7.0 rebounds per game also ranks second on the team behind Kenny Goins.

Michigan State managed to achieve a 4-1 record without him and won a share of the Big Ten regular season title this weekend, but getting him back is absolutely a boon for a team that’s been ravaged by injuries. With sophomore Xavier Tillman getting quality experience in his absence and Ward presumably back for the NCAA Tournament as well, the Spartans are getting close to full health at just the right time.

“He’s not gonna be in as good a shape, but he has been running and working out; it’s just different than playing,” Izzo said of Ward and how they plan to bring him back. “That will be interesting to see today. Then it’s how they pad [Ward’s hand] and how it works, and he’s had some opportunity to look at it.”

Michigan State is 25-6 on the season and a projected 2 seed in Jerry Palm’s latest NCAA Tournament bracket projections.