Michigan State loses Nick Ward to broken hand: Can Spartans stay afloat in Big Ten without him?

The Michigan State Spartans may have scored a home win Sunday afternoon, but the victory came at a heavy cost with junior forward Nick Ward going down with a hairline fracture in his left hand.

Nick Ward is out and someone needs to step up to fill the void.

Ward, who is second on the Spartans in scoring with 15.4 points per game, didn’t play for the final 13:25 of Michigan State’s 62-44 win over Ohio State. After the game, head coach Tom Izzo told reporters the big man had suffered a dislocated finger, but the school shared a much more serious update later that he had a hairline fracture in his hand and is out indefinitely.

For a team already down a key starter with Joshua Langford out for the season, the loss of Ward may be too much for the Spartans to overcome in their pursuit of a Big Ten championship. While Michigan State is still a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, their upside as potential title contenders is gone if Ward joins Langford on the sidelines in March.

With Ward out, sophomore Xavier Tillman should take his place in the starting lineup. Tillman has been solid on the glass this season, averaging 6.9 rebounds a night, but he averages just over five field goal attempts a game. That figure should increase dramatically as Tillman will have to help out Kenny Goins in the low post.

Another guy whose role should increase in Ward’s absence is Kyle Ahrens. The 6-6 forward has been one of the most valuable members of Izzo’s rotation at the 3, but he may need to play more 4 in smaller lineups.

Ward’s absence also will increase the opposing team’s attention on point guard Cassius Winston, who leads the Spartans in scoring with 18.8 ppg. Winston is also a strong distributor, averaging 7.4 apg, so he will have to continue to create opportunities for his teammates in order to make up for the easy low post points they will lose with Ward.

The best case scenario for the Spartans is that they get through the next few weeks without damaging their seed too much and get Ward back in the NCAA Tournament. That is not guaranteed, however, and if Ward is done for the year the Spartans are far more likely to be upset early than make a deep run.