Update on injuries: Tyson Walker’s condition before Illinois
Before the Michigan State Spartans’ next game against No. 10 Illinois, head coach Tom Izzo spoke with reporters about the health of their star player, Tyson Walker…
Walker came back and managed to complete the match, although in the last moments, he was spotted squirming and moving cautiously. Prior to Michigan State’s game against No. 10 Illinois on Saturday (2 p.m. ET), the fifth-year senior was limited during Thursday’s practice. However, head coach Tom Izzo claimed that Walker had made the decision to do so on his own.
Izzo stated, “He wanted to practice.” “We went over some stuff, had him practice a little early, and I just kept him out. I believe he is knowledgeable and will contribute enough minutes, therefore the onus will be on me and not him. He expressed a desire to travel, but I told him not to. He needs a day, [with] this freaking schedule, not because I’m worried about it.”
Izzo disclosed at the start of February that Walker had been enduring a persistent groin problem for a while. The senior has been dealing with a number of illnesses this season; that is just the most recent. The others include early-season shin splints, a condition that kept him out of a game for a hip injury in early December, and for the first time in his MSU career.
Walker is still MSU’s top perimeter defender and scores 19 points per game on average despite everything. The senior raises his “per game” totals with 3.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.8 steals. But because of his scoring prowess and Michigan State’s dependence on him, 6-foot-1, 185-pound Walker has become a target for the Spartans’ rivals
Izzo remarked, “He is tough, he’s got great toughness.” “He is assaulted. In addition to being the greatest player and shooter, he’s little, which is why people are horsing around him, bumping, and grinding him. It also becomes a little bit aggravating, and that occurs frequently.”
Before Saturday’s matchup with the Fighting Illini, Michigan State is a 2.5-point favorite.