Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions for January

Dec 6, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; (Left to right) Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (not dressed) guard Cassius Winston (5) and guard Kyle Ahrens (0) celebrate from the bench during the second half against the Youngstown State Penguins at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Spartans win 77-57. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 27, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) looks to pass against Minnesota Golden Gophers center Bakary Konate (21) during the first half at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Nick Ward averages a double-double

Nick Ward has been a monster this season. If there is one player on the team who has exceeded expectations in a big way, it’s the freshman big man from Gahanna, Ohio. It’s hard to believe he was rated the lowest out of all the 2017 commits as he has arguably played better than anyone — including Bridges.

However, it’s hard to really compare Bridges and Ward since the former has been out for the past month and was leading the team in scoring and rebounding before he suffered an injury.

Ward is going to have a big month of January, even with Bridges back, though. The freshman forward will average a double-double in the month and improve on his already-impressive marks for his first season in East Lansing.

There’s been some debate about who the best freshman in the Big Ten has been and both of the top candidates are on the Spartans’ roster. Bridges won two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and Ward has won three.

It’s hard to find anyone in the country who has done more in limited minutes than Ward. In fact, he’s averaging 13.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.1 blocks in just 18.7 minutes. Expect those numbers to improve.

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