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Michigan State Basketball: Nick Ward robbed of Big Ten All-Freshman honors

By Connor Muldowney

Feb 14, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks to Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 14, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks to Spartans forward Nick Ward (44) during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan State basketball star Nick Ward has put together a pretty solid season but was absurdly left off the Big Ten All-Freshman team.

On Monday night, the Big Ten revealed its award winners for players of the year and all-conference selections. Everyone felt confident that Miles Bridges would make one of the All-Big Ten teams, and he did, but Nick Ward would be a close second, right?

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Wrong. The Big Ten tallied the votes and revealed the All-Freshman team, but there was one guy missing from the list. You guessed it, it was Ward. While the crop of players to make the team, including Bridges, were solid, Tony Carr and Tyler Cook were not as effective as Bridges was this season.

Crazy, right?

It’s hard to argue either guard positions although Cassius Winston should have gotten some consideration given that he led the Big Ten in assists per game — until the final contest of the year. However, neither Cook nor Carr had a better, more consistent season than Ward.

Look at the stat lines and tell me which one stands out the most:

Player 1: 12.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 0.4 blocks, 52.4% FG
Player 2: 13.2 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.3 blocks, 39% FG
Player 3: 13.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.6 blocks, 58,7% FG

If you guessed player three, then you’re one of the majority who believe Ward was snubbed.

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Not sure how you can leave off a player who has improved in just about every metric from the start of the season as well as assumed the role of the team’s go-to big man. We demand a recount.

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