Michigan State Basketball: Miles Bridges not expected to play vs. DePaul
According to Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, Miles Bridges has about a ’30 percent’ chance to play on Thursday night against DePaul.
After suffering an ankle injury on Sunday night against Stony Brook, Michigan State’s sophomore sensation Miles Bridges finds himself in a rough situation. He could play in the Phil Knight Invitational, or PK80, opener or he could rest against DePaul and get close to 100 percent for the rest of the tournament.
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Head coach Tom Izzo said shortly after the game that they would err on the side of caution as they didn’t want to risk further injury if they didn’t have to. The team is deep enough to make up for Bridges’ sprained ankle. Sitting out against DePaul wouldn’t be the worst thing.
According to Izzo, there’s about a ’30 percent’ chance Bridges suits up and plays on Thursday night against DePaul.
Tom Izzo just told me he doesn't expect Miles Bridges (sprained ankle) to play tomorrow against DePaul. Izzo put it at 30 percent chance.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) November 23, 2017
This doesn’t come as much of a surprise seeing as Izzo knew that it would likely cost Bridges a game or two, even if he did want to tough it out. It’d be surprising to see him miss the entire PK80 tournament, though.
If Michigan State wins, the Spartans would likely see Oregon in the second round and potentially North Carolina in the title game if both are able to win two games.
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In Bridges’ absence on Thursday, look for Matt McQuaid to get more minutes and for Jaren Jackson Jr. to step up. Josh Langford will need to build on his strong performance from Sunday and Cassius Winston will need to take more charge with the ball in his hands and look for his own shot.