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Michigan State Basketball: 5 bold predictions vs. Southern Utah

By Connor Muldowney

PISCATAWAY, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his three point shot in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on December 5, 2017 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - DECEMBER 05: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans celebrates his three point shot in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on December 5, 2017 at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 3: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Breslin Center on December 3, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 3: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts during the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Breslin Center on December 3, 2017 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

2. Nick Ward shakes his frustrations in a big way

If you’ve been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably missed the Nick Ward vs. Tom Izzo rumors. Following the Rutgers game, it was clear that Ward was frustrated with being benched for all but one minute in the second half, totaling just 11 minutes for the game.

Izzo shook it off, saying that there was no controversy. However, Ward seemed a little frustrated in the locker room after the game, but admitted he was in a good place. Still, that didn’t stop fans from completely overreaction despite this being an Izzo teaching lesson — one which he has used on just about every Spartan he knew could be great but had to learn the ropes first.

Ward is going to shake off that frustration in a big way on Saturday night with a huge game, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in 25 minutes. Yes, he’s going to see the floor for more than 20 minutes, which has been a rarity this season.

That lesson which Izzo used on Tuesday will pay off in a big way as Ward won’t take his minutes for granted and his defense will improve. It’s been getting better, but he needs to work on defending without fouling and getting back to his man quickly on pick-and-rolls. Ward will have a monster game.

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