Michigan State basketball: Report card for rebound win over Minnesota

Michigan State Basketball: Report card for bounce-back win over Minnesota

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 09: AAron Henry #11 of the Michigan State Spartans drives to the basket while defended by Brock Stull #31 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Breslin Center on February 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

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EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 09: Nick Ward #44 of the Michigan State Spartans shoots the ball over Daniel Oturu #25 of the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Breslin Center on February 9, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

. F/C. Junior. NICK WARD. A

Was this Nick Ward’s best game of the season? It was darn close and it all stemmed from his increased energy level. He didn’t look like he was absent-minded and he actually wanted to be there on Saturday afternoon which led to his 22-point, nine-rebound performance in front of Magic Johnson and the 1979 National Championship team.

Ward impressed just about everyone with his play, defending well against Jordan Murphy and Daniel Oturu, for the most part, and rebound with extra aggression.

If Ward plays motivated basketball like he did against Minnesota for the remainder of the season, there will be no stopping the Spartans in the paint. He probably could have finished with more than nine rebounds, but he didn’t play the last 5-6 minutes of the game because of fatigue — which made since as he totaled 29 minutes.

The junior big man learned his lesson after spending time on the bench and made his way back to the starting lineup with a vengeance.

On top of his 22 points and nine boards, Ward shot 9-of-14 from the field and had two assists, a steal and a block. His energy was contagious.

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