LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Michigan State's struggles here at the KFC Yum! Center on began back on Friday when the Spartans team plane climbed into the Nevada night air.
Michigan State senior Matt McQuaid had suffered a bruise on his thigh against Texas in Las Vegas that day, but according to coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans boarded the plane thinking the injury was minor. McQuaid hadn't been significantly hampered in the locker room or on the team bus, Izzo said.
But as the plane climbed, McQuaid's leg began to swell, and doctors realized the bruise would keep him off the court.