East Lansing — Nick Ward has been as efficient as any player on the Michigan State roster.
Entering Sunday’s game at Ohio State, the sophomore big man had made 38 of 44 shots over a five-game stretch and was last week’s Big Ten Player of the Week. Through 17 games, the 6-foot-8 Ward is averaging 14.7 points and 7.5 rebounds while shooting 71.8 percent (94-for-131) from the field.
So, it’s no surprise that opposing teams are starting to focus their defense on stopping Ward. That was the case Sunday in the loss at Ohio State.