East Lansing — Line up Michigan State’s nine Big Ten champions under coach Tom Izzo, and the odds of anyone picking this year’s bunch as the favorite might be long.
With former McDonald’s All-American Joshua Langford wheeling around the court with his foot in a boot and Nick Ward, one of the most efficient big men in the country wearing a protective wrap on his hand, this season’s Spartans were hardly at full strength when they took the court on Saturday night with the Big Ten championship on the line.
There was also junior Kyle Ahrens finding a way to play through a back injury that has him wearing a hard brace under his uniform and likely conference player of the year Cassius Winston moving like an old man at times with sore knees.