Nick Ward has been Michigan State’s starting center since just before Christmas.The only time Ward didn’t start in the first 10 games of Big Ten play was for a Feb. 2 game at Nebraska, and that’s only because he had been battling the flu and missed a couple days of practice.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
Tom Izzo knew Michigan State needed to hit the boards better. His players did so, early and often Saturday night. With turnovers continuing to be an issue, the Spartans needed every extra possession they could gather against Iowa en route to a crucial 77-66 victory that helped erase some of the sting of Tuesday’s blowout loss at Michigan.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Second-half run sparks MSU to 77-66 win over Iowa Spartan Tailgate
Tom Izzo pumped his fist and yelled in approval of his team’s play, while Fran McCaffery called a timeout and screamed at the officials. After turning the ball over what seemed like every other possession for the first 25 minutes of Saturday’s game against Iowa, Michigan State made five of six shots, including four 3-pointers, in a span of a little more than two minutes to go on a 13-4 run and open up a nine-point lead over the Hawkeyes with 12:10 remaining.
Miles Bridges gets a little help from his friends as Michigan State beats Iowa MLive
Miles Bridges kept Michigan State above water on Saturday night. Then his fellow freshmen did some rowing. Bridges scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the first half, while Nick Ward, Cassius Winston and Joshua Lanford combined for 32 second-half points, as Michigan State beat visiting Iowa at Breslin Center.
Michigan State takes down Iowa at home, 77-66, behind tough defensive effort Land of 10
A second-half run initiated by stingy perimeter defense led Michigan State (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) to a 77-66 win over Iowa (14-12, 6-7) on Saturday at the Breslin Center. Freshman Miles Bridges led the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds, while Nick Ward added 14 points, Kenny Goins gathered 10 rebounds and Cassius Winston dished out five assists.
Spartans win pivotal matchup against Iowa, stop Jok, 77-66 State News
Taking the court for the first time since Tuesday night’s 29-point blowout loss to the University of Michigan, MSU (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) defeated the University of Iowa Hawkeyes (14-12, 6-7 Big Ten) at home Saturday in a pivotal game in conference play by a final score of 77-66.
Strong second half carries Spartans past Hawkeyes Detroit News
In the first half Saturday night, Iowa did practically nothing right. And yet, someway, somehow, it held a lead over Michigan State. The Spartans went from frazzled in the first 20 minutes to fierce for the final 20 to beat the Hawkeyes, 77-66, before a raucous sellout crowd at Breslin Center.
Despite Turnovers, Spartans beat Hawkeyes in Pivotal Matchup Impact Sports
Michigan State (14-10 OVR, 6-5 B1G) and Jack Breslin Student Events Center played host to the Iowa Hawkeyes (14-11 OVR, 6-6 B1G) on Saturday evening, as both teams looked to get back on the winning track as the conference season winds down. But after 40 minutes of back-and-forth play, it was the Spartans who got a much needed win in their first of four home games to close out the season, beating the Hawkeyes 77-66.
Michigan State Defeats Iowa 77-66 MSUSpartans.com
Miles Bridges scored 14 of his 16 points in the first half and finished with 11 rebounds, leading Michigan State in a 77-66 win over Iowa on Saturday night. The Spartans (15-10, 7-5 Big Ten) bounced back from a lopsided loss at Michigan with their third win in four games, improving their chances of playing in a 20th straight NCAA tournament.
Spartan Stars: MSU’s top performers in win over Iowa Spartan Tailgate
Seven different players had six or more points for MSU, and nine total scored while Michigan State shot 48.3 percent from the field as a team to overcome 21 turnovers for the second game in a row. The Spartans also outrebounded Iowa 46-32, thanks to 14 offensive rebounds and holding the Hawkeyes to 32.8 percent shooting (and the fact MSU turned it over so many times).
Langford, Bridges, and Ward propel Spartans over Hawkeyes isportsweb
Life on the bubble has been nerve-wracking, frustrating, and exhausting for the Michigan State Basketball team. In a must-win game at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center, the Michigan State Basketball team was able to overcome a sloppy first half and pull away from the Iowa Hawkeyes in a sharp second half by a score of 77 to 66.
Nick Ward has been working to lose weight since he stepped on campus this summer. The Michigan State freshman has done a good job of it, too, dropping 30 or so pounds to get to the point where he’s a more athletic player and can log more minutes while consistently playing hard.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
With two big men already down for the season, one of Michigan State’s remaining post players was at urgent care Sunday. Don’t worry, Nick Ward should be fine. The freshman sought treatment for a nasty case of the flu after the Spartans’ 70-62 win over Michigan and has not practiced since. Tom Izzo said he did not believe the 6-foot-8 forward would miss Thursday’s game at Nebraska (7 p.m., ESPN).
Source: Detroit Free Press
Tom Izzo said he expects Ward to be able to play Thursday at Nebraska and would welcome Schilling back for a fifth year.
Source: Detroit News
For all of Nick Ward’s offensive skill, one might expect the freshman center to receive more playing time. He is second on Michigan State in scoring (13.2 points per game) but seventh in minutes played (19.2). Tom Izzo explained the disparity on Monday morning, on the heels of another strong performance by Ward – 13 points in 16 minutes – in the Spartans’ Sunday afternoon win over Michigan.
Source: CBS Detroit
Sam and Rod revel after a crucial, order-restoring victory over Michigan. Topics:
Tom Izzo and his young players discuss what it takes to get back on the winning track against rival Michigan on Sunday.
Source: Detroit Free Press
At this time last year, Miles Bridges was preparing for a Huntington (W.V.) Prep home game against Atlantic Shores Christian, a high school from Virginia. Down in Alabama, Joshua Langford’s team at Madison Academy was getting ready to face Mountain Brook High School. In Ohio, Nick Ward and Gahanna Lincoln High School were about to take on Cleveland Heights. Over in Detroit, Cassius Winston and U of D Jesuit were set to host De La Salle Collegiate.
Source: MLive
What if — just, what if — Michigan State could arm Bridges to do more of what he did on Sunday and — and! — relocate the old Ward, the one who debilitated opposing defenses throughout December. If a rising tide lifts all boats, than the idea of Bridges and Ward manifesting their talents at once represents a tidal wave.
Source: It’s time for Michigan State to cue up the Miles Bridges-Nick Ward Show | MLive.com
here’s an added level of excitement for Nick Ward to go Ohio and play in front of family and friends, so much so that the mention spreads a bigger smile than usual across his face. “Of course I’m excited to go home,” Michigan State’s freshman big man from Gahanna, Ohio, said Friday. “But I’m just as excited to get the win … and really compete.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
Nick Ward had options when it came to choosing where to play college basketball. Plenty of big-time programs were recruiting him, including Ohio State. Ward is a Columbus guy, and the Ohio State campus was maybe a 10-minute drive from his family’s home.
Source: Land of 10
If Michigan State basketball is going to have any level of success throughout conference play and into the postseason, it is going to have to lean on its highly touted freshman class. Of that foursome, two players have emerged as the Spartans go-to player, albeit at different times. Now, the fate of the Spartans season may come down to whether Miles Bridges and Nick Ward can figure out how to play together in a way to maximize their potential.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Nick Ward finished the 93-65 blowout win over Rutgers with 15 points and six rebounds over 24 minutes on the floor Wednesday, but head coach Tom Izzo still wasn’t satisfied with the freshman forward’s performance against the Scarlet Knights, still winless in conference play. “They took away Nick pretty good, and I think Nick took away Nick a little bit,” Izzo said during his postgame press conference.
Source: State News
It can take while to trust what you see on a basketball court — to ignore out-of-date recruiting analysis or be comfortable making lofty comparisons without worrying that you’re overreacting to the moment and player in front of you.Michigan State freshman Nick Ward has brought me face-to-face with these trust issues. Big men with bruising frames, want-the-ball personalities, soft hands and quick feet don’t exist very often — or for very long — in college basketball.
Source: Lansing State Journal