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Michigan State Basketball: Nick Ward named Big Ten Freshman of the Week

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 4:23 p.m. ET

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Michigan State basketball’s Nick Ward has been named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week for the seventh week of the season.

It’s been a tough season, record-wise, for Michigan State basketball up to this point. The Spartans are just 8-5 through non-conference play, staring down a Big Ten opener on Tuesday night against Minnesota (12-1) on the road.

Must Read: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for December

Miles Bridges has been out for the past five games with an injured ankle and the Spartans are 4-1 during that span, but have played inferior opponents lightly. The freshman wing is the Spartans’ top player and the team desperately misses his 16.6 points and 8.8 rebounds per game from the lineup.

In his absence, freshman big man Nick Ward has stepped up like no one else in the post has. Kenny Goins has struggled down low, but Ward has been looking like an All-Big Ten performer over the past month.

Just how good has he been? Well, he earned his second Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on the season tying Bridges’ mark.

Despite the loss to Northeastern last week, the Spartans’ big man averaged 20 points, eight rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game while making 12-of-21 field goals and 16-of-25 free throws.

Tom Izzo has to be pleased with the progress the true freshman from Gahanna, Ohio, has made through this point in the season. He did say before the year that Ward had been the biggest surprise through the preseason.

There’s a reason Izzo compared Ward to a poor man’s Zach Randolph — he’s beginning to resemble the former Spartan.

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