Michigan State basketball: Tyson Walker limited at practice on Thursday

Michigan State basketball fans are holding their breath after Tyson Walker was limited at practice on Thursday. But he seems to be fine.

Michigan State basketball star Tyson Walker has been dealing with a nagging groin injury for a few weeks. He further aggravated that injury during the 59-56 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday to the point where he had to leave the floor for a few minutes.

Walker returned to the game, but you could tell he wasn’t 100 percent. After practice on Thursday, Tom Izzo shared with the media how they are handling his injury.

Tyson Walker was limited in Michigan State's Thursday practice. Izzo's decision, not Walker's. “Not because I’m worried about it, just because of this fricking schedule. He needs a day," Izzo said.

— Kyle Austin (@kylebaustin) February 8, 2024

Tyson Walker is taking it easy

Izzo shared that Tyson was a limited participant in practice on Thursday. He also made it very clear that this was his decision to do so, not Tyson’s. And does that surprise anyone? Walker is a warrior and has shown that all season, so I’m not surprised for a second to hear that he didn’t want to take any time off.

Izzo also discussed the severity of the injury, and thankfully it sounds like Tyson will be okay. Tom shared that he forced Walker to take it easy at practice “Not because I’m worried about it, just because of this fricking schedule. He needs a day.”

I think this is the right decision by Izzo. We all saw how much Walker struggled physically on Tuesday, but even more so we saw how much the entire team struggled without him. MSU can’t risk losing him this season, so giving him an extra day off is easily the right choice.

The Spartans’ next game is against No. 10 Illinois on Saturday at the Breslin Center. This is Michigan State’s last chance for a marquee win at home this season. The entire team is going to have to be at their best if they want to win. Hopefully this day off for Walker is exactly what he needs to be at his best on Saturday.