When freshman forward Raymar Morgan got back to his Wonders Hall dorm room Tuesday night, he noticed an abnormally low energy level in his roommate, freshman guard Isaiah Dahlman.

"Isaiah's usually happy," Morgan said, "so I could tell something was wrong."

The cause for Dahlman's dismay: An injured right foot, suffered when he made a cut in practice Monday, that will keep him out of action for at least a week and possibly more.

"He's got some swelling and inflammation through the foot," MSU's director of sports medicine Jeff Kovan said. "Is it a true sprain? Is it a strain? We're kind of teasing all that out as he progresses through the next couple of days."

Dahlman, who wasn't at practice Wednesday, had seen much more playing time than expected this season because of injuries to Morgan and sophomore guard Maurice Joseph. Once a likely candidate to be redshirted, Dahlman averaged more than eight points a game in December and had started MSU's last eight contests.

Now, just when it appeared the Spartans would finally have a full selection of perimeter players again, head coach Tom Izzo must once again play without a full deck.

"I feel bad for (Dahlman), but I don't feel bad for us," a remarkably upbeat Izzo said Wednesday. "I've had my pity party. The pity party's over and we're just going to play."

The loss of Dahlman likely won't force anyone to play a different position, although Izzo said any thought of experimenting with Morgan at power forward will be postponed until Dahlman's return.

But the bigger impact of Dahlman's injury will be the continued strain it puts on MSU's starters.

Junior guard Drew Neitzel has played more minutes than anyone else in the Big Ten this season, including 35 or more in each of his last seven games. One fewer body off the bench will do nothing to help relieve him.

"It's hard with all the injuries," Morgan said, "but you've just got to fight through it and play."

But like Joseph, who said he rediscovered his love for the game while injured, Dahlman's time off might also be a blessing in disguise. The wiry freshman had been struggling in Big Ten play against bigger, more physical defenders, averaging less than three points a game in conference play. Now that he isn't able to practice with the team, Joseph said Dahlman will likely undergo the same "World's Strongest Man-type workouts" he did during his time off, which he said are already paying dividends for him.

"Just in shooting, you shoot the ball with a little more range," Joseph said. "Playing defense, guys bumping you, taking contact … you can definitely feel it."

And perhaps the time off will give Dahlman what it gave Joseph — a chance to re-evaluate himself and emerge as a bigger asset to the team.

"Me and Raymar have to do a good job talking to him about knowing what to expect, how to come back from that, how to bounce back and be a better player," Joseph said. "Because we're going to need him."