Sophomore guard Travis Trice tries to block Illinois guard D.J. Richardson on Jan. 31, 2013, at the Breslin Center. The Spartans beat the Fighting Illini 80-75. Julia Nagy/The State News
The Spartans will have to square off against their in-state rivals a man down tonight, as MSU head coach Tom Izzo confirmed Travis Trice will miss his third straight game.
It will be the first time the No. 8 MSU men’s basketball team (20-4 overall, 9-2 Big Ten) will face No. 4 Michigan (21-3, 8-3) with both teams ranked in the top-10 (9 p.m., ESPN).
The sophomore guard had been described as “very, very questionable” at Izzo’s weekly press conference Monday, but in an interview with ESPN’s “Mike and Mike in the Morning” radio show today, Izzo confirmed Trice will be out.
Trice has been suffering from concussion-like symptoms after taking a shot to the head in a Jan. 31 victory over Illinois.
This is Trice’s second head injury of the season, after breaking his nose and suffering a concussion in MSU’s season opener against UConn, causing him to miss the next five games.
“It plays a big factor. Of all the people I’d rather not be missing, it’s probably him,” Izzo said Monday. “That might sound strange to some of you, but of my guys coming off the bench, we’re just thin at the guard position.
“I think (freshman guard Denzel) Valentine did a very good job at Purdue coming in as a point guard. But you have not only offensive responsibilities, you have defensive responsibilities, and I think that’s where we’re missing Trice.”
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