Head coach Tom Izzo said Tuesday that both players are on track to return in the next few weeks.

“(Dawson) gets the pins out of his hand, I think, around the 20th,” Izzo said. “We’re going to make a negative into a positive, but there will be nothing in the next week and a half for sure.”

It was a roller coaster season for Dawson before he went down.

He had one of the worst games of his career in the 79-65 loss to North Carolina on Dec. 4, but turned it around in the games leading up to the Big Ten schedule.

Dawson posted single-digit point totals in four of the last five games before his injury, but still is the Spartan with the most double-doubles this season.

Izzo said judging by how Dawson came back from an anterior cruciate ligament tear at the end of his freshman year, he’d except him back sooner rather than later.

“I’ve been so proud of that kid,” Izzo said. “My strength coach came up to me and said ‘I should go down there and hug Dawson,’ and I said ‘Why?’ And he said ‘He is working his tail off in his conditioning and he’s been really good on the bench.’ I think this could be a turning point for Branden Dawson, I really do.”

Despite missing the past five games, he’s still second in the conference in rebounding, the leader in offensive rebounds and No. 2 on the defensive end.

Izzo said senior forward Adreian Payne, who recently missed seven games with a sprained foot, was the bigger loss for the Spartans, but he’s only a week away from top form.

While Dawson continues to mend his broken hand, Appling isn’t enjoying his stint on the sidelines.

Appling has been playing exceptionally this season and was named a midseason finalist for the John R. Wooden Award given to the nation’s best player.

“Keith (has) a little more movement in his wrist,” he said. “From what I know, it’s worse now than when he was playing. Because when he quit playing it got worse. Tomorrow he could be better because there seems to be nothing structurally wrong, but I’m not expecting him to play this week right now.”

Appling is in the top 10 in the Big Ten in scoring, assists, steals, three-point field goal percentage, assist/turnover ratio and minutes played.

Izzo said he doubts Appling will be sidelined for the rest of the regular season, but said he’d be surprised if the break lasted a couple weeks.

“Nobody wants to play more than Appling,” Izzo said. “The bottom line is if I get him back in the next week or two and we keep everybody healthy, I think this team has a chance to be damn good. I mean really good.”