“It doesn’t seem to be your normal sprained ankle,” MSU coach Tom Izzo said on the team’s pregame show Wednesday.

Izzo said after MSU’s 81-55 win over the Wildcats that it's unclear when Langford will return, though an update could come by Friday. Langford was walking in a boot Wednesday and underwent an MRI. The co-captain will follow up with a specialist in the coming days, according to Izzo.

“It wasn't that he hurt it in a game or anything,” Izzo said postgame. “It bothered him a little bit in warm-ups and just thought it was a little ankle tweak. Hopefully, that's what it is.”

Langford is averaging 15.0 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists per contest and has played in all 13 of MSU’s games. It marks the first time the Huntsville, Alabama, native has missed a game at the collegiate level — he started all 35 games last season and played in 35 games, started in 27, as a freshman.

“With Josh, it’s funny because it’s kind of like you can give him the ball and get out of the way-type,” forward Xavier Tillman said. “So without him on the court, it was kind of like we needed more ball movement tonight and the defense chasing us tonight so we could have, like, easy layups or wide-open threes.”

Starting in Langford’s place is redshirt junior Kyle Ahrens, who replaced him as the starting wing in the second half Saturday. Ahrens has appeared in every game this season, averaging 6.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 18.6 minutes.

Though MSU looked as if it hadn’t skipped a stride in its 26-point win, Tillman admits the offense ran differently with Ahrens in place of Langford.

“They’re just two different players,” he said. “JL is a mid-range and a 3-point shooter and Kyle is a catch-and-shoot and drive baseline finisher.”

Izzo also said freshmen Aaron Henry and Gabe Brown will likely receive more time in Langford’s absence, as it allows them to learn the pace of conference play firsthand. Henry and Brown played 19 and 12 minutes, respectively, against Northwestern, combining for four points, six rebounds and two turnovers.

Langford currently ranks third on the team in scoring, behind Cassius Winston’s 17.5 points and Nick Ward’s 16.1. His status remains unknown for Saturday’s noon tipoff on the road against No. 14 Ohio State (12-1 overall, 2-0). 

Until then, the Spartans will have to make due.

“His vocalness, his leadership and his impact on the half court offense — he’s huge,” Winston said. “(We’re) just doing what we can to fill out that hole and we had to do a lot better on the defensive end.”