Tom Izzo pulled Ward 30 seconds into Thursday night’s game for a miscommunication on the first called play of the game, and when he got back in, he immediately turned it over. So, was he afraid that his bad game three nights before would manifest itself again?

“I had to make up for last game,” Ward said postgame, after going 7-for-10 from the field in MSU’s 82-67 comeback victory inside a pulsating Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

After the bad start to the game, Ward played really well. He scored the ball efficiently, passed out of double teams confidently, and defended his position without fouling — all things he did not do against Maryland.

“I’m more pleased with Nick than the other guys, because after a slow start, he started making good passes out of there. He didn’t get frustrated,” Izzo said.

The challenge with Ward has always been his ability to handle his emotions. He can be a dominant offensive force at the college level at times, but in the past, his overeagerness has caught him in a rut. His emotional reaction to foul calls or stints on the bench have made it difficult for him to focus on the task at hand.

Not Thursday night.

During Izzo’s postgame press conference, he explained the two goals the team had coming into the game. Ward figured prominently in both.

“I think for us the two things we needed to do was defend without fouling, they had eight free throws, they were averaging 23 or 24,” he said. “And Nick Ward has come so far with his free throw shooting, for us to be 20-of-21, I think those two things (were key).” 

Ward shot 7-for-7 from the free throw line, completing a great night for the Ohioan.

Langford and the young wings

Izzo was asked postgame if freshman guard/forward Aaron Henry had made a step Thursday night in his progression.

“Ask him about halftime, and there were steps the other way, too. He was backtracking it,” Izzo said.

Henry had been caught multiple times in the first half not defending at the necessary level, and had two threes launched in his face during a 9-0 Iowa run near the end of the half. With Joshua Langford out for the foreseeable future with a left foot injury, and Kyle Ahrens re-injuring his back in the second half Thursday night, Henry and fellow freshman Gabe Brown will have to pick up the slack.

“At halftime, Aaron Henry was not very good,” Izzo said. “It was his turn to hear about it. That was something new for him. Struggled with it. Josh Langford did the most unbelievable job with those young kids at halftime, he was worth everything you could take coming on this trip. Second half, (Henry) played a lot better.”

Izzo has always spread the gospel of the mythical “player-coached team,” but Langford Thursday night provided an example of why that is so important. While his impact may have been greatest in the locker room, he was also seen talking to Henry and Brown multiple times during timeouts in the second half. It was clear that he has taken his role as team captain seriously, even during his physical absence from the court.

Henry did play well in the second half, exploding to the rim twice to get fouled, during the Spartans’ 24-2 run that flipped the game on his head. While he isn’t the most natural scorer on the team, he is probably the most gifted athlete- and in transition, where Langford had been so lethal, Henry’s performance is critical to MSU’s success. Six points on 2-of-3 shooting and four rebounds isn’t a standout performance, but the timing was crucial.

Brown only played four minutes, and it remains to be seen how much run he’ll get if Ahrens is indeed out against Purdue, which Izzo said was a possibility. After practice on Tuesday, Izzo told reporters that anyone wondering why he isn’t so eager to play freshmen should come watch a practice.

Injuries are forcing his hand, and so Brown will have to play, too. He’s more of a shooter than Henry, but less of an athlete. He’ll have to find his moment. Perhaps it will take Joshua Langford to coax it out of him.