According to the team, there is no timetable for his return, but will be reevaluated on a weekly basis with a hope of returning before the end of the season.

Spartans coach Tom Izzo said after the win he believed Ward "dislocated a finger," but couldn't offer additional insight until the standout was further evaluated.

"I didn't even see it," Izzo said. "I don't know if he fell or he got hit on a rebound ...  at halftime they worked on him, that's why he came out a little late. We thought maybe he could go, but he just felt like he couldn't go."

Ward finished with nine points and six rebounds in nearly 20 minutes, most of which came in the first half. Ward played three and a half minutes in the second and did not return after the 17:34 mark.

Despite the shortened day, Ward's six boards was good enough to tie with Xavier Tillman for second on the team. The Spartans, however, were out-rebounded 39-37 overall, which Izzo found problematic.

"We've still gotta find a way to clean up our rebounding," Izzo said. "It blows me away, but not having Nick in there. It wasn't very fluid today, but to win a game, no matter the points, when you're not playing your best against a team that I thought played damn hard."

Ward's injury marks the latest in a series that have pestered MSU's season. Shooting guard Joshua Langford was announced last month to miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a stress injury in his left foot. Izzo has also said Cassius Winston, the team's leading scorer, is dealing with tendinitis in both knees and bench wing Kyle Ahrens is fighting chronic back pain.

Ward, averaging 15.4 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, is MSU's second-leading scorer behind Winston. He's also the team's third-best rebounder behind Tillman and forward Kenny Goins, who was day-to-day after sustaining a bone bruise in his left arm in the Spartans' win against Minnesota Feb. 9.

Even with the shortcomings, Winston said most teams is dealing with injuries to some extent at this point in the season. Regardless of Ward's status, Winston said there's still plenty of basketball to be played.

"I don't think there's a team in the country that has everyone on full go right now," he said. "It's the grind of the college experience."