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Report: Tom Izzo considering playing Keith Appling less

Nebraska v Michigan State

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Duane Burleson

After a season full of injuries and illnesses, Michigan State finally has everyone on their roster available to play.

That didn’t stop the Spartans from losing to Illinois on Saturday, their third loss in the last four games and sixth loss in the last 10 games.

The problem now is Keith Appling, who has played like a shell of himself since sitting out three games to try to get his ailing right wrist healthy. He says it doesn’t hurt anymore, according to Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free-Press, but that he’s favoring it, struggling to find the shooting form he had before suffering the injury on December 4th.

It’s put head coach Tom Izzo in a tough situation. It’s March. Michigan State is more or less out of time to try and get healthy, so does he try to help Appling figure out what’s wrong or does he simply pull Appling off the court for backup Travis Trice when he’s struggling?

“Yeah, I really am (considering that) as far as minutes goes and things like that,” Izzo said Monday. “I’m not going to pull Keith on senior night. I’m not going to put that pressure on him.”

“Could (Trice) have had a few more minutes? I think that’s a good one to throw stones at me on because I think it’s true. I think it’s valid. But I’m also in that catch-22 of wanting to win games and wanting to get us as ready as we can get for the tournament, and what’s going to be the best tournament team, and what’s going to help us win games?”

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