Branden Dawson injures his left wrist in Michigan State's win
An otherwise satisfying victory turned scary for Michigan State midway through the second half when the Spartans' most important player fell hard to the floor attempting a tip dunk and braced the impact to his tailbone with his left wrist.
Branden Dawson stood up wincing and shaking his wrist before retreating to the locker room where trainers wrapped the injury in ice. He watched the final nine minutes of Michigan State's 66-46 rout of Eastern Michigan from the Spartans bench.
The initial diagnosis for Dawson's wrist is a bad sprain, but the senior forward will undergo further tests on Thursday to assess whether there is any more damage. Michigan State coach Tom Izzo told reporters in East Lansing that an initial X-Ray came back negative but Dawson "is going to miss some time here, there's no doubt about that."
"I saw the tape and it wasn't pretty," Izzo added. "But he's tough as nails, maybe he'll bounce back."
Michigan State (8-3) ought to be able to survive without Dawson in its next two games against lightweights Texas Southern and the Citadel, but the Spartans will miss him dearly if he can't return in time for the start of Big Ten play on Dec. 30. The first three conference opponents Michigan State will face are Maryland, Indiana and Iowa.
Dawson, Michigan State's top returning player from last year's Elite Eight team, was averaging 11.6 points per game and a team-best 8.7 rebounds per game. The versatile 6-foot-6 forward's spill was not unlike the one Keith Appling endured last December, leaving the senior point guard with a lingering right hand injury that derailed his season and perhaps Michigan State's Final Four hopes too.
What Michigan State has to hope this year is that Dawson's injury heals quicker and doesn't linger as long.
Yes, Dawson hasn't evolved into a go-to threat offensively the way many expected he would as a senior. Yes, the Spartans just regained the services of previously injured freshman forward Javon Bess on Wednesday night.
But to contend in the Big Ten, Michigan State needs a healthy Dawson to provide interior scoring, rebounding, leadership and defensive versatility. That's why it will surely be nervous night for the Spartans as they await a more complete prognosis for Dawson in the morning.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
