Michigan State basketball Malik Hall misses game vs. Purdue, likely 'out for a while'
EAST LANSING — Malik Hall will miss Michigan State basketball’s game Monday afternoon against Purdue. And it could be another extended absence.
Coach Tom Izzo on his pregame radio show did not specify what Hall’s latest injury is, but he expects his senior forward to potentially miss more time after sitting out eight games earlier this season with a stress reaction in his left foot.
“It looks like he’s gonna be out for a while. Maybe a long while,” Izzo said on his pregame radio show, adding he expected to learn more later Monday night or Tuesday as specialists review the scans and tests. “The preliminary stuff did not look great. Just one of those bad breaks, and we’ll see what happens.”
The 6-foot-8 senior forward did not play in the final 7:26 of MSU’s 75-66 loss at Illinois on Friday night after he appeared to twist his left ankle fighting for a loose ball on offense. Hall missed eight games in November and December with a stress reaction in his left foot, and he twisted it against Michigan on Jan. 7 but returned for the second half. He also had a toe injury in that kept him out of the first practices of the season in late September.
In nine games this season, Hall averages 9.9 points and 4.1 rebounds. He started the first four games before his stress reaction and averaged 31.8 minutes with 12.0 points and 5.3 rebounds in the first four games. Since returning Dec. 30 against Buffalo, he has come off the bench in the Spartans’ past five games and posted 8.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 19.9 minutes.
“Malik's about his calmness on the floor. I don't mean his calmness, I mean mine,” Izzo said. “When he's on the floor, there's just a settling effect. That is not gonna be there. It’s a veteran, it’s a good player, it’s a guy that really has come along ways. And yet we have to move on and see what we can do.”
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball Malik Hall likely 'out for a while'
