by Bill DiFilippo / @bflip33
Senior big man Adreian Payne has missed Michigan State’s last seven games due to plantar fasciitis, but according to Tom Izzo, he should be good to go on Thursday when the Spartans host Penn State.
Michigan State is 5-2 in Payne’s absence, but has lost two of its last three games. The big man is averaging 16.2 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game on the season.
From MLive:
“I’m hoping and expecting him to play some, how much will be determined in the next three days,” Izzo said Monday morning on WJR 760 AM. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe an injection of Adreian Payne will give us something to build on.”
“He ran with the doctors, I guess it went pretty well,” Izzo said. “He called me last night and said he’s feeling well. Today’s practice will determine a lot.”
Payne’s struggled in Michigan State’s first game against Penn State this season, scoring 5 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. While the Spartans have struggled recently, the Nittany Lions come in with a three-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the conference.
