MSU Hoops: Tom Izzo Updates Tyson Walker's Health Status Ahead Of Illinois

Momentum shifted entirely away from Michigan State when leading-scorer Tyson Walker reaggravated a nagging groin injury in the Spartans' 59-56 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday.

Walker returned and was able to finish the game, but could be seen wincing and moving gingerly at times down the stretch. The fifth-year senior was limited during Michigan State's Thursday practice heading into Saturday's game against No. 10 Illinois (2 p.m. ET), but head coach Tom Izzo said that was his own decision, not Walker's.

"He wanted to practice," Izzo said. "We let him practice a little bit early, go over some stuff, and I just kept him out. I think he knows his stuff, he's going to play enough minutes, so that all falls on me, not him. He wanted to go and I said he's not going. Not because I'm worried about it, just because, [with] this frickin schedule, he needs a day."

At the beginning of February, Izzo revealed that Walker has been dealing with a nagging groin injury for some time. That's just the latest in a list of ailments the senior has played through this season. The others include shin splints early in the year, an illness that caused him to miss a game for the first time in his MSU career, and a hip injury in early December.

Through it all, Walker still averages 19 points per game and is perhaps MSU's best perimeter defender. The senior adds 3.4 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals to his "per game" totals. Walker's offensive skillset and Michigan State's reliance on him has put the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder in the crosshairs of the Spartans' opponents, however.

"He is tough, he's got great toughness," Izzo said. "He get's beat up. Not just because he's small, but [also] being the best player, the best shooter — people are hanging on him, bumping him, grinding him. It gets frustrating a little bit too, and that happens a lot."

Michigan State is a 2.5-point favorite heading into Saturday's game against the Fighting Illini.

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