Malik Hall re-injures ankle vs. Illinois, continuing injury woes for MSU
Michigan State small forward Malik Hall re-injured his ankle with around seven and a half minutes to play in a tie game at Illinois. Hall never returned, and the Spartans were outscored 21-12 the rest of the way in their 75-66 loss to the Fighting Illini.
“It hurt a lot,” Izzo said of Hall's absence late in the game. “We had done a hell of a job on (Illinois forward Matthew) Mayer and then I think Joey (Hauser) got so tired because we couldn’t play Malik any. I had to play Joey to death. So that hurts Joey offensively and he’s not as good defensively. It hurt a lot, but injuries have been part of the whole year.”
Hall initially injured the ankle late in the first half of MSU's victory over Michigan, but the senior returned in the second half of that game and played in the Spartans subsequent game against Wisconsin.
Against Illinois, Hall stepped on the foot of Illini forward Coleman Hawkins while attempting a post-move in the lane. He then limped to Michigan State's bench and his night was over.
"He hurt that ankle again," head coach Tom Izzo said. "Hopefully this doesn’t keep him out. It’s a problem. I don’t know how he is going to be. I have no idea."
Several Michigan State beat writers have reported that Hall was not in a walking boot when seen leaving the visiting locker room at Illinois, which is a good sign. When asked if he was alright, Hall responded: "Yeah, I'm good."
It's been a frustrating season for MSU in terms of injuries, as both Hall and sophomore guard Jaden Akins have missed multiple games. Akins underwent foot surgery before the season, causing him to miss around eight weeks of practice leading up to the 2022-23 campaign.
Akins returned in time for the start of Michigan State's season, but after the Spartans' fourth game against Villanova both Akins and Hall missed the next four outings for the Spartans. Akins returned in time for the start of Big Ten play on Dec. 4 against Northwestern, and has played in each game since.
Hall, meanwhile, remained out until Michigan State's Dec. 30 game against Buffalo, and has played in each of the last five for the Spartans. Michigan State will host No. 3 Purdue on Monday with a chance to move back into first place atop the Big Ten standings.
“I know one thing: We’re going to show up and we need all of our fans showing up,” Izzo said.
