Michigan State no longer has room for error without Nick Ward

Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo speaks to the media on Monday, Feb. 18, 2019, in East Lansing. Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press

EAST LANSING — It was shaky for a while and, at times, ugly. But then that wasn’t surprising, considering Michigan State’s basketball team was another man down.

Again.

This time the Spartans were missing forward Nick Ward, the team’s best interior scorer and the only player besides Cassius Winston who can consistently create his own shot.

A few weeks ago, when the Spartans got news Joshua Langford needed season-ending foot surgery, they struggled. They looked similarly foggy Wednesday night at the Breslin Center against Rutgers, falling behind by seven at the…