EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN---At only the second most inconvenient time possible (NCAA Tournament time prevails as the most), Tom Izzo and Michigan State Spartans' fans across the United States and southern Canada received the worst news, for "star senior" and stat-sheet stuffer Denzel Valentine will miss the next two-to-three weeks after undergoing a "mild arthroscopic procedure" to clean up a small chip of loose cartilage in his left knee.
Valentine, a four-year starter for the Spartans, has been phenomenal after a very good junior season (14.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG, & 4.3 APG) by posting 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.1 assists, and 1 steal per game. Additionally, the 6'5" guard has collected two triple-doubles in dominant fashion as one came against 4th ranked Kansas in the Champions Classic (29 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists) while the other was versus Boston College in a quarterfinal of the DirecTV Wooden Legacy (29 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists).
However, the fact that he could have been hobbled does present a correlation to his recent production or lack there of. Even though Valentine was the leading scorer in his team's last game at Northeastern (17 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists in 29 minutes), the 22-year old had two very turbulent outings at home when matched against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Florida considering he shot the ball very poorly (9 for 28) while averaging only 14 points. Now don't get this journalist wrong, 14 points is a good day for most, but not for a talent such as the Michigan State Spartans' star.
Yet how will his absence affect Sparty? While there should be no concern of an upset versus Oakland unless Kahlil Felder drops 30 on coach Izzo's defense, on the road at Iowa to open Big Ten play is a concerning matchup. Even with Valentine, the Hawkeyes would have had the better of the two frontcourts thanks to Jarrod Uthoff and seven-footer Adam Woodbury. Nevertheless, without him, Mike Gesell and Peter Jok look much more dangerous.
Though on a positive note, Iowa looks like the only real threat to the Spartans during their star's absence since matchups with Minnesota, Illinois, and Penn State follow. So in summation, if the Michigan State Spartans can survive on the road at Iowa, the Spartans should have no trouble keeping their unblemished record through Denzel Valentine's absence.