Michigan State will likely see the return of star senior and Player of the Year front-runner Denzel Valentine next week, according to a report from Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com.
Speaking to Medcalf before the No. 1 Spartans played on the road at Minnesota on Saturday afternoon, Valentine said that he was trying to return for the Penn State game on Jan. 10. Valentine has been sidelined for the last few weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee just before Christmas
“I’ll probably be back for the Penn State game,” Valentine told Medcalf. “I just have to get some of the swelling down [in the knee].”
Valentine, who is averaging 18.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.1 assists, went on to tell Medcalf that his knee is progressing and feeling better.
If Michigan State gets Valentine back for the Penn State game, they’ll have only played four games without him. After a back-and-forth battle in an overtime win over Oakland, the Spartans lost on the road at Iowa and will lose the No. 1 ranking when new polls are released next week.
Michigan State plays Minnesota on Saturday and also has a game on Jan. 7 at home against Illinois.
We’ve seen that the Spartans can be shaky without Valentine and they’ll definitely be happy to see him return to the lineup.