Michigan State's Mady Sissoko, Steven Izzo test positive for COVID-19

Matt Charboneau
The Detroit News

Michigan State will be short-handed when it heads to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes on Thursday night.

Michigan State's Mady Sissoko tested positive for COVID-19.

Freshman forward Mady Sissoko and sophomore guard Steven Izzo each have tested positive for COVID-19, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said on Wednesday. Both players are currently being quarantined and following Big Ten protocols will be out of competition for 17 days. That would mean the duo will miss at least the next three games.

While the loss of Steven Izzo won’t affect the rotation, losing the 6-foot-10 Sissoko will be tougher to overcome, especially considering the Spartans (8-4, 2-4) are about to face Iowa center Luka Garza, the leading scorer in the nation.

Sissoko has seen his playing time increase over the last handful of games and he was likely going to play a key role in trying to contain the Hawkeyes' superstar.

"It saddens me because Mady was a guy that we're starting to play more minutes," Izzo said. "And we knew with Iowa and Illinois coming up that size would help. He was starting to play s, eight, 10 minutes a game and he was building towards even more. But we're just going to continue to support them."

As of Wednesday afternoon, Izzo said the team was still planning to travel to Iowa on Wednesday evening with plans to play the game, which tips off at 9 p.m. on Thursday.

“We plan on playing the game,” Izzo said, “but that could change.”

mcharboneau@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @mattcharboneau