EAST LANSING, Mich—The No. 10 Michigan State men’s basketball team will play Wednesday afternoon’s non-conference finale against the High Point Panthers short-handed after it was announced on Tuesday by head coach Tom Izzo that four players on the roster would be held out of the game due to COVID-19 protocols, with the possibility of five.

Those being held out are senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr, freshman forward Pierre Brooks, freshman guard Max Christie and walk-on Steven Izzo. Both Bingham and Christie have started every game for the Spartans. The pair combined account for 20.2 points per game and 11.3 rebounds as well as strong interior and perimeter defense. 

Bingham has established himself as the Spartans’ best interior defender, leading the team with 3.1 blocks per game. That is the second-best mark in the Big Ten behind Indiana center Trayce Jackson-Davis and the 13th overall mark in Division I.

Izzo also said that sophomore guard Davis Smith is questionable for tomorrow’s game.

Candidates to replace Christie in the lineup include sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard or freshman Jaden Akins, while Izzo could turn to Mady Sissoko or Julius Marble to fill Bingham’s void in the starting lineup. 

MSU’s home contest against High Point is still scheduled to go ahead as planned, as is its road conference matchup against Northwestern on Jan. 2. If Smith is unavailable tomorrow, the Spartans will be left with eight scholarship players and two walk-ons in forwards Michael Peterson and Peter Nwoke.