CHICAGO — Michigan State basketball’s Kyle Ahrens suffered a left foot injury with 4:34 left in the first half of the Big Ten tournament title game against Michigan. An MSU spokesman at halftime said X-rays were negative for a fracture. Ahrens returned to the MSU bench using crutches with about 14:10 left in the second half, to the cheers of Spartan fans and his teammates. He took a seat at the end of the bench. More:Ahrens emblematic of Spartans' season so far: Banged-up and emotional The junior forward, already battling a bad back, crashed to the floor and immediately grabbed his left ankle. Referees stopped play, and MSU trainers quickly ran to Ahrens, who was crying and covering his face as they attended to him. Medical staff brought out a stretcher and immobilized Ahrens’ leg. United Center was silent as he laid on the court. Tom Izzo was visibly upset, Nick Ward was crying and gave Ahrens a hug. Joshua Langford, out with a foot injury, wheeled his scooter over and gave Ahrens a big, long hug before he was wheeled back to the locker room. With fans chanting his name and applauding, Ahrens thumped his chest as he cried heading toward the tunnel. MSU’s Matt McQuaid hit a 3-pointer immediately after the stoppage. Ahrens, a 6-foot-5 fourth-year player from Versailles, Ohio, has been playing through a bad back since December, which has forced him to miss four games. He suffered a right foot injury that forced him to take a redshirt last season, and Ahrens also suffered a broken leg as a junior in high school.<doc-sep>Michigan State forward Kyle Ahrens suffered a scary injury in the Big Ten championship game that left everyone stunned. Ahrens went up for a routine rebound during the second half and landed awkwardly, falling to the ground and clutching his ankle. Tough injury in the Big 10 Championship... Michigan State forward Kyler Ahrens came down on his left ankle. Prayers to Kyle for a speedy recovery. pic.twitter.com/PYgXn6v45U — Sports Plug (@_SportsPlug) March 17, 2019 Ahrens had become a critical role player for the Spartans this season, and his impact on the team was shown immediately reactions from players and staff. Coach Tom Izzo fought back tears after checking on Ahrens, with teammates openly weeping on the floor as he was taken off with an air cast. Watching these Michigan State kids cry alongside their injured teammate is making me cry. Wow. pic.twitter.com/Ga8ek4t6uD — Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) March 17, 2019 The immediate concern was that Ahrens had broken his ankle, especially after microphones on the court picked him up saying as much. CBS broadcast picking up Kyle Ahrens screaming and saying "I broke it" there was brutal. Just awful. — Mike Rutherford (@CardChronicle) March 17, 2019 The team rallied around Ahrens, but the moment clearly left them stunned. Michigan went on a run following the injury, cruising to a 31-23 halftime lead after trailing early in the game. Thankfully there was excellent news from the Michigan State locker room, x-rays in the arena were negative for a fracture. Nothing would be better than seeing Ahrens make his return during the NCAA Tournament, though it’s unclear how severe the injury is at this time. Ahrens returned to the court to raucous applause on crutches to support his team.<doc-sep>Chicago — For a brief few minutes, Kyle Ahrens laid on the court clutching his left leg. Only his sobs pierced the silence that overtook the United Center during the Big Ten tournament championship game between Michigan State and Michigan. The Spartans junior had just leapt into the air for a rebound and landed on another player’s foot, rolling his left ankle over before crumbling to the ground. “I felt it pop and I broke my leg several times and I thought it was one of those moments because it hurt worse than when I broke it,” Ahrens said after Michigan States 65-60 win. “I for sure thought I broke it and I was done and …” Ahrens trailed off, shaking his head finding what happened next almost hard to believe. After being loaded on a stretcher and thanking coaches and teammates on the way out – the most Kyle Ahrens thing ever – the junior was taken in for X-rays at the arena. They came back negative for a fracture. The relief was felt everywhere, from Ahrens to his parents who were courtside and waiting for their son in the tunnel to coach Tom Izzo and Ahrens’ teammates. Izzo and most of the player fought back tears as they crowded around Ahrens, a player who has fought injuries his entire career. “He thought it was broke and his career was over,” Izzo said. “It’s one of those times you won’t forget in a coaching career. At halftime when he came walking in and it wasn’t broke, it was so uplifting to the players. “It’s bad. The thing’s like a balloon already, but I think the players … that’s why this team is such a cool team. The all gathered around him. I tried to get them back in the huddle and they told me were to go and I agreed with them.” Ahrens has been hampered by a bad back all season, just one of many injuries the native of Versailles, Ohio, has dealt with throughout his career. He’s had two broken legs and has had surgery twice on his foot, the last foot injury forcing him to miss the entire 2017-18 season. Izzo declared Ahrens out for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, but the resilient Ahrens was at least holding out some hope. “It’s so swollen I thought it was displaced,” Ahrens said. “I don’t know, just take it day-by-day and see how it feels, but it’s huge. It’s the size of a softball. I’ve never really had a sprained ankle like that or I don’t know if it’s ligaments or what it is. I’m just happy these guys clutched it out and were able to get win.” Izzo said the rallying cry at halftime was to win for Ahrens and Joshua Langford, who has missed most of the season with a broken foot. “That means the world to me,” Ahrens said. “We all have each other’s back. This is what makes it so special. We’re always going everywhere together, always together no matter what, always have each other’s back, no matter what. We’re brothers for life.” mcharboneau@detroitnews.com Twitter: @mattcharboneau<doc-sep>
Michigan State reserve guard Kyle Ahrens was placed on a stretcher by paramedics and transported off the court after suffering a left ankle injury in the first half of the Spartans' 65-60 win over Michigan (28-6, 17-6) in the Big Ten tournament title game at Chicago's United Center on Sunday. Spartans coach Tom Izzo said after the game that Ahrens is done for the season. Ahrens said he was relieved X-rays showed the ankle was not broken, but the extent of the injury was not clear. He will have an MRI once the softball-sized swelling goes down. "I'm just happy it's not [broken]," Ahrens said. "I'll just take it day by day." Ahrens landed awkwardly on a play and collapsed to the floor, screaming in pain. Paramedics put an air cast on his left leg. Michigan State's Kyle Ahrens is attended to by teammates after suffering an injury in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines during the championship game of the Big Ten basketball tournament. Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images His teammates had an emotional reaction to the sight of Ahrens, who has battled a back injury throughout the season, writhing in pain as paramedics treated him. Michigan State forward Nick Ward openly wept as he stood near his teammate. Izzo bent down and held Ahrens' hand. When he got up, he wiped tears from his eyes. "He thought it was broke,'' Izzo said. "He thought his career was over. He was thanking everybody. It was one of those times that you don't forget in your coaching career.'' Ahrens' younger brother, Justin, who plays for Ohio State, was quick to tweet support to Ahrens: yall cant even put into imagination what he been through the past 6 years. true definition of a WARRIOR💯 nothin but love and respect brotha https://t.co/axGXpN7db2 — Justin Ahrens (@ahrensjustin12) March 17, 2019 The Spartans junior was able to return to the bench during the second half sporting a walking boot and using crutches. The crowd greeted him with loud cheers. Ahrens is averaging 4.8 points per game for Michigan State (28-6, 19-4). The Spartans start the NCAA tournament on Thursday against the Bradley Braves. The Associated Press contributed to this report.