The worst case scenario for Michigan's State's Kalin Lucas, which was already 85% likely, became a certainty after confirmation from an MRI on Monday night: the junior guard did indeed rupture his left Achilles' tendon in the team's win over Maryland on Sunday. Lucas will miss the rest of the Spartans' season, with recovery time estimated at 4-6 months.

Head Coach Tom Izzo remains optimistic, though, saying, "The good news is there is no doubt he will make a full and complete recovery."

Lucas was leading the team in scoring with 14.8 ppg and minutes played.

Michigan State, the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region, next plays on Friday at 9:37 p.m. EST against upstart No. 9 seed Northern Iowa.

As we mentioned earlier, it was not all good news for Michigan State after their dramatic 85-83 win over Maryland on Sunday.

Kalin Lucas, a a two-time All-Big Ten guard, was seen near the end of the game in a walking boot after suffering a foot injury in the first half. But wait, the bad news gets worse: later, Coach Tom Izzo said that it's probably a tear of Lucas' left Achilles' tendon.

"It looks like it might be a torn Achilles, to be honest with you," Izzo said after the game. "That poor kid was devastated. … I don’t know that for sure, so it’s not a diagnosed thing. There have been no X-rays or MRIs, but the prognosis is 85 percent that."

A tear obviously means Lucas would be out for the rest of the tournament. Michigan State's next game is against No. 9 seed Northern Iowa, which knocked off overall No. 1 seed Kansas Saturday night.

Expect more reaction at our MSU blog, The Only Colors.