Last night in a one point victory at Minnesota, their win was overshadowed by the loss of Robbie Hummel. His immediate injury was unknown until today when around noon sources disclosed the injury as a torn ACL to his right knee. One of the best in the business, Dr. Don Shelbourne will perform the surgery at an undisclosed time. It wouldn’t surprise me if the team tries to wait it out and see if he is able to contribute in the tournament. Alan Henderson played with a torn ACL many years ago. DaJuan Blair is doing it to this day in San Antonio. (Purdue just sent out an email indicating that Hummel is done for the season and will have surgery soon)
This is a huge loss for a solid Purdue basketball team. Hummel led the team in rebounding and is second in scoring. He was averaging 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. His defense however, may have been his biggest strength. Night after night he was matched up against the other teams best player. They will lose a leader. They will lose their general on the court. Coach Painter commented, “Injuries are a part of the game, but this is obviously disappointing on multiple levels because of everything Robbie Hummel has done for this program both on and off the court. As he begins his recovery and rehab, Robbie will continue to provide integral leadership as we pursue our team goals down the stretch.”
Because of this loss, Keaton Grant will be the guy that has to step up. The loss now will certainly affect their seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. They still have a shot at a Big Ten Tournament championship, though the chances are now even more slim. In the short term, they will step up and compensate. Down the road however, I think the loss both physically and mentally will be too much. The Boilers have squeaked out a win their last few games…but no longer.
GO HOOSIERS!
What goes around comes around…
As you said this really kills any chance Purdue had to get to the Final Four. The kid sounded alright, but the team was over-rated with him.