Robbie Hummel Lost For The Season

Purdue fans had their worst fears realized today, as it was announced that Robbie Hummel's injury against Minnesota was an ACL tear, and he'll be out for the season. We won't get another chance to see the team play until Sunday, when they play Michigan State at home, but we can take a guess at how Purdue will play. And the answer is that despite the loss of one of the best players in the country I don't expect Purdue to fall off a cliff. I still think they'll be the best team in the Big Ten, although the gap will narrow.

The fact is that Purdue has quite a few stars, and the other four starters besides Hummel all have the ability to lead the team at times. But the problem is that a few times this season those other stars haven't brought it, and Hummel has carried the team on his back. You also have to wonder what will happen should they face Ohio State in the Big Ten tournament title game, and whether Evan Turner will be able to run away with things. We all remember that great Hummel-Turner duel earlier in the season, and as good as players like E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson are, neither can match Evan Turner basket for basket.

But I do expect them to beat Michigan State this weekend, I expect them to win the regular season Big Ten title, and I still give them as good of a chance as anybody of winning the Big Ten tournament. But they will still really feel Hummel's loss, and at the moment I'm leaning towards dropping them from a 1 seed to a 2 seed. And more importantly, it really damages their chances of getting to a Final Four with this core of players.