The Michigan Wolverines point guard rotation took a hit on Tuesday night during their 66-64 victory over the Purdue Boilermakers. Junior guard Eso Akunne played just two minutes in the Big Ten conference win, but those two minutes ended with bad news.
Akunne sustained an injury to the fifth metatarsal on his left foot that will cause him to undergo surgery this weekend as doctors insert a screw to stabilize the injured bone. Surgery is scheduled to be done Friday at the University of Michigan hospital.
"We all feel bad for Eso because he has worked so hard to work his way into this rotation," said Beilein. "His attitude, however, is so good that I am certain he will bounce back from this and return to practice as soon as he can. Eso has been a big part of this team's success over the last two years, even if that does not show up in the boxscore. We hope he will be able to help this team again sometime in March."
Akunne played in just 12 games for the Wolverines this season as one of the back-up guards, but only averaged about four minutes per game in mostly mop-up duty.
In a classic Big Ten matchup between two teams holding onto hopes of winning the conference, the Michigan Wolverines prevailed by a score of 66-64 at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette on Tuesday night.
Michigan shut out Purdue over the final 1:55 of regulation, and Lewis Jackson missed a game-winning three point attempt in the final seconds to end the game in Michigan's favor.
Sophomore guard Tim Hardaway led Michigan with 19 points while Jordan Morgan (12 points on 5-7 shooting) and Stu Douglass (12 points on 5-8 shooting) contributed with extremely efficient offensive performances.
With the win, the Wolverines improve to 16-5 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten, while the Boilermakers fall to 14-7 overall and 4-4 in league play.
Purdue was led by Jackson (17 points and 8 assists) and Robbie Hummel (16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists).
The Wolverines get a few days off now to gear up for a huge three-game stretch, which starts on Sunday when they visit the 17-3 Ohio St. Buckeyes. After that, they host the 16-4 Indiana Hoosiers and then go back on the road for a matchup against the 16-4 Michigan St. Spartans.
