The Purdue Boilermakers are in the Sweet 16 of this year's NCAA Tournament, but they are in serious danger of playing another game without star center Isaac Haas.


Haas, a 7-2 senior, suffered a fractured elbow in the first game of the tournament on Friday when going for a rebound. He tried to play in the Round of 32 Sunday against Butler, but the NCAA deemed his brace unacceptable.




According to jconline.com, the Boilermakers' sports medicine program has reached out to a team of engineers hoping they can build Haas an acceptable brace before their Sweet 16 matchup against Texas Tech.


Despite missing Sunday's win over the Bulldogs, Haas remained hopeful he'd return to the court for the Sweet 16.
"Maybe with some decrease in inflammation," Haas said, via ESPN.com. "Maybe with some opportunities to rest it without any kind of additional treatment, maybe some natural healing will do it well," Haas said Sunday. "One thing is for sure I'm going to ride with these guys as long as they last. I know they'll make it all the way."


Fellow 7-footer Matt Haarms stepped up in Haas' absence, but the Boilermakers would be legitimate threats to cut down the nets in April should Haas return and prove effective