Isaac Haas Won't Start vs. Butler After Testing Broken Elbow Injury in Warm-Ups

Isaac Haas tried to push through it, but an elbow injury will keep the Purdue Boilermakers center out of a second-round matchup against the Butler Bulldogs on Sunday.

"Oh, he's not going to play," head coach Matt Painter told the Indianapolis Star's Gregg Doyel prior to tipoff.

Haas had previously been ruled out for the rest of the tournament due to a fractured right elbow, but he attempted to work his way back into the lineup. Allie LaForce of CBS reported the senior practiced with the team Saturday with a brace on his elbow.

Haas then went through warm-ups Sunday morning, but as GoldandBlack.com and the Journal & Courier's Nathan Baird documented, the big man didn't look right:

With Haas out, Purdue will roll with a starting five of P.J. Thompson, Carsen Edwards, Dakota Mathias, Vincent Edwards and Matt Haarms. It's the first time the Boilermakers have started those five players together this season.

Even if Haas had been cleared, it's fair to wonder how effective he would have been, as the injury could affect his shot and physicality down low.

Haas already proved how valuable he can be against Butler. At the Crossroads Classic in December, he helped lead the Boilermakers to an 82-67 victory over the Bulldogs by posting 15 points, three rebounds and one block.

Purdue's championship aspirations took a big blow when Haas went down. The 7'2" senior was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award (given to the nation's top center), averaging 14.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. Both his scoring and rebounding ranked second on the team.

Haas may be able to work his way back on the court at some point if the Boilermakers continue to advance. It just won't be Sunday against Butler.