Purdue's John Hart Out 4-6 Weeks

Purdue's search for a consistent third scorer took a hit this evening. John Hart, the sophomore sharpshooter from Beech Grove, will miss the next four to six weeks of the season with a stress fracture in his foot that will require surgery. Through eight games he has been Purdue's most consistent scorer behind E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, averaging 8.4 points per game in 17 minutes per night. he was also second on the team, behind Moore, in 3-point shooting by going 16 of 35 from long range.

This is another blow for a team that has struggled with injuries for the last few seasons. Lewis Jackson missed most of last season with a foot injury, and Sandi Marcius was forced to redshirt with a similar injury. Robbie Hummel, of course, has twice torn his ACL and will miss all of this season. Hart had appeared to be a solid thid option early on with his timely 3-point shooting. He scored in double figures in each of Purdue's first three games, including a career high 16 against Alcorn State:

Hart has hit at least one three pointer in seven of Purdue's eight contests, only missing when he was held scoreless against Southern Illinois. It is possible Hart could return shortly after Purdue starts Big Ten play. The Boilermakers have four non-conference games remaining before traveling to Michigan on December 28th to start Big Ten play. they will likely be favored in every game until playing at Minnesota on January 13th, as three of their first four conference games are against the projected three worst teams in the conference in Michigan, Penn State, and Iowa.