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DETROIT -- Purdue center Isaac Haas isn't ready to give up on his final college season two days after fracturing his elbow in a hard fall during the opening round of the NCAA tournament. Haas did not play Sunday in Purdue's 76-73 win over Butler in the second round. Purdue announced Friday that Haas would need surgery, but he said he's hoping that a few days of rest might give him a chance to loosen up the injured elbow enough to help the Boilermakers against Texas Tech in the Sweet 16. "Even if it's just one minute, it's worth it," Haas said Sunday afternoon. "Maybe with some decrease in inflammation. Maybe with some opportunities to rest it without any kind of additional treatment, maybe some natural healing will do it well. One thing is for sure: I'm going to ride with these guys as long as they last." Haas suited up for Sunday's game and warmed up with a large elbow brace wrapped in tape. The NCAA rules do not allow players to wear "nonpliable" casts or braces on any part of their lower arm. The governing body examined Haas' brace Sunday and decided he would not be allowed to play while wearing it. Head coach Matt Painter said it would have been highly unlikely that Haas would have seen any action had he been cleared, but Haas said he would've done his best to convince the coach he was healthy enough to play. "It was really up to Coach Painter and how he felt I was a liability at the time," Haas said. "I felt like I would've been a pretty good asset for a few minutes." Redshirt freshman Matt Haarms started in Haas' place and played 29 minutes, scoring seven points and collecting six rebounds. Haarms said Haas helped him with words of support and advice from the bench throughout the game. Painter said Haas will hold off on having surgery while Purdue continues it run in the tournament. He said Haas would have to prove that he can use both arms to get a rebound and shoot free throws with his right hand (Haas attempted to shoot with his left during warm-ups Sunday) before he would allow the 7-foot-2 center in a game. "If you're going into a game you're definitely going to get fouled, and if you're going to miss two free throws it's just a turnover," Painter told Haas. "He's got to be able to work through that here in a week. He obviously fractured his elbow, but we definitely don't want to do anything that will put him in jeopardy of hurting his career." Painter said he knows that Haas will try to convince him he can play, but the coach said he'll rely on what his team's doctors and athletic trainers tell him before making any decisions.
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