INDIANAPOLIS -- For Purdue, bad was getting obliterated in the first half by the score of 37-11.
Worse was the moment that leading scorer E'Twaun Moore rolled his left ankle after colliding with Minnesota's Damian Johnson. The crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse, 60 miles from Purdue's campus, went silent as Moore hobbled off the floor without the aid of a trainer.
Moore did return to the game and played four minutes in the second half.
If Moore is OK for the NCAA tournament, that will take some of the sting off a dreadful 69-42 loss to Minnesota. The Gophers' victory should put them in the NCAA tournament and definitely sends them to the finals of the Big Ten tournament against top-seeded Ohio State.
Ten players scored for Minnesota, which improved to 21-12. This will be the Gophers' first ever trip to the finals of the Big Ten tournament.
Purdue shot 16 for 58 (27.6 percent) from the field.
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