Michigan updates injury status for Jett Howard ahead of Purdue game

Michigan gave an update on injured star Jett Howard ahead of its matchup with No. 1 Purdue on Thursday.

Howard suffered an ankle injury in Michigan’s win over Minnesota on Sunday. X-rays were negative, but Howard’s status going forward remains unknown.

On Wednesday morning, a Michigan spokesman told reporters that Howard did not practice on Tuesday due to the injury. The spokesman described his status as “day to day.”

Per a Michigan spokesman: Jett Howard did not practice yesterday. He is "day to day. We'll see what happens today." He's working with trainer Chris Hunter.

Jace Howard and Youssef Khayat were limited in practice yesterday.

— Clayton Sayfie (@CSayf23) January 25, 2023

Michigan coach Juwan Howard seemed slightly more optimistic about his son’s chances to play.

“In Jett’s mind, he’s saying he’s going to play,” Howard said.

Michigan coach Juwan Howard says Jett Howard (ankle) is officially day-to-day against Purdue.

"In Jett's mind, he's saying he's going to play." But his health will come first.

— Alejandro Zúñiga (@ByAZuniga) January 25, 2023

If Michigan doesn’t have Howard vs. Purdue, it would be a big loss. Howard has been Michigan’s best perimeter scorer so far this season, averaging 14.6 points per game. He’s also the team’s best 3-point shooter as he’s made 38.2% of his long-range tries on a volume of 6.9 attempts per game.

Purdue, meanwhile, enters this game as the No. 1 team in the country. The Boilermakers are 17-1 on the season and have won 6 games in a row.

Tipoff from Ann Arbor is at 9:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night.