Minnesota forward Trevor Mbakwe left early in the second half of Sunday's game with an apparent knee injury. After an MRI Monday, it was determined that Mbakwe tore his ACL and will miss the remainder of the season. The Golden Gophers struggled without him, losing for the first time all season.
Mbakwe is a double-double machine and this injury could not have come at a worse time. Ralph Sampson III is also nursing an injury, leaving Minnesota's supposedly strong frontcourt very thin. This is a crushing blow not only for Minnesota but also Mbakwe, who has turned his life around and was looking like an All-Conference player.