Minnesota F Mbakwe to miss rest of season

Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota forward Trevor Mbakwe will miss the remainder of the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee during Sunday night's title game against Dayton in the Old Spice Classic.

Mbakwe hurt his knee while going up for a rebound in the second half, and did not return in the Gophers' 86-70 loss. Surgery to repair his knee will be scheduled in the upcoming weeks.

"Trevor's done everything we've asked him to do in his time here at the University of Minnesota. He's been through an awful lot," Gopher head coach Tubby Smith said. "That says a lot about his toughness to be able to recover from the things he has already endured.

"He had a knee surgery before (at Marquette) and for it to happen a second time, you hurt for him, but you know he's a guy that has the will power and has been through it before and can recover again. We are certainly going to miss him. He's having a great year. He's our leader. He's been a big emotional leader for us. Our players look up to Trevor, not just because of his talent, but because of his work ethic, and the type of person he���s been."

Mbakwe led the team in scoring (14.0 points per game) and rebounding (9.1 rpg) in seven games played this season.