INDIANAPOLIS – Mother Nature has added a new wrinkle to the Mackey Arena renovation project.
Storms last month allowed water into an area where construction was already under way, damaging Keady Court. The court must now be replaced.
"We lucked out that it happened when it did, and we lucked out that the insurance covers it," Purdue spokesman Tom Schott said Tuesday.
The arena is undergoing a $99.5 million overhaul, so the floor replacement will not change anything in terms of scheduling. Schott said the arena and the new court will be ready in time for the start of basketball practice in October.
Purdue considered repairing the floor but determined that it needed to be replaced after the May 25 and 26 storms, Schott said. He said the floor hasn't been replaced since the late 1990s.
Purdue will take advantage of the opportunity and update the floor with the new Big Ten logo a year earlier than planned.
The rededication of Mackey Arena is scheduled for Nov. 11, when the men's basketball team plays Northern Illinois. The women will play IUPUI at Mackey on Nov. 12.
The school calls the work at Mackey the most comprehensive and significant facility undertaking in the university's athletics history. Athletic director Morgan Burke said Monday that the project is going well.
"We're right on track," he said. "This will be a busy six months."
__
Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/cliffbruntap
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.