Will Lewis Jackson return?

Purdue's Lewis Jackson has a tough decision to make.

You see, Jackson, who started for the Boilermakers are the point last season, has been out all year after undergoing surgery to repair a broken bone in his foot. But Jackson is close to being back. While he still isn't cleared to play 5-on-5 yet, he has been participating in non-contact drills in practice.

Which makes it very likely that Jackson will be able to return this season.

The questions is will he want to.

Is a year of eligibility worth 1/3 of a season?
(photo credit: AP)

Jackson hasn't played this season, and in an absolute best-case scenario, Jackson would only be able to play in 11 regular season games (and even that is assuming he would be ready to play against Wisconsin on Thursday, which is highly unlikely). Is Jackson willing to use up a year of eligibility on a third of a season in which he is coming off of foot surgery?

This isn't the first time that we've run into a situation like this.

In his second game as a freshman for the Tar Heels, Tyler Zeller took a hard fall after being fouled by Kentucky's Ramon Harris and fractured his wrist. Many thought he would be out for the season, but Zeller recovered quickly from the injury and made the decision to return for UNC's final seven regular season games. While his minutes after he returned were limited in comparison to the first two games, he played those limited minutes as a contributor for a team that won a national title.

You think that year of eligibility was worth playing in a Final Four and contributing to a national title?

Jackson will face a similar dilemma. Purdue, despite their three straight losses, is a contender to make a Final Four run even without Jackson. But they are sorely lacking a point guard, and with Jackson filling that void, they are a much more complete team.

To his credit, Painter is leaving the decision up to Jackson. There is no sense in rushing Jackson back and risking further injury simply to get him on the floor.

That said, once he is cleared, the decision of whether or not to risk the medical redshirt will be all on Jackson. Do you think there is any way he passes up playing with a team that has a shot at making a deep run in March?

I don't.