Alex Roux, BTN.com editor, March 10, 2017

WASHINGTON — Michigan was back in its normal on-court attire Friday, as its game uniforms were removed from their grounded plane and shipped to Washington, D.C. in time for the Wolverines' Big Ten Tournament matchup with Purdue.

But at least one part of Michigan junior Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman's wardrobe carried over from the team's Thursday practice jersey look: his bright pink Jordan 31's.

According to Abdur-Rahkman, the shoes were originally worn in Michigan's Jan. 26 game against Indiana to promote breast cancer awareness. He hadn't worn them in a game since, because team rules require the players to all wear the same style. But when the Wolverines' plane skidded off the runway Wednesday and the equipment on it was subject to investigation, the pink kicks came back into play.

"Those were the only shoes I had in my locker after what happened to us," Abdur-Rahkman said Friday. "And I was like, might as well (wear them)."

So Abdur-Rahkman packed the pink shoes before Michigan rushed to D.C. Thursday morning in time to face Illinois. He scored 17 points in Michigan's 75-55 win over the Illini on Thursday, looking great in the pink shoes-practice jersey combo. And even with their normal gear returned to them Friday, Abdur-Rahkman was back out there in the pink shoes against No. 1 seed Purdue. The 6-4 guard dropped 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a thrilling 74-70 overtime win.

At this point, Abdur-Rahkman should keep playing in pink until Michigan loses. Why mess with what's working?