Michigan forced to play conference tournament game in practice gear after plane incident

Nick Wass/AP

When Michigan took the court for their opening game of the Big Ten Tournament against Illinois, they looked a little different. That's because they were forced to wear their practice uniforms because their game uniforms were still stuck in a plane.

On Wednesday night, the plane taking the basketball team to Washington from Michigan aborted its takeoff at the last second because of high winds, according to Victor Mather of the New York Times. The plane slid off the runway and suffered "extensive damage."

While none of the players were injured, the team's uniforms had to remain behind in the cargo hold because of the ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation.

As a result, the Michigan team had to take the court on Thursday in reversible practice jerseys that included numbers on the front and back, but no names. The jerseys also did not match the navy blue shorts.

Nick Wass

Even the shoes were inconsistent. While all the players were still wearing Jordan branded sneakers, the color patterns weren't all the same, and one player was even wearing pink shoes.

Nick Wass/AP