The #10 Marquette Golden Eagles have not had point guard Tyler Kolek for the last three games due to an oblique injury. He has played a huge role in the season for Marquette. The Golden Eagles finished the regular season with a 23-8 overall record and a 14-6 record in Big East Conference play.
They finished with the same record as the #8 Creighton Blue Jays during the regular season. However, the Marquette Golden Eagles will be the third seed in the Big East Conference tournament. On Thursday, they will face the winner of #11 Depaul Blue Demons and the #6 Villanova Wildcats.
The tipoff for that matchup will be at 9:30 p.m. ET on FS1. The tournament is being played at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. Marquette is looking to win the tournament for the second consecutive season, but it going to be extremely difficult because of how good #2 UCONN Huskies are.
#10 Marquette Golden Eagles Tyler Kolek Is Not Expected to Play on Thursday Against Either DePaul or Villanova
According to Jeff Goodman, Kolek is not expected to play on Thursday for Marquette. Should they win that matchup on Thursday, he has not been ruled for any of the other games. Head coach Shaka Smart is thinking that they can win their first-round game without Kolek and it is possible they are saving him for a potential third meeting with #8 Creighton in the Big East Conference Semifinals on Friday.
Kolek played in 28 games during the regular season for Marquette. He averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 7.6 APG, 0.1 BPG, and 1.6 SPG. Kolek shot 48.6% from the field, 40.0% from three-point land, and also shot 88.0% from the free-throw line. He was the Big East Player of the Year a season ago.
In order for Marquette to have a chance in this tournament or the NCAA Tournament, they will need Kolek back at some point. For as deep as the Golden Eagles, they need him healthy.
