Marquette Golden Eagles’ point guard Tyler Kolek has not played since February 28 against the Providence Friars. He has been sidelined with an oblique injury and has missed the last six games. There was some speculation that he was going to be back for the Big East Conference tournament, but he never played despite them reaching the final before losing to the UCONN Huskies.
On Sunday night, head coach Shaka Smart was interviewed by CBS Sports Jon Rothstein. Smart had a funny response to Rothstein’s question about Kolek’s status by saying:
“Should I answer now or wait until you text me every day between now & then?”
In all seriousness aside, Smart mentioned that Kolek should be ready to go on Friday afternoon against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
The Golden Eagles finished the season with a 23-8 record and the Hilltoppers finished with a 19-11 record. Marquette for the second consecutive season is a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament and they are hoping to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament this time around.
The Marquette Golden Eagles Need Tyler Kolek Healthy To Make a Run
Marquette needs Kolek healthy to make a run to the Final Four and maybe a national title. In 28 games during the regular season, he averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 7.6 APG. Assuming the Golden Eagles win the first matchup, they are on a collision course potentially with 7 Florida Gators in the second round.
There are a lot of Golden Eagles fans who feel like Florida is an extremely tough matchup for Marquette because of their size and rebounding and also elite guard play. The other teams that are also in Marquette’s bracket that will be tough are the 1 Houston Cougars and the 3 Kentucky Wildcats.
There’s a possibility that the Marquette Golden Eagles could have a rematch with the 5 Wisconsin Badgers in the Elite 8 should both teams make it that far in the NCAA Tournament. Marquette has other reliable players like David Joplin, Oso Ighodaro, and Kam Jones, but Tyler Kolek is the best player on the team and they need him. Having him could be the difference between losing in the second round and possibly getting to the Final Four.