Marquette will be without its top player for the remainder of the regular season.
Tyler Kolek will miss the Golden Eagles’ final two regular season-games due to an oblique injury, the team announced Monday. His status for the Big East Tournament is still unclear though, as he’ll be reevaluated before the start of the tournament on March 13.
The senior guard and reigning Big East Player of the Year suffered the injury during No. 5 Marquette’s win over Providence on Wednesday, causing him to sit out its loss to No. 12 Creighton on Saturday.
“We’re going to be very aggressive in helping him move forward and get ready to go,” Marquette coach Shaka Smart told reporters on Saturday. “At the same time, he’ll play when he’s ready to play.”
Kolek was in the midst of another season worthy of winning the Big East’s top individual honor, averaging 15 points per game, as well as 7.6 assists per contest, which leads the country. He has also improved his shooting from the field (48.6%) and from distance (40%), serving as arguably the biggest reason why Marquette is 22-7 (13-5) this season.
No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles vs. No. 12 Creighton Bluejays Highlights
Marquette hosts No. 3 UConn in a major conference tilt on Wednesday (8:30 p.m. ET on FS1 and the FOX sports app), which also serves as Kolek’s Senior Day. The Huskies have already clinched the Big East regular-season title, but the Golden Eagles can move a step closer to capturing the No. 2 seed in the Big East Tournament. Marquette closes out the season at Xavier on Saturday.
Kolek led Marquette to a Big East Tournament title last year, earning MVP honors as he scored 18.7 points per game over its three wins. He has another year of eligibility available due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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