Marquette Golden Eagles’ point guard Tyler Kolek’s status for the NCAA Tournament has been disclosed. Kolek has been out of action since February 28 due to an oblique injury, missing the last six games. Despite expectations of a return for the Big East Conference tournament, he remained sidelined, even as Marquette reached the final but lost to UCONN.
During an interview with CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein on Sunday night, head coach Shaka Smart humorously responded to questions about Kolek’s status, jokingly asking if he should answer now or wait for daily texts. However, Smart indicated that Kolek should be ready to play against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Friday afternoon.
Marquette, with a 23-8 record, is a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and aims for a deep tournament run. Kolek’s presence is crucial for their success, given his contributions with an average of 15.0 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 7.6 APG in 28 regular-season games. Marquette faces potential challenges from teams like Florida, Houston, Kentucky, and possibly Wisconsin in their bracket, highlighting the importance of Kolek’s return for their tournament aspirations and potential Final Four ambitions.
