Marquette's Tyler Kolek will miss Big East Tournament opener but will be available for NCAAs

Published Mar. 13, 2024 3:22 p.m. ET

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Tyler Kolek will miss 10th-ranked Marquette's first game in the Big East Tournament as he continues to recover from an injury, coach Shaka Smart said Wednesday.

Kolek injured an abdominal muscle Feb. 28 and has missed the Golden Eagles' last three games. Marquette opens the conference tournament against Villanova or DePaul on Thursday night.

Smart said Kolek would be questionable for any Big East Tournament games beyond Thursday, if Marquette were to advance. Smart said Kolek would be available for the NCAA Tournament.

“He's still day-to-day and not planning on playing tomorrow, but he's close,” Smart said. “He practiced for part of our session today and he's been working out and continues to get treatment. The plan is absolutely for him to play next week and he's made really good progress.”

Kolek was a unanimous pick for the Associated Press All-Big East team. The All-America candidate averages 15 points, 4.7 rebounds and a nation-leading 7.6 assists per game.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball