Is Elizabeth Kitley playing today vs Marshall? Looking at Virgnia Tech Center’s availability for NCAA Tournament

Unfortunately, Virginia Tech center Elizabeth Kitley won't be playing against Marshall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 4 seed Hokies will now have to play No. 13 seed Marshall without her.

The Athletic's Nicole Auerbach shared the news of Kitley's unavailability yesterday, later confirmed by Kitley on Instagram.

Kitley has been instrumental for the Hokies this season. She averaged 22.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game.

Elizabeth Kitley's injury update

Virginia Tech's Elizabeth Kitley confirmed the update by Auerbach with a message on Instagram:

“On March 3rd, I suffered a knee injury that is keeping me out of this years NCAA tournament. This is not at all how I anticipated ending this year with my team, but I’m so proud of all of our accomplishments, and I’m excited to see my girls continue to compete.”

Coach Kenny Brooks empathized with Kitley's struggle:

“The kid has put everything into this and she's the reason we are here. She's the reason we are here... the kid ate, slept, drank basketball, but everything Hokie basketball.”

With the 6'6" Kitley out, the team will rely on other key players like star point guard Georgia Amoore to lead it through March Madness.

Elizabeth Kitley's stats last game

Kitley played her last game against the Virginia Cavaliers. During her 22 minutes on the court, she scored 20 points while registering nine rebounds and one assist.

When will Elizabeth Kitley be back?

There's no update regarding Kitley's return to the court yet. In her IG post, Kitley also wrote:

"Thank you to all of Hokie nation for being so supportive during this tough time. I'm looking forward to making a strong comeback."

ACL injuries generally take 6-9 months of recovery, depending on the grade of injury and the effort put in by the player in rehab and conditioning.

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