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The Marquette Golden Eagles (25-8, 14-6 Big East) will take on the UConn Huskies (30-3, 18-2 Big East) in the Big East Tournament Final on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. This conference championship will be broadcast on FOX from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Marquette needed an overtime period to get past Villanova in the quarterfinal and defeated Providence 79-68 in the semifinal on Friday. UConn dismantled Xavier in the quarterfinal 87-60 and got a slight scare from St. Johns in their semifinal matchup but emerged victorious 95-90 on Friday.
Marquette will be without one of their key players for tonight's conference championship, whereas UConn enters this contest at full strength with selection Sunday just one day away. Here's an injury update prior to the Big East Tournament Final.
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UConn vs. Marquette basketball injuries
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
Marquette senior guard Tyler Kolek will remain out for this contest as he continues to heal from an oblique injury he suffered against Providence on Feb. 28. The good news for the Golden Eagles is that Kolek is expected to suit up for the start of the NCAA Tournament next week.
Marquette head coach Shaka Smart spoke on the expected timetable for Kolek's return prior to the start of the Big East Tournament, saying:
"The plan is absolutely for him to play next week, and he's made really good progress."
Kolek is Marquette's second-leading scorer this season, averaging 15.0 points, as well as the nation's leading assist man, averaging 7.6 assists per game.
Marquette struggled without Kolek, going 0-2 in the first two games. Since then, they have won three in a row and put themselves in a good position to be a top seed before the start of March Madness.
Sean Jones, Marquette
Sophomore guard Sean Jones remains out for the season with a torn ACL, which he suffered in January. Jones averaged 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 16 games this season.
UConn vs. Marquette prediction
This game marks the third matchup between these two teams this season, with UConn owning the season series 2-0. As a result, the Huskies are a whopping 9.5-point favorites for this conference championship.
In their first matchup against Marquette this season, the Huskies dominated the entire game to an 81-53 victory at home. Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton, and Cam Spencer were the three starters who finished with double-digit scoring in that game.
Hassan Diarra also tied his season high for scoring in that game, finishing with 14 points off the bench.
In their second meeting of the season, Marquette was able to keep things closer despite being without Kolek in that game. Leading scorer Kam Jones finished with 18 points, with leading rebounder Oso Ighodaro tallying 16 points.
The Golden Eagles were dominated on the boards in that game, losing the rebound battle by 13. They played better in that matchup defensively but couldn't overcome a Huskies team that shot 50.0% from beyond the arc. The Golden Eagles dropped to 0-2 against UConn, losing 74-67.
Kolek's absence will likely loom large in this contest, especially against a UConn team that doesn't have many exploitable flaws. The Huskies are 20-1 since Dec. 20, with their only loss coming against Creighton. They should be able to make it seven in a row and become Big East champions by beating a short-handed Marquette team tonight.
Prediction: UConn 75 - Marquette 68
