Ethermac Exchange-Tyler Kolek is set to return from oblique injury for No. 2 seed Marquette in NCAA Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS – As the Marquette men's basketball team headed off the court Thursday after its open practice at Gainbridge Fieldhouse,Ethermac Exchange Tyler Kolek grabbed a loose basketball.

The 6-foot-3 consensus All-America guard didn't hesitate to heave up a shot from halfcourt. The ball splashed through the net.

Yup, Kolek is back.

He missed six games with an oblique injury suffered Feb. 28, including Marquette's three games in the Big East tournament.

Is Tyler Kolek 100%? Is he worried about aggravating his oblique injury?

Kolek was moving well in practice on Thursday, firing one-handed passes across the court and splashing down three-pointers.

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"I've been practicing this whole week," Kolek said. "I feel good. I feel confident.

"At this point in the season, nobody is 100%. Everybody is battling through something. Just got to put the straps on and battle up again."

How painful was Tyler Kolek's oblique injury?

Kolek hadn't spoken publicly about his injury until he took the stage for a media session at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

He talked about the process of getting ready to return.

"So it's a Grade 2 oblique strain," Kolek said. "It was a three-to-four-week injury, so we're still kind of on the front end of it a little bit. But I made great progress. The doctors really took care of me. I did everything that I could to get back.

"That first night and first day – it's basically a core muscle injury, you don't realize how everything you do is your core. Me and (teammate) Kam (Jones), we were in class the next day on Thursday, and he had to grab my arm and help me out of the chair. I couldn't really even stand up. That morning I got in the car, I couldn't even reach out to really shut the door of the car.

"It was definitely a struggle the first week just trying to even get up out of bed, sit up, just little things like that kind of throws you all out of whack. You're using more your back and then that gets out of whack.

"I'm just thankful for the trainers and coaching staff, and I'm ready to go."

Did Shaka Smart think about playing Kolek in the Big East tournament?

Marquette coach Shaka Smart was asked about holding Kolek out of last week's Big East tournament. Without him, the Golden Eagles still reached the championship game.

"In retrospect, it was the right decision to not play Tyler," Smart said. "It was a tough decision because when we were playing Thursday, Friday, Saturday last week, he was working out during the day, and even playing one-on-one, and he looked great. He was moving great, he was shooting great.

"But again, in retrospect, now having been through this week and the progression that we've gone through to get him ready for (Friday), he needed to practice. He needed some repetitions five-on-five, up and down. I don't know it would have been fair to him to put him out there in that situation, as much as we wanted him. We were literally playing who, in my opinion to this point, has been the best team in the country in the championship game."

The short-handed Golden Eagles ran out of steam against Connecticut in the Big East title game.

"You've got to be a little insane to think you can go win that game without your best player if he's available to play, but he just wasn't quite ready in terms of going through all the things he needed to go through," Smart said.

How will Tyler Kolek look against Western Kentucky?

Nobody knows how Kolek's oblique will react once he gets back to live game reps.

"I think the biggest challenge for him tomorrow is going to be the psychological part of coming back to playing after three weeks of not playing," Smart said. "He's a very, very thoughtful, intentional, serious person and player, and he wants to get everything right.

"But as I've explained to him, he doesn't have to hit a home run on his first at-bat. If he can get on base, help our team play well on both ends of the floor, we'll be in good shape."