Kolek Update

[PJDunn]

Getting beyond the 1st weekend of the dance is vastly more important than winning the BET. Not even remotely close.

[Tyler COLEk]

I'd take the Sweet 16, but I think it's decently close.

[Galway Eagle]

S16 > BE tournament championship if this is an either or situation and if the doctors are saying "if he plays today there's a 30% chance he aggravated it and can't play next week" then that's close enough to an either or situation that i wouldn't play him but in Shaka I trust.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

True, nothing to gain by him playing in a game that really doesn't mean a hell of a lot.

We hang a banner if we win tonight. Yall are nuts

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I don't think anyone is saying the BET tournament title doesn't matter.

True, nothing to gain by him playing in a game that really doesn't mean a hell of a lot.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Getting beyond the 1st weekend of the dance is vastly more important than winning the BET. Not even remotely close.

Yes. It is also possible for teams to do both.

[Shooter McGavin]

We hang a banner if we win tonight. Yall are nuts

TAMU,  you are all over this.  But I think Hurley has scouted us and it's not worth it.

[Mu8891]

Galway is correct...

A S16 this year is WAY better than a
" banner " for BE

[Efficient Frontier]

Galway is correct...

A S16 this year is WAY better than a
" banner " for BE

I agree since there has been a NCAA run drought for MU the past decade or so. However if that wasn't the case, I'd say a loss in the sweet sixteen is about on par with a BET Championship.

Elite 8 and beyond is different.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Galway is correct...

A S16 this year is WAY better than a
" banner " for BE

No one's arguing that. But,  and i know this is crazy, but you don't actually have to choose. You can do both

[wadesworld]

I wonder if UConn fans are saying there is nothing to gain by winning the BET tonight? They won the national championship last year and it still burns them that MU won the BE and BET.

If their best player hadn't played in 2 weeks and didn't play the last 2 nights but could return next week, they'd probably be fine letting him sit even if he might be able to play and even if it might be the difference between a BET title or not. Just simple logic.

[Dish]

We hang a banner if we win tonight. Yall are nuts

Sure, it's nice and fine, I obviously hope MU wins.

Kolek re-aggravating his oblique to try hang a BET banner versus being healthy for the real tournament run?

Not even close. Crazy people would rather risk him getting further injured for something nice, but something better awaits.

[MU82]

If we are talking risk/reward not being high enough why not play the walk ons the whole game? Stevie has been laid out 3 times in two games and looked in pain. Oso almost had his arm torn off. Ross was down in pain as Oduro stuck his knee out. Kam is taking a lot of hits to his body in the way to the basket. Kolek hurt his oblique on a relatively routine and mundane play.

At the end of the day, Kolek is either healthy to play or he isn't.  5 more days of rest isn't going to greatly reduce the risk of reinjury.

So what you're telling us is that you don't know the difference between aches and pains and bumps and bruises sustained in the normal course of pretty much every athletic contest in which contact is involved ... and an actual injury that was bad enough to cause a player to miss 5 games.

And, Dr. Boy, you have absolutely no idea whatsoever if "5 more days of rest isn't going to greatly reduce the risk of reinjury." None.

There's almost no way that its as simple as being "cleared" though.  Shaka himself said that if Thursday was the NCAA championship, he'd be playing.  That means its a risk-reward call with substantial risk of reaggravation. He would have been "medically cleared" earlier this week.

Although I'm not sure how "substantial" the risk is on a scale of 1-10, your overall point is correct IMHO. Unless we dismiss Shaka's statement as a lie at worst or as gamesmanship at best, the decision on when Kolek plays next is all part of a risk/reward calculus.

From the moment Shaka and his players walked out of the arena following the loss to Michigan State, they were laser-focused on winning the 2023-24 national championship. It doesn't mean they don't want to win the BET. Of course they do. But they have spoken pretty often about this season being about something bigger.

Bottom line: I'll be surprised if TK plays tonight, and I wouldn't blame Shaka and the other decision-makers one iota for that risk/reward call.

Looking forward to winning tonight without him, and winning the next 6 games with him!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Sure, it's nice and fine, I obviously hope MU wins.

Kolek re-aggravating his oblique to try hang a BET banner versus being healthy for the real tournament run?

Not even close. Crazy people would rather risk him getting further injured for something nice, but something better awaits.

No one has advocated for playing Kolek if there's a significant risk of injury.  Not a one.  You can say that without saying that a BET title means nothing.

If TKo plays tonight,  it means the doctors have determined that theres no significant risk or reinjury.

[willie warrior]

Sure, it's nice and fine, I obviously hope MU wins.

Kolek re-aggravating his oblique to try hang a BET banner versus being healthy for the real tournament run?

Not even close. Crazy people would rather risk him getting further injured for something nice, but something better awaits.

How does anybody know if he is "healthy" now or not, other than the Drs? If he can play now then play him, at least to get some minutes to get ready for the dance, This concern about aggravating it now will be there during the dance also.

[MUBurrow]

If TKo plays tonight,  it means the doctors have determined that theres no significant risk or reinjury.

Then logically, he like - can't play.  It will have been less than 24 hours since he was just ruled out of a game with an injury he's been rehabbing for weeks, presumably due to the risk of aggravation.  That risk isn't dramatically reduced in less than a day.  The only reason to play him would be if its believed that this game is sufficiently more important than the one yesterday that it becomes worth taking that more or less same risk.

[wadesworld]

We hang a banner if we win tonight. Yall are nuts

Awesome.

[MUBurrow]

How does anybody know if he is "healthy" now or not, other than the Drs? If he can play now then play him, at least to get some minutes to get ready for the dance, This concern about aggravating it now will be there during the dance also.

Because the Drs didn't think he was healthy less than a day ago?  I generally appreciate us not playing amateur team physician, but we have a lot of data to go off here - certainly more than usual when there is 1-2 game per week.

[cheebs09]

He could re-aggravate it in practice or sneezing. I can definitely see a scenario with them not wanting him to play two games in a row.

I trust the decision makers.

[The Sultan]

Then logically, he like - can't play.  It will have been less than 24 hours since he was just ruled out of a game with an injury he's been rehabbing for weeks, presumably due to the risk of aggravation.  That risk isn't dramatically reduced in less than a day.  The only reason to play him would be if its believed that this game is sufficiently more important than the one yesterday that it becomes worth taking that more or less same risk.

Eh. I trust the doctors here.

[MUBurrow]

Eh. I trust the doctors here.

Sure, but either way it would be tough to convince me that the biggest change in the risk-benefit analysis vs the game yesterday is TK's condition and not the perceived importance of the game.

[BM1090]

Then logically, he like - can't play.  It will have been less than 24 hours since he was just ruled out of a game with an injury he's been rehabbing for weeks, presumably due to the risk of aggravation.  That risk isn't dramatically reduced in less than a day.  The only reason to play him would be if its believed that this game is sufficiently more important than the one yesterday that it becomes worth taking that more or less same risk.

That's not necessarily true. At some point, you get cleared to return. It could come on a day of a game or not. But they are evaluating every day. If it happens today, play him.

[#UnleashSean]

I guess the assumption is that Tyler is in the recovery zone of he can aggravate his injury at any time.  Otherwise, he would be playing.  Is it worth doing so now knowing that if he does reinjury his season is done.  I don't think that is going to change next week either, but it does bide time in his recovery and there is a finality of a loss, and your season is over and in Tyler's case, collegiate career could be over. to consider. 

I want him to play tonight because I want to win all the Big East titles and championships we can.  I cringe when anyone says the Big East tournament doesn't matter.  Big East titles and tourney championships do matter.   A lot.  Building a culture of winning matters.  It opens up more doors of opportunity.  More funds, better recruits, etc.  You play to win.  We will play to win tonight.  I want Big East teams to hate us because we win.   

As much as I want Tyler to play tonight, I want him playing at his highest capable level.  I don't think he has been cleared to practice in any game like action.  Maybe he has but to do so tonight without any running, grinding, bumping, twisting around in a game-like or hard practice session would be foolish.  I don't think there is any way he is playing tonight.  Hopefully he gets cleared to do more than just shoot around.  He needs to ramp up in practices to play in games. 

I think he will play again.  He will play in the first round but that could last all of one minute or one half or one game or more. That is the nature of his injury and circumstances of a collegiate career possibly ending.

No one is saying winning the big east tournament doesn't matter.

But in the situation we're in with an injured kolek and the possibility of him getting more hurt, we would rather not sacrifice a run to the final four for a BET champ.

[#UnleashSean]

No one's arguing that. But,  and i know this is crazy, but you don't actually have to choose. You can do both

Are you not understanding that we all would love both, but we're unwilling to possibly sacrifice Kolek for the ncaa to win the BET?

[Uncle Rico]

Eh. I trust the doctors here.

I'll do my own research