Marquette vs Creighton basketball injury report and predictions, March 2: Latest on Tyler Kolek, Sean Jones and more

The No. 5 Marquette Golden Eagles (22-6, 13-4 Big East) are on the road Saturday against the No. 12 Creighton Blue Jays (21-8, 12-6). This battle between two top 15 teams will tipoff at 2:30 p.m. EST on FOX from CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, NE.

The Golden Eagles have been on fire, going 11-1 over their last 12 games, with their only loss in that stretch coming to No. 3 UConn. The Blue Jays are 5-1 over their last six games, which included a dominant 85-66 victory over No. 3 UConn on Feb. 20.

Creighton has stayed relatively healthy this season and enters this contest with no players on the injury report. However, Marquette will be without two players for this game. Here is the latest on the injuries for this conference matchup.

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Marquette vs. Creighton injuries

Tyler Kolek, Marquette

Marquette will be without a big piece of its offense as senior guard Tyler Kolek is listed as out for the Golden Eagles' matchup against Creighton. Kolek was forced out of The Golden Eagles' last game against Providence with an oblique injury.

The injury appeared to happen with just over 16 minutes left in the second half when Kolek drove to the baseline, delivered a pass across the court and immediately began grabbing his left side.

After the game, Marquette coach Shaka Smart spoke about Kolek's injury.

"He did injure a muscle in his oblique," Smart said. "I don't really have a timetable on exactly when he'll get back... I promise you as soon as he's available and he's physically capable of coming back, he will be back."

The Golden Eagles will be without Kolek for this massive game against Creighton, and his status remains uncertain for their upcoming matchup with No. 3 UConn on March 6. Kolek is averaging 15.0 points per game and leads the nation in assist average with 7.6.

Sean Jones, Marquette

Sophomore guard Sean Jones has been ruled out for the season since suffering a torn ACL against Butler on Jan. 10. Jones was on pace for an increased role in his second season with the Golden Eagles but had his season cut short.

Jones played 16 games for Marquette this season, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists as a solid player off the bench. He posted a career-high 15 points in a 72-67 victory the last time Marquette and Creighton met on Dec. 30.

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Marquette vs. Creighton prediction

Marquette has been performing well over the past month, but it will require someone to fill the void left by Kolek's absence. The Golden Eagles will look to their leading scorer, Kam Jones, to lead them as they try to go 2-0 against Creighton this season.

Jones finished with 12 points and shot just 22.2% from 3 when these teams met in December. The Golden Eagles will likely look to Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin to take on an increased scoring role in this game.

Creighton relied heavily on guards Baylor Scheierman and Trey Alexander the last time these teams met. Scheierman finished that outing with a game-high 23 points and added eight rebounds. Alexander finished with 18 points, six rebounds and six assists.

However, those impressive performances weren't enough, as the Blue Jays received just seven points off the bench and would fall 72-67.

This time, the Blue Jays will have the home-court advantage and won't have to worry about slowing down Marquette's Tyler Kolek and Sean Jones. According to ESPN BET, the Blue Jays enter as 7.5-point favorites as they attempt to get revenge for their loss to the Golden Eagles earlier this season.

Marquette overcame a poor shooting performance the first time, but without Kolek and Jones, the team will need other players on the floor to step up if it wants to complete the season sweep. Even with the injuries, Marquette has the depth to keep this one close, but Creighton is the pick.

Prediction: CREI 79, MARQ 75