Gonzaga’s guard Luka Krajnovic is absent from the team’s travel and misses the Sweet 16 game because of a non-COVID related illness.

In Detroit, the fifth-seeded Gonzaga faced top-seeded Purdue in the Sweet 16 with a depleted backcourt on Friday night.

According to a school official speaking to The Spokesman-Review during the Bulldogs’ NCAA Tournament game against the Boilermakers, freshman guard Luka Krajnovic was absent from the team’s trip to Detroit due to a non-COVID illness.

The TBS broadcast crew initially reported Krajnovic’s absence during the game on Friday.

Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 185 pounds, Krajnovic, hailing from Zagreb, Croatia, saw limited action during Gonzaga’s first-round game against McNeese State. He returned to the court towards the end of the game, contributing seven points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 1 of 2 from beyond the arc in the 86-65 victory.

In the Round of 32 against Kansas, Krajnovic played for just one minute, securing one rebound and committing one turnover.

Earlier in the season, the freshman guard missed several games due to a broken hand but returned for a West Coast Conference game against Loyola Marymount on Jan. 30.

Prior to Friday’s NCAA Tournament game, Krajnovic was averaging 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 8.3 minutes per game.