INDIANAPOLIS — Marquette showed determination in crucial moments and avoided an early exit from March Madness once again.
Tyler Kolek scored 21 points and made 11 assists, and David Joplin sank two free throws with 7.4 seconds remaining to assist the Golden Eagles in securing an 81-77 victory over Colorado on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
In their third season under coach Shaka Smart, the second-seeded Golden Eagles (27-9) made it to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 by outlasting the 10th-seeded Buffaloes (26-11) and their dynamic offense.
In the previous year, Marquette, also seeded No. 2, was eliminated in the second round by No. 10 seed Michigan State. The Golden Eagles pushed past that disappointment by answering every key shot by the Buffs with one of their own.
“We’ve faced some challenges,” Smart said, “but the team has always remained steadfast in their belief in our playing style and stayed connected with each other. … And I think that's what led us to victory today.”
Kam Jones scored 18 points and Joplin finished with 14 for Marquette, which shot 61.8% from the field but still couldn’t shake Colorado until the final moments. Chase Ross made a go-ahead 3-pointer off a pass from Kolek with 2:53 left and finished with 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
“Coach always preaches ‘eff it’ shooting, so when I got it, it was ‘eff it’ and it went in,” Ross said.
KJ Simpson scored 20 points and Tristan da Silva had 17 for Colorado, which trailed by 11 at halftime but rallied to take a 55-54 lead just over five minutes into the second half. Kolek put the Golden Eagles back on top with a short jumper and Marquette never trailed again, but Colorado tied it twice, the last time on a 3-pointer by da Silva with 4:02 remaining.
“We all just had the mentality of ‘I’m not giving up.’ We’ve done that throughout the whole year,” Simpson said. “That was just the mindset, that we can go out there and we can still come back and never give up and never give up on the effort. We did that, we just came up short.”
The Buffs were behind 79-77 and had to foul three times before putting Joplin on the line for a 1-and-1. He made both shots and set up a South Region semifinal meeting with No. 11 seed North Carolina State in Dallas on Friday.
In his second game since returning from an oblique injury that kept him out for six games, Kolek was effective for the Golden Eagles. The nation’s leader in assists at 7.8 per game, he shot 10 of 14 from the floor and consistently found open teammates.
The senior scored Marquette’s final basket with style. Kolek drove the baseline and circled back into the lane before lofting a jumper over Eddie Lampkin Jr. for a three-point advantage.
“The big fella switched up and I was getting to my spot and just floated it up,” Kolek said.
Lampkin scored 13 points and Cody Williams had 12 for the Buffs, who had already set a program record for victories and were playing their third game in five days. They defeated Boise State in the First Four and then outplayed Florida 102-100 in one of the most entertaining games of the first round.
This one may have been even more impressive.
Marquette was ahead 45-34 at halftime but da Silva and Simpson started shooting well in the second half. They made five 3-pointers during a 21-9 run in the first 5:19.
It was the fifth straight close game for the Buffaloes, who finished their season with six games in 11 days, winning four. And they almost pulled off another win against a Marquette team that seemed to be unstoppable.
“When a team shoots 61% against you for the game, almost 62%, and you still have a chance at the end, it means you’re doing something right,” Buffs coach Tad Boyle said. “We rebounded the ball well, we fought, we battled. … I have a lot of respect for Marquette.”
