Marquette came into Sunday’s second-round matchup against #10 seed Colorado knowing that they would have their hands full against a team that was likely better than their seeding. Colorado suffered some injuries during the season, most notably to NBA lottery prospect Cody Williams, but were as close to full strength as they had been all season. Coming off a high-octane 102-100 win over Florida in the opening round, the Buffaloes were eager to show the nation that their talented lineup was ready to compete with the best. Unfortunately for them, so was Marquette.
Marquette carried over their efficient second half from their opening-round win over Western Kentucky right into the opening minutes of Sunday’s contest. David Joplin knocked down a three from the wing just seconds into the shot clock after Marquette won the tip, and things were off and running in Indianapolis.
It was clear after Friday’s win that Tyler Kolek was healthy coming off of an oblique injury and that the confidence in him being at full strength would elevate the Golden Eagles into prime form for the remainder of their run. Kolek brilliantly towed the line between scoring aggression and distribution, scoring 8 points and dishing 6 assists in the first half. A good amount of that distribution went to Kam Jones, who was excellent early, scoring 13 points on four made threes midway through the first session. Behind Kolek’s mastery, Marquette got good looks and shot an extremely efficient 68% in the opening half as they carried an 11-point lead into the break.
From a defensive standpoint, Marquette knew that they would have to account not just for Colorado’s talented playmakers, KJ Simpson and Tristan da Silva, but for the huge presence inside in Eddie Lampkin Jr. At 6’11”, 265 lbs, Lampkin shows great skills around the rim for his size and also has the ability to clean up on the offensive glass and pass out of the post. Marquette ran switches out of their zone defense, pulling a second defender to smother Lampkin when he received the ball in the low post. This interruption in Colorado’s offense threw off the flow, forcing them into some shots that they don't usually take. Simpson finished the half with 7 points, while da Silva added just two points on 1-5 shooting. Marquette’s defensive awareness would drive Colorado into the locker room with a need for adjustments.
And adjustments are what they would make. Still unable to really contain Kolek, Colorado had to up the efficiency on the offensive end of the floor. Allowing Simpson to penetrate more opened up shots on the outside, especially for Tristan da Silva, who got hot in the second half, scoring 15 of his 17 total points. Simpson would also begin to create for himself, displaying his midrange game and hitting three 3-pointers to carve into the Marquette lead. Colorado erased Marquette’s double-digit lead through two different scoring runs and tied the game as March’s madness began to rear its head.
Going toe-to-toe for the final 10 minutes, Marquette found themselves having to sub in and out for Kam Jones, who was in foul trouble for the duration of the second half. Sophomore guard Chase Ross was called upon to fill the time missed by Jones and contributed in a big way. Ross would score 12 points in his 26 minutes and also added a huge momentum-shifting block on the baseline late in the game to keep the lead at two possessions. After two big free throws from David Joplin to push the lead to four with just seconds remaining, Colorado was out of time and out of luck as the horn sounded on their season and rang in a Sweet 16 berth for the Golden Eagles.
Player of the Game Tyler Kolek (21 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds) was magnificent and gives Marquette a legitimate shot at a Final Four run. “...our guys never blinked. Never waivered,” head coach Shaka Smart said in the postgame presser. That mentality, along with Kolek’s championship-level play, can continue to carry Marquette further into the tournament.
Marquette draws the #11 seed NC State and tournament darling DJ Burns Jr. in the South Region semifinal in Dallas on Friday at 7:09 ET on CBS.