Men’s NCAA Tournament 2024: Sunday’s Round 2 Winners and Losers

Thirteen years ago, Shaka Smart and VCU’s “HAVOC” took the world by storm, going from First Four to Final Four in the inaugural edition of the 68-team March Madness.

The 33-year-old, second-year head coach seemed destined to become the next big thing in men’s college hoops.

However, the NCAA tournament giveth and the NCAA tournament taketh away.

Over the next 12 years, Smart led his teams—be it VCU, Texas or Marquette—to the Dance nine times, but never for very long. After winning five games in his first tourney, he won three games in those nine trips combined, not once reaching the Sweet 16 and getting a Rick Barnes-like reputation for not being able to win in March.

Finally, though, that drought is over after the 81-77 victory over Colorado.

It was a fantastic game, as seems to be the case every time Kevin Harlan is on the mic. (I, too, miss Gus Johnson, but Harlan has been incredible, as always.) Marquette couldn’t miss in the first half, but Colorado refused to go away, briefly taking the lead with around 15 minutes remaining and making it a tie game with four minutes to go.

In the end, it was just too much Tyler Kolek.

He missed Marquette’s final six games before the tournament with an oblique injury, but it was a small price to pay to have him out there at full strength for 40 minutes against the Buffaloes. Kolek had a handful of ugly turnovers (six in total), but he went for 21 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in leading the Golden Eagles to victory.

Kolek either scored or assisted on every point Marquette scored in the final eight minutes, with the exception of David Joplin’s game-sealing free throws. Even on those, though, he kind of got the assist, receiving the inbounds pass and getting loose to drain some clock before Joplin was the one getting tagged in that game of hot potato.

Now, Smart and his “you either love him or hate him” sideline antics will go up against NC State in the Sweet 16.