#MUBB Faces Colorado In NCAA Championship Round of 32

The No. 8/8 Marquette University men's basketball team (26-9) continues play at the 2024 NCAA Championship when the squad takes on 10th-seeded Colorado (26-10) in the Round of 32 at 11:10 a.m. CT on Sunday, March 24 in Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. CBS features the national television broadcast, with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Stan Van Gundy (analyst), Dan Bonner (analyst) and Andy Katz (reporter) calling the action.

MU Meeting Colorado For First Time Since 1987

Marquette and Colorado have met on just four occasions all-time, with MU holding a 3-1 advantage in the series.

The two teams competed in four-straight campaigns, most recently on Jan, 3, 1987 in Boulder, which resulted in an 83-68 victory by the Golden Eagles. The Buffaloes claimed the first meeting, but MU has earned victories in each of the last three contests.

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart is 1-1 all-time against Colorado, with both matchups coming when he was at Texas.

Marquette Pulls Away For Opening Win

Trailing by seven points (43-36) at the intermission, Marquette opened the second half with a 17-3 run and led by as many as 20 points in the 87-69 win.

The Golden Eagles are just the second team in the last 20 years to trail by seven-or-more points at the intermission and outscore its opponent by at least 25 points in the second half. MU finished with a 51-26 scoring advantage in the second half, thanks to 55.6 percent shooting (20-of-36) from the floor overall, including an 8-of-17 (47.1 percent) effort from behind the 3-point line.

Houston trailed Auburn by 10 points last season before an 81-64 victory include a 27-point margin in the final 20 minutes.

Kolek Picks Up Where He Left Off

Senior guard Tyler Kolek, who missed each of the last six games with an oblique injury, returned to action in the NCAA opener against Western Kentucky and picked up right where he left off in late February (injured vs. Providence Feb. 28).

The consensus Second Team All-America honoree knocked down his first two 3-point attempts en route to his seventh double-double of the season. The Cumberland, Rhode Island, native finished with 18 points, 11 assists and six rebounds in 38 minutes of action and also chipped in a pair of steals.

Kolek's 11 assists allowed him to re-claim the national lead in assists per game (7.8 apg.), just ahead of Minnesota's Elijah Hawkins (7.6 apg.).

Joplin Doubles Up For First Time

At halftime of Marquette's matchup with Western Kentucky, forward David Joplin was 1-of-6 from the floor and had contributed just three points and two rebounds in 11 minutes of action.

Fortunately for MU, the Milwaukee native found his stride in the second half and he finished with his first-career double-double. Joplin knocked down four of his final six shots and scored 13 points, while grabbing a personal-best 11 rebounds in 28 minutes on the court.

Mitchell Stuffs Box Score In WKU Win

Marquette Stevie Mitchell's impact on the game usually goes beyond the box score, but in Friday's win over Western Kentucky the final stats accurately reflected what he meant to the team's victory.

The junior guard finished with 16 points (6-of-9 shooting), four rebounds, three assists, three steals and a personal-best three blocked shots in 32 minutes of action. He scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half and also keyed the team's rally at the defensive end of the court.

After scoring double figures in just one of the team's first 11 games, Mitchell has now netted 10-or-more points in 13-of-20 outings.