Marquette HC Shaka Smart finally makes it back to Sweet 16

Marquette outlasted No. 10 seed Colorado, 81-77, to reach the tournament’s second weekend for the first time since 2013. It’s a vindication for Smart, who took over as Marquette’s head coach in 2012-22. In his first season, the Golden Eagles lost in the first round to eventually finalist North Carolina. Last year, they lost in the second round to Michigan State as a No. 2 seed.

At age 31, Smart was one of college basketball’s most promising coaches when he won five tournament games with the No. 11 seed VCU Rams, who knocked off heavyweight programs Kansas, Georgetown and Purdue on their way to the only Final Four appearance in the school’s history. They became the first team to ever go from the First Four, where they beat USC, to the Final Four, where fellow mid-major Butler finally ended their run.

Smart took over at Texas in 2015, where he lost in the first round of March Madness three times in five years, though Texas won an NIT title in 2019. Now he’s improved his lifetime tournament record to 10-10 and advanced to the second weekend in Dallas. Ironically, he’ll be facing a red-hot No. 11 seed in North Carolina State, who has won seven straight games from the ACC Tournament to the NCAAs.

It’s a great moment for Smart and a frustrating one for his old school, Texas, who fell short to Tennessee on Saturday. The Volunteers are coached by Smart’s predecessor at Texas, Rick Barnes, meaning that two of Texas’ previous head coaches are still alive in the tourney, and the Longhorns are not.

Still, Smart gave the credit to his team. When Andy Katz asked him about getting back to the Sweet 16, Smart deflected and said he was “so grateful for our guys.” Marquette fans are grateful to have Smart.