What happened in the NCAA Men's Tournament second round

Marquette averaged 1.324 points per possession in the first half, a mark that would put this among its five most efficient offensive games of the season.

INDIANAPOLIS — Marquette has a 45-34 advantage on Colorado at halftime in a game the Golden Eagles have led since David Joplin buried a 3-pointer just 12 seconds in. Marquette has simply been quicker to the ball and more tenacious defensively. One has to wonder how much Colorado playing in the First Four on Tuesday before even arriving in Indianapolis has impacted the team.

The star of the show has been Marquette guard Kam Jones, who has 16 points while burying four 3-pointers. Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart continuously subbed Jones in and out over the final 6:47 of the half after Jones picked up his second foul, putting Jones into the game for offense. It paid off when Jones drilled yet another 3 in the final minute to extend the lead. Guard Tyler Kolek has been in full command running the point. He not only has eight points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field but he also has six assists in his second game back from an oblique injury. Marquette is one half away from reaching its first Sweet 16 in 11 years.

Halftime: Marquette 45, Colorado 34. Buffaloes go scoreless for the last 2:55. Kam Jones, playing with two fouls, hit his fourth 3-pointer for the final points of the half. He leads all scorers with 16.

With 2:29 to play in the first half, Marquette's David Joplin misses a contested shot inside — the team's first 2-point miss all game. The Golden Eagles started 12-for-12.

Perhaps an opening for Colorado: The red-hot Kam Jones just picked up his second foul with 6:47 to play in the half. He heads to the bench.

Marquette junior Kam Jones scored 28 points in Friday's first-round win over Western Kentucky. He has picked up where he left off against Colorado.

The guard has 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting already, helping stake Marquette to a 30-20 lead with 7:52 to play in the first half.

Marquette is averaging 1.5 points per possession and shooting 72.2 percent from the field.

"We're not communicating on the ball screens," Colorado coach Tad Boyle told CBS at the break. "We're letting them get to the rim and get 3s and that's what they feast on."

Marquette has come out determined, turning defense into offense and stretching its lead to 22-11 with 11:36 to play in the first half.

The Golden Eagles are shooting a sizzling 10-of-14 from the field. Colorado has turnovers on four of its 16 possessions (25 percent).

At the under-16 media timeout: Marquette 12, Colorado 5.

The Golden Eagles' defense has two steals already and they've capitalized on the other end.

Colorado, the sixth-best 3-point shooting team in the country, is off to an 0-for-3 start.

One more day, eight more games in the first weekend of the tournament. Marquette and Colorado are underway.

Team in 16 words: Colorado had an up-and-down season, but the Buffaloes have the talent to be scary.

Record: 25-10 (13-7 Pac-12)

Coach: Tad Boyle (3-5 in NCAA Tournament)

Player to watch: KJ Simpson (first-team All-Pac-12)

Strengths: There is no more valuable player coming out of the Pac-12 than KJ Simpson. He is a dynamic, 6-foot-2 point guard averaging a shade under 20-6-5 while shooting 45 percent from 3. He never leaves the floor, averaging 40 minutes per game during a recent eight-game winning streak that punched their ticket to the dance. And he’s not even the most talented player. Cody Williams, who has battled injuries all year long, is a potential lottery pick. Tristan da Silva is a 6-foot-9 stretch four with 3-point range and defensive switchability. Eddie Lampkin Jr. inhales offensive rebounds.

Weaknesses: The concern with this Colorado group is on the defensive end. The Buffaloes tend to favor lineups that feature Lampkin at the five alongside da Silva and Williams. Neither da Silva or Williams are, at this point in their development, guys who thrive guarding down, but against smaller teams one of them is going to be stuck on a natural wing. Despite his size, Lampkin is not a rim protector — he has five blocks in 34 games this season. Colorado ranks 345th nationally in block rate and in the 290s in steal rate.

Outlook: On Feb. 16, Colorado was 16-9 overall and 7-7 in the Pac-12, coming off a stretch where it lost four of five. It looked like the Buffaloes were on the way to finishing as one of the more disappointing teams in college basketball. And then they won a double-overtime game at USC. Then they beat Utah at home. That sparked an eight-game winning streak that took them all the way to the Pac-12 Tournament title game. When they get rolling, they can be really dangerous. When Simpson is hot, they are lethal.

—Rob Dauster

Team in 16 words: Shaka Smart hasn’t made the second weekend of the tournament since the 2011 Final Four run.

Record: 26-9 (14-6 Big East)

Coach: Shaka Smart (9-10 in NCAA Tournament, 1 Final Four)

Player to watch: Tyler Kolek (first-team All-Big East)

Strengths: Not many players in college basketball are tougher than Tyler Kolek. If he stays healthy, Marquette will be one of the most difficult teams to prepare for. Kolek is an elite distributor and plays alongside college ball’s version of Draymond Green in Oso Ighodaro. Kam Jones is capable of going for 30 on any given night, and David Joplin will be key if he stays consistent and can be another perimeter weapon to occupy defenders. When he’s playing well, and Kolek is healthy, the Golden Eagles are borderline impossible to match with offensively.

Weaknesses: Defensively, Marquette relies on switchability and ball pressure to force turnovers while relying on Ighodaro’s lane presence to take away drives and erase mistakes. With Chase Ross and Stevie Mitchell playing well, some of the team’s earlier defensive issues have been covered. One of the biggest concerns prior to Kolek’s injury was the absence of Sean Jones, who tore his ACL in January. With no backup point guard on the roster, Kolek not only has to play upwards of 38 minutes, he has to do it without someone to allow him a rest playing at the two.

Outlook: This all depends on the health of Kolek. Marquette lost just three games that he has played in 2024, and Kolek averaged six points on 3-for-28 shooting in those three losses. They went 1-2 to close the regular season without him, and he did not play in the Big East Tournament. With him, they’re a Final Four team. Without him, it’s an entirely different story.

—Rob Dauster

Our staff picks for the first game of the day, No. 2 Marquette versus No. 10 Colorado:

• Tobias Bass: Marquette
• John Hollinger: Marquette
• Brendan Marks: Colorado
• Austin Mock: Colorado
• Joe Rexrode: Marquette

One of the most intriguing matchups of the second round of the men’s NCAA Tournament will be No. 1 seed Houston vs. No. 9 seed Texas A&M. The Cougars are nearly a double-digit favorite going into the game and are looking to make their fourth consecutive trip to the Sweet 16.

There are a couple of things that make this matchup so interesting. For one, we have already seen it play out this season as Houston was able to hold off a second-half surge from the Aggies back in December to hold on for a 70-66 win at the Toyota Center in Houston. They are also two extremely similar teams that have the potential to produce a tough, physical game.

Both teams boast experienced point guards, with Jamal Shead leading Houston and Wade Taylor IV leading Texas A&M. Shead is a four-year starter for the Cougars and put together his best season yet, while Taylor is in his third year and a big-time scorer averaging 19 points per game. Guard play is always a huge X-factor in the Tournament, and both teams have a potential game-changer leading their backcourt.

Houston and Texas A&M are also two of the fiercest — and most efficient — teams in the country when it comes to offensive rebounds. The Aggies lead the country in offensive rebounds per game (17.2) and have the best offensive rebound differential (+7.3) in the country. They lead both categories by a significant margin. Houston is also in the top 25 in both categories.

The Cougars were able to bounce back from an ugly Big 12 championship loss to Iowa State with a thoroughly dominant 40-point win over Longwood in the Tournament’s first round. The competition is going to get a lot tougher moving forward, especially against a team that already showed this season that it can at least hang with them and keep it close. The Aggies are also coming off a 98-point explosion against Nebraska, including a whopping 58-point first half.

Spread: Houston -9.5

Total: 134.5

Big wins are expected for defending champion UConn in early NCAA Tournament rounds. Entering Sunday’s Round of 32 matchup with No. 9 seed Northwestern, the deep and balanced Huskies are favored by double digits once again. Following a 39-point dismantling of Stetson in the first round, the No. 1 seed Huskies face the challenge of an experienced Wildcats squad that isn’t afraid to compete against giants.

UConn is an all-around juggernaut — the Huskies rank No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency while still maintaining the 11th adjusted defensive efficiency (per KenPom). All-American point guard Tristen Newton is the engine that makes UConn go at both ends of the floor. Surrounding perimeter weapons include capable scorers like guards Cam Spencer and Stephon Castle and forward Alex Karaban. The menacing presence of 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan looms in the middle. All five UConn starters average double-figures and can take on the role of primary scorer as needed.

Northwestern won’t be fazed by the seed status or size of UConn. The Wildcats split their season series, with two overtime games, against No. 1 seed Purdue and 7-foot-4 Zach Edey. After another overtime win in the first round against No. 8 seed Florida Atlantic, while slowing down 7-foot-1 Vladislav Goldin, it’s clear Northwestern isn’t intimidated playing elite big men.

Senior point guard Boo Buie is Northwestern’s all-time leading scorer and runs an efficient offense that rates seventh in the nation in both offensive turnover percentage and 3-point percentage. NCAA Tournament hero Ryan Langborg scored 12 of his team-high 27 points in the overtime during the Florida Atlantic win. Langborg is one of two players to score 25 or more points for two separate teams in the NCAA Tournament after also coming up clutch during Princeton’s Sweet 16 run last season.

Slowing down UConn’s offense is paramount for Northwestern to have a chance. The Huskies are No. 6 in the country in 2-point field goal percentage and No. 32 in 3-point percentage. The Wildcats are bottom third in defensive effective field goal percentage (No. 234) and defensive 3-point percentage (No. 272). Against a UConn team that can efficiently score from all over, Northwestern’s undermanned rotation has to counter with a barrage of 3-pointers. To reach the school’s first Sweet 16, Northwestern’s ultimate test is to slow down the best offense in the nation while Clingan is playing his best basketball of the season.

Spread: UConn -13.5

Total: 135.5