Marquette holds off Colorado in March Madness to reach Sweet 16 [Video]

INDIANAPOLIS — Marquette showed resolve in critical moments and avoided another early exit from March Madness.

Tyler Kolek had 21 points and 11 assists, and David Joplin made two free throws with 7.4 seconds left to help the Golden Eagles finally put away Colorado 81-77 on Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

In their third season under coach Shaka Smart, the second-seeded Golden Eagles (27-9) reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2013 by outlasting the 10th-seeded Buffaloes (26-11) and their dynamic offense.

A year earlier, Marquette was also seeded No. 2 but was eliminated in the second round by No. 10 seed Michigan State. The Golden Eagles put that disappointment behind them by responding to every big shot by the Buffs with one of their own.

“We’ve had some adversity,” Smart …