NEW YORK – Outside, the façade of Madison Square Garden and the top of the Empire State Building were lit up in blue and gold.
Inside the World's Most Famous Arena, in a scene soundtracked by Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York," the confetti fell and several prominent faces were soaking up the latest chapter of the storied, century-plus history of Marquette basketball.
There was the fearless point guard , cradling more hardware and wrapped in the arms of family and coaches who have pushed him from an overlooked recruit to the best player in one of the best conferences in college basketball .
Among those heading up the ladder to snip the nets were support staff and players who have been around through a regime change to know how far the program has come to celebrate a Big East tournament title to go alongside an outright regular-season crown – both firsts for the school.
Off to the side of the court, long after the 65-51 victory over Xavier on Saturday, one of the most revered players in MU history made the claim that this Golden Eagles team compares favorably to the Warriors who swaggered through the late 1960s and 1970s under the direction of the consummate New York showman Al McGuire.
BOX SCORE Marquette 65, Xavier 51
The connective tissue to all that disparate MU DNA bopped around the court, handing out hugs and obliging the many media requests with all the questions a variation of the same theme: How did the head coach get this team to this good, this quickly?
Tyler Kolek, the point guard whose transfer from George Mason in April 2021 barely made any ripples in the college basketball landscape, accepted the trophy for the most outstanding player for the tournament after putting up 20 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and unquantifiable amounts of grit in the title game.
He then headed immediately to his family and was enveloped in tearful embraces, including with his hoops-obsessed father who was the Little East player of the year a couple decades before his son earned the same honor in the Big East. There was also his mom, his brother, his high school coach and the AAU coach who has poured work into helping Kolek reach this level.
"All the moments they've been through with me have led up to this moment right here," Kolek said. "To share that with my high school coach, my brother, my dad, my two best friends, it's special. There is no better feeling."
The Golden Eagles (28-6) take their emotional cues from the brash guard. MU has been one of the most efficient offenses in the nation – ranked in the top 10 for several months according to college basketball statistical website KenPom.com – and now its defense is rising to the occasion.
Against the Musketeers, MU won wire-to-wire thanks to a harassing defensive effort that held the explosive Musketeers to their lowest point total of the season. The third-best three-point shooting team in the nation managed just 5-for-20 shooting from beyond the arc.
"I've seen it from the day he got to campus," MU's Oso Ighodaro said of Kolek. "Just how hard he works. How much of a competitor he is.
"Last year, a lot of people were down on him . In this room, no one was down on him. We know who he is and it's good that people are finally waking up to see who he is."
Ighodaro has seen the other side. He was a freshman in the 2020-21 season in which games were played in mostly empty arenas. He got hurt after flashing his talent , and the team struggled so much that the school parted ways with head coach Steve Wojciechowski.
"It's great," Ighodaro said. "I've been saying it the last couple days. I'm playing the game I love with my best friends. So it's been great.
"Just trying to take in every moment. Winning's fun. So we want to keep doing it."
Kam Jones scored 11 points against Xavier and joined competitive friend and roommate David Joplin on the Big East's all-tournament team.
Jones originally committed to Wojciechowski, but stuck around when Shaka Smart was hired.
"Means everything," Jones said. "We made history. Can't take that away from us ever. I was committed under Coach Wojciechowski.
"I can't imagine it being better than with this man right here. Grateful for him and everything he's done for me. I'm forever grateful for him."
As Jones said that, he put his arms around Shaka Smart, the head coach who has led this remarkable turnaround in two seasons. The coach was clad in a Big East championship hat.
The last time the Golden Eagles won in the Big East was 2013, when they shared the regular-season title. Todd Smith, the school's assistant athletics director of applied sports science and performance, is one of a handful of support staff employees who was around back then.
"It's really special," Smith said. "Last time we did it was in the Garden. The last game of the season against St. John's.
"That was for a share of it. So this is way more special. The fact that we are outright, plus we won the tournament. That's big time. I have no words. It's fun. It's special. These players are connected and it means everything."
The main connector is Smart. Smith has been at MU for 16 years and worked for several coaches, but he marvels at the work Smart has done.
"He's special," Smith said. "He's a connector. He brings people together. I remember I texted him right after we won the regular season outright. I was like 'Thank you for bringing us all together.'
"Because that's what it is. All the right people in the right spots and everybody doing their job and working together."
A Marquette legend watched the celebration at the Garden and felt the tug of nostalgia.
Bo Ellis, a star on the 1977 NCAA title team that has been venerated by nearly everyone who attends MU, shook his head.
"I think the future for this team may be as bright as it was when I was in school," Ellis said. "And I think they are set to do something that hasn't been done since I was in school and I'm looking forward to it and that's why I am out here supporting it."
The unselfishness and scrappiness of the Golden Eagles is reminiscent of those teams coached by Al McGuire in halcyon days.
"They play together and they play defense," Ellis said. "Kind of remind me of the Al McGuire days when I played.
"We used to get after them. I like to say they got some dogs. But the future is good. They're in good hands. I'm looking forward and I'm excited. I've been around Marquette a long time, athletic ambassador, I'm more excited about this group than I ever have in my life."
The biggest reason for all that excitement around Marquette basketball is Smart, the Big East coach of the year and a favorite for the national award.
The word often used when describing Smart and MU is "fit," and the head coach defined that on Saturday night.
"I mean, the players fit," Smart said. "The best coaches in college basketball, a lot of attention is paid to coaches, for better or worse. The best coaches have one thing in common, they have a captive audience. The guys are locked in, and the guys try to go execute the plan.
"This group here has been unbelievable in terms of just their willingness to not only follow our coaching staff's plan, but follow the guidance of each other. I mean, the best thing that these guys do is the way that they lead each other, the way that they make each other better.
"So that's why it's been a good fit. Marquette's a special place. It cares about basketball very, very deeply, and we're happy to share this championship with everybody back home in Milwaukee because this is a prideful, passionate program."
The players and coaches still have work to do. The Golden Eagles haven't won a NCAA Tournament game since 2013. They will find out their opponent in the first round on Sunday.
But before they grabbed their postgame food and celebratory milkshakes, Smart turned reflective on all that this team has accomplished.
"It's twice as nice being here in New York," Smart said. "Being in the Garden, I mean, this is the best. I remember my first time being in here as an assistant coach and just being like a kid in a museum, just walking around.
"I'm a history guy, so just thinking about all the great players that have played here, all the great moments that have been here. And I think for these guys, getting that experience, there's nothing like going and doing something together in a special place and then having that in your pocket for the rest of your life.
"So it's an awesome group, and we just want to keep building."
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette beat Xavier 65-51 in Big East tournament final
