No. 8 Marquette trounces 12th-ranked Texas in coach Shaka Smart's 1st game against former Longhorns

No. 8 Marquette trounced No. 12 Texas on Wednesday in a win for head coach Shaka Smart in his first game coaching against his former team.

Preseason All-American Tyler Kolek paced the Golden Eagles in a dominant 86-65 win. It was a strong rebound for Marquette on the heels of an upset loss to then-unranked Wisconsin on Saturday.

Texas kept things competitive early while opening a 20-18 lead midway through the first half. But an 11-0 run sparked by two Kam Jones 3-pointers put Marquette in control on its home floor. The Golden Eagles extended a 29-20 edge to 42-28 at halftime and never looked back. As the lead eclipsed 20 points in the second half, home fans aware of Smart's six-season stint in Austin serenaded him with chants of "Let's go, Shaka."

Tyler Kolek torches Texas

Kolek, the reigning Big East Player of the Year, led all scorers with 28 points alongside eight rebounds, six assists and three steals on a scorching night from the field. He shot 11 of 16 from the floor including a 4-of-9 effort from 3-point range.

Jones added 17 on a 5-of-8 night from 3-point distance.

As a team, Marquette shot 50.8% from the field and 46.7% (14 of 30) from 3-point distance against a Texas defense with few answers. The Golden Eagles held a 37-30 rebounding edge while limiting the Longhorns to 41.7% shooting from the field and 25% (4 of 16) from the 3-point line. Senior transfer Max Abmas' 25 points on a 10-of-19 shooting night weren't enough to keep Texas competitive.

The Golden Eagles improved to 7-2 on a schedule that includes three games against top-12 teams. They beat No. 1 Kansas at the Maui Invitational before losing to No. 2 Purdue by three in the tournament final.

It was a surely satisfying win for Smart, who spent six seasons in Texas most noted for a lack of NCAA tournament success. Smart took over in Austin in 2015 after a successful stint at VCU that included five straight NCAA tournament appearances and a Final Four in 2011.

The postseason success didn't translate at football-focused Texas, where the Longhorns made the NCAA tournament in three of Smart's six seasons. None of those trips produced a tournament win, and Smart left for home-state Marquette at the conclusion of his contract in 2021.

Smart, Texas have found success without each other

The move so far has been fruitful for both sides. The Longhorns have produced four tournament wins in the two seasons since Smart's departure, including a trip to last season's Elite Eight under first-year head coach Rodney Terry, who replaced the fired Chris Beard at midseason.

Marquette, meanwhile, returned to the NCAA tournament in Smart's first season in 2022 after Steve Wojciechowski's campaign as head coach produced two tournament appearances and zero wins in seven seasons. The Golden Eagles then secured their first tournament win since 2013 last season, Smart's second with the program.

The success and a strong roster has led to high expectations in 2023-24. The Golden Eagles entered the season ranked No. 5 and have gone 2-1 so far against top-12 teams with Wednesday's win.

It's a mixed but strong start for Marquette, setting up March expectations that won't be satisfied with a first- or possibly even a second-weekend exit.