NBA Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade is celebrating the latest win of his alma mater, Marquette Basketball. No. 2 Marquette got an 81-77 win over No. 10 Colorado on Sunday in the second round of the March Madness Tournament, clinching their spot in the NCAA Sweet 16. Prior to this win, the Golden Eagles defeated No. 15 Western Kentucky to advance to the second round.
After the win over Colorado, Wade posted a message on X, saying, "Let'sssssssss Goooooo!"
Let’sssssssss Goooooo‼️ Another one! Sweet Sixteen here comes the 🦅 🦅 https://t.co/pJqZlmdzH4
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) March 24, 2024
The win marked Marquette's first trip to the Sweet 16 in over a decade, when they last made it in 2013, when they advanced as far as the Elite Eight.
Things appear to be trending up for the Golden Eagles under head coach Shaka Smart, who has led Marquette to the March Madness tournament in each of his three seasons as head coach. Smart has made steady progress every season with Marquette, making the first round his first year, the second round his second year, and now the Sweet 16.
The Golden Eagles hope they can bring back the glory days, which they previously experienced with Wade from 2000-2003. Wade was phenomenal during his time at Marquette, including becoming a consensus All-American in his final year. The Golden Eagles made the NCAA Tournament in each of their final two seasons with Wade.
Their top season came in Wade's final year with Marquette in 2003. The Golden Eagles advanced to the Final Four for just the third time in school history, before losing to Kansas 94-61. During that year, Wade averaged 21.5 points per game. He would go on to become the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, where he was taken by the Miami Heat.
During his Hall of Fame NBA career, Wade won three NBA championships with the Heat. He made the NBA All-Star team thirteen times and led the NBA in scoring in 2009. His No. 3 jersey has been retired by both the Heat and Marquette.
Wade will likely be excited to watch Marquette again this Friday. The Golden Eagles have a favorable matchup in the NCAA Sweet 16 against No. 11 NC State. So far, No. 10 Colorado is the highest seed Marquette has faced, which is ideal for Marquette as they strive for to make the Elite Eight and make a championship run.
If Marquette gets the win against NC State, they'll have a much tougher matchup to try and make the Final Four. The winner of Marquette-NC State will play the winner of No. 1 Houston and No. 4 Duke.
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