That postgame victory milkshake is going to taste sweeter tonight for Shaka Smart.

Why you ask? Smart, and Marquette, are back in the Sweet 16 for the first time in over a decade. The feat has been 12 years in the making for the Wisconsin native.

REQUIRED READING: Marquette basketball holds off Colorado in March Madness, advances to Sweet 16

Naturally, the Golden Eagles' 81-77 win over Colorado in the second round of the NCAA Tournament got the 2023 Big East Coach of the Year emotional in postgame — displayed by him celebrating with Marquette fans that made the trek to Indianapolis.

"So grateful for our guys just hanging in there. There were so many moments that we could have cracked, been through a lot of adversity this year. Getting this guy (Tyler Kolek) back at the right time was perfect for us. He led the way and his belief and toughness really translated to our other guys," Smart told CBS' Andy Katz after the game.

It is the first time that Smart has taken a team to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2012, when he was at VCU.

"Just gratitude. Grateful for these guys, our fans and our guys who hung in there and continued to fight. Now we get to keep playing."

When asked by Katz for where his emotion and gratitude is coming from, Smart's response embodied the program's core value: Relationship. Growth. Victory.

"I love these guys. I don't want the season to end, that is the biggest thing," Smart said. "Now we get several more days to go home, rest up and go down to Dallas."

Smart is now 10-10 in the NCAA Tournament and 3-2 in three trips to the Big Dance at Marquette.

Tyler Kolek leads Marquette to first Sweet 16 since 2013

Kolek, who returned this week after being out several weeks with an oblique injury, led Marquette to the program's first Sweet 16 birth since 2013 with 21 points and 11 assists for his second-straight double-double and seventh of the season.

The Golden Eagles came close to reaching the Sweet 16 last year, but lost to 7 seed Michigan State in the second round, a memory that has stuck with them for the last year.

"I told them in the huddle, (as) I get the last word before we go back to the bench, 'This is what has been in our nightmares. We just got to go out there and attack it. We are not running from our nightmares anymore," Kolek told Katz.

So what were those nightmares like?

"Playing with my guys it doesn't beat it. ... Last year, the season got cut short. We didn't do what we wanted to do in the tournament, now it is about survive and advance."

Who is Marquette playing next in March Madness?

Marquette (27-9, 14-6 in Big East play) will take on 11 seed NC State (24-14, 9-11 in ACC play) in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday, March 29 at American Airlines Arena in Dallas. Tip-off information will be released later by the NCAA.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Look: Shaka Smart gets emotional after Marquette punches Sweet 16 ticket