Due to the wildfires in Maui earlier this year, the holiday Maui Invitational is being conducted in Honolulu this year. On Wednesday, a collegiate basketball rare will be on show at the event. Since 1972, no No. 7 Tennessee nor No. 4 Marquette have faced the Associated Press No. 1 and No. 2 teams back-to-back. Although the Golden Eagles are 3.5-point underdogs on the SportsLine consensus versus No. 2 Purdue in the championship game, which tips at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN, they can still defeat the Volunteers by winning both of their games.
The Maui Invitational field this year is one of the strongest ever. With National Player of the Year Zach Edey leading the second-ranked Boilermakers to a victory against the Vols, Tuesday’s action from Honolulu resembled a Final Four Saturday. After that, Marquette defeated No. 1 Kansas 73-59, led by Tyler Kolek, who is perhaps the best point guard in the country. The Vols and Jayhawks square off against KU at -1.5 in the third-place game on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET.
After Loyola Chicago fell to a Bill Walton-led UCLA and No. 2 Marquette on January 28 and 29, 1972, this will be the first time a team plays the AP No. 1 and 2 teams on consecutive days. Since Kansas defeated No. 1 North Carolina in the 2008 Final Four and then No. 2 Memphis in the national championship game, no school has defeated the AP rankings of the top two teams in consecutive games. DraftKings presently has Kansas and Purdue as co-favorites to chop down the nets in April at +1100.
With the victory against the Jayhawks, Marquette’s record against the top team in the country is at 3-11 all-time. The team hadn’t triumphed like that since defeating Villanova 74-72 in 2017. Throughout the second half, Marquette led by as many as 17 points, forced 18 turnovers from Kansas, and limited the Jayhawks to only 40.7% shooting from the field, demonstrating their superiority over the Hawks on Tuesday. Even though he only scored six points on 3-for-9 shooting, Kolek nevertheless managed five steals, four assists, and four rebounds. Oso Ighodaro, a forward, took the lead with nine rebounds and 21 points. Off the bench, guard Chase Ross scored a career-high 12 points.
Marquette’s run to the 2003 Final Four was the last time it played opponents ranked in the top five. Marquette advanced to the national semifinals by defeating No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 1 Kentucky; but, in New Orleans, they were upset by No. 6 Kansas. The goal is to start 6-0 for the first time since 2011–12, when they won their first ten games. After four appearances at the Maui Invitational, Marquette is now 8-3. It had fallen to Duke by four in the championship game in 2007. It is currently +1500 for coach Shaka Smart’s squad to win the national championship.
Purdue, which defeated the Vols 71-67 on Tuesday, is vying for its first Maui Invitational championship and has defeated three straight opponents ranked in the AP top-10. Edey, a Canadian who is a standout college player but is not regarded as much of an NBA potential, had a double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Since Kevin Durant (2006–07), Edey is the first player to score at least 110 points, 50 rebounds, and 15 blocks in a season’s first five games. His 56 consecutive games with at least ten points scored now matches Glenn Robinson for the third-longest record in school history.
Both Edey and Smart of Marquette were named National Coach of the Year and National Player of the Year respectively last year; Edey is the overwhelming favorite to win both titles again in 2023–2024. This will be Purdue’s first trip to the Maui Invitational title game since they lost to North Carolina in 1999.
Purdue leads the all-time series against Marquette 10-1. In the Gavitt Games, Purdue won the team’s home opener last year, 75-70. Edey grabbed 13 rebounds in addition to scoring 20 points. Purdue only committed four turnovers in the last 38 minutes of play, compared to two in the first two minutes of the game. In the defeat, Kolek had eight points, eleven assists, and six rebounds. The victor is likely to rise to the top of the latest surveys.
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