Wrap of the Maui Invitational Championship Game: Purdue 78, Marquette 75
But one guy, #15 Zach Edey, will be the driving force behind Purdue’s rise to the top on Monday: he has stated that he is the most dominant player in the country and that Purdue is the best team in the country with just a little assistance.
With 28 points and 15 rebounds and his third consecutive double-double in the competition, Zach Edey was outstanding.
Braden Smith had to make a difficult three-point shot with less than thirty seconds remaining in the game. He missed, but Edey was prepared to get to the miss since he was all tournament.
The 2023 Allstate Maui Invitational will conclude on Wednesday, Nov. 22 at 4 p.m. CT with the No. 4/5 Marquette University male basketball team (5-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) playing versus No. 2/2 Purdue (5-0, 0-0 Big Ten) in the title game.
Dan Shulman, the play-by-play announcer, and Jay Bilas, the commentator, call the action on ESPN.
The Golden Eagles will face Southern at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday, Nov. 28, following their game on Wednesday.
On March 15, 1969, the Boilermakers won the NCAA Mideast Regional final 75-73 in overtime thanks to a buzzer-beating basket by Rick Mount.
Despite defeating Murray State and No. 7 Kentucky during the tournament, Al McGuire’s team was unable to secure a trip to the Final Four for the first time.
George Thompson, who finished his college career with 28 points, was Marquette’s star player.
Ten of the eleven encounters between each of the programs in the series, which dates back to 1931–1932, have been claimed by Purdue.
On November 13, 2019, Marquette overcame an 18-point deficit in the second half at Fiserv Forum to win 65-55 and record their first-ever victory against the Boilermakers.
In their most recent meeting, which took place on Nov. 15, 2022, in the Gavitt Tip-Off Games in West Lafayette, Purdue rallied for a 75-70 victory against Marquette, which had led by as many at nine points in the second half.
Moving forward With a game-high 21 points, David Joplin led three players for Marquette in double digits. Oso Ighodaro contributed five assists, five rebounds, and ten points.
When it comes to his portrayal of Marquette, Braden Smith just seems right. Following a career-high performance the previous year, he faced Tyler Kolek, who appeared to be every bit the best point guard to college, going 22, 7, and 6 in return, and finished with 18 points, 5 assists, with 5 rebounds against Marquette.
Smith was not alone, though. Lance Jones had 11 points and three three-pointers, capping the first half by making a three-quarter shot. Fletcher Loyer continued to play well, scoring ten points.
With 10 of 21 three-pointers made, Purdue had one of its greatest shooting performances surrounding Edey.
However, it was the team’s big man and aggressive rebounding that sealed the victory for Purdue, who remain undefeated in non-conference play.
Purdue outscored Marquette 20–4 in second-chance points as a result of their dominance on the offensive boards.
Purdue’s 13 offensive rebounds managed to hold off the Golden Eagles, despite Marquette’s late-game surge that reduced the team’s 12-point halftime advantage to one.
Purdue looked like a team with depth and experience after playing three games in a row over the course of three days against teams ranked in the top eleven.
It also appeared to be a team led by Zach Edey, the most formidable player in college basketball.
Even though each of the three is equal in points, some are longer and louder than others. However, Edey’s early and frequent domination was what caused Purdue to become isolated.
Lance Jones gave Purdue its largest lead of the half with a three-pointer from the opposite wing and a 60-footer after the team had bound the ball without 2.5 seconds remaining. Purdue’s advantage at the half was 45–33.
In the first half, Ben Gold committed two fouls in eight minutes of play, David Joplin committed two, Kam Jones committed two, and Oso Ighodaro committed two.