Game 6 Preview: #2 Purdue vs #4 Marquette in the Maui Invitational title game
HONOLULU — Second-ranked Purdue is one win away from winning college basketball’s signature Feast Week event, set to face fourth-ranked Marquette (again) for the championship of the Maui Invitational.
After edging UCLA on Monday, Shaka Smart’s Golden Eagles routed No. 1 Kansas Tuesday, meaning that Purdue’s not only playing for its third straight MTE title but also its third No. 1 ranking in as many years.
DETAILS: Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2023 | 5 p.m. ET | TV: ESPN (Dan Shuman, Jay Bilas, Angel Gray) | Radio: Purdue Radio Network
PURDUE (5-0): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
MARQUETTE (5-0): ROSTER | SCHEDULE | STATS
THREE THINGS ABOUT PURDUE
• Purdue hasn’t lost a game in November since the COVID year, a 2020 loss to Clemson in Florida as part of what was supposed to be the Cancun Challenge. The win streak stands at 19. Some run the Boilermakers are on.
• In a game that set a tone for Purdue’s emergent season last year, it rallied to beat Marquette 75-70 in Mackey Arena last season. These two teams became strangely common opponents as part of the Gavitt Games, but the Boilermakers lead the all-time series 10-1.
• Braden Smith, in his third college game, scored 20 against the Eagles and really played well down the stretch of a game that had 13 lead changes and six ties.
• Purdue’s now third nationally in offensive and defensive efficiency, per KenPom, and that comes after games against Xavier, Gonzaga and Tennessee, enough for the numbers to matter.
• Purdue has a turnover problem it’s won in spite of, 16 more vs. Tennessee, albeit an excellent defensive team. Marquette plays to force turnovers. Kansas committed 18.
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• Purdue’s now shooting a rock-solid 39.4 percent from three.
A FEW THINGS ABOUT THIS GAME
• Tyler Kolek is one of the best players in the country, probably the guard with the best chance in a player-of-the-race highlighted by great big men, even though Kolek doesn’t always put up huge scoring numbers. Let’s see what Lance Jones can do defensively against an elite player.
• Like Purdue, Marquette has gotten to this level with personnel continuity, as it is largely the same team as a year ago, led by Kolek and wings Kam Jones and David Joplin, who made five threes in Mackey last year.
• Marquette already has a road win at Illinois, 71-64, a close game the Eagles won down the stretch. Kolek scored 24 despite being banged up prior.
• Big man Oso Ighodaro has scored 13 or more points in every game this season. He’ll be a scoring threat around the basket.
| TURNOVERS | TRANSITION | EARLY THREES |
| It’s not unreasonable to suggest that this category decides the game. Purdue has to be stronger with the ball, be more aware and make clean catches. Marquette needs turnovers to win. | Purdue has helped itself the past two games by playing fast. Marquette may be an opponent, though, that wants a faster game and you don’t want to play into their hands. | We might just write this every game this season. But it’s just so important for Purdue to not only make threes to keep defenses honest but to do it early on to send opponents warning shots. |
GOLDANDBLACK.COM PREDICTION: PURDUE 72, MARQUETTE 67
That was a toss-up game last season between these two teams in Mackey Arena and Purdue won’t have homecourt this time around. But Marquette won’t have a Zach Edey, either. Purdue has shown real toughness and will to get to this point and would seem built to last.
