As they say, style makes fights, and in the Maui Invitational championship game, we have two teams that find different ways to draw “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd.
Marquette and reigning Big East Player of the Year Tyler Kolek, are a guard-dominant outfit that pushes the tempo and utilizes pick and rolls to put opposing defenses in no-win situations.
Either Kolek and Oso Ighodaro are going to attack downhill toward the tin, or Kolek is going to kick it out to Kam Jones, who is shooting a blistering 40% from long range this season.
On the other side, Purdue is built around 7-foot-4 Zach Edey, who is flat-out unguardable on the offensive end and is responsible for swatting three to four shots and altering countless others on the defensive end.
So, who has the advantage when you consider how differently these teams are assembled?
Purdue vs. Marquette prediction
(5 p.m. ET. ESPN)
Edey, the reigning National Player of the Year, has proven that his off-season workout regimen is paying dividends already. He’s noticeably more light on his feet defensively and has blocked 15 shots already this season.
On the low block, he’s added to his array of post moves and is now averaging 22 points and 11 rebounds per game on 59.6% shooting from the field.
EvanMiya.com has him rated as college basketball’s top player in both its Bayesian Performance Rating and classic Team MVP rating system.
In short, he’s entering rarified air that justifies mentioning him in the same breath as college legends like Patrick Ewing, Tim Duncan, and Tyler Hansborough.
But Purdue’s ceiling has never been about Edey. It’s about the maturation of his supporting cast. And their gritty 71-67 win over Tennessee on Tuesday night is further evidence that his teammates are ready to step up their play.
Edey picked up his fourth foul with nine minutes remaining in regulation against the Vols. He exited with Purdue leading by three and sat for the next five minutes and 16 seconds. When he returned to the floor Purdue was still leading, 62-61.
His teammates, namely Fletcher Loyer, rose to the occasion against a top-10 opponent with their consensus All-America riding the pine. Loyer finished the game with 27 points, six rebounds and three steals.
As a team, the Boilermakers shot 48 foul shots on Tuesday night, which was more than double their average both this season and last year under Matt Painter.
Their aggression in attacking the rim this year is noticeable. Braden Smith demonstrated that in the final minute, blowing past defenders and sinking a difficult shot off the window to put Purdue up six.
At times last season, it felt like no one other than Edey was ready for the big moments, but that hasn’t been the case this year, thanks to the improved play of Loyer and Smith in Painter’s backcourt.
Marquette blitzed top-ranked Kansas in the other Maui semifinal, opening up a double-digit lead within the first 10 minutes while impressing Dwyane Wade courtside.
The Golden Eagles’ wall-to-wall pressure clearly bothered Kansas, but it was the way they limited Hunter Dickinson that ended up winning the game for them.
After a monster 27-point, 21-rebound performance against Kentucky in the Champion’s Classic, Dickinson’s 13/8/3 against Marquette line felt muted.
Betting on College Basketball?
Shaka Smart continues to be a great bet as an underdog, now cashing 70% of tickets against the spread since taking over at Marquette, with outright wins in 55% of those contests. That’s the third-best mark in the past three seasons among power programs.
Given Marquette’s performance against Dickinson, their ferocious on-ball defense, and their highly efficient offensive system (14th in Rim & 3 Rate), it could be wise overlooking their glaring weakness (FT shooting) and play them all the way down to a pick ‘em against Purdue.
Pick: Marquette +3.5 (-110 BetRivers), play to pick ’em
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