The third-place game in the Maui Invitational will be between the LSU Tigers and the Marquette Golden Eagles. Who will end their Hawaiian trip with a win?
TV schedule: Wednesday, Nov 22, 8:00 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Arena: Lahaina Civic Center in Maui, Hawaii
Marquette (2-2) comes into the third-place consolation game after suffering a loss at the hands of top-10 Wichita State, 80-66. The issue for the Golden Eagles was simple — only two players contributed in the game.
Marcus Howard and Andrew Rowsey took turns keeping Marquette in the game. In the first half, it was Howard who scored 15 of the team’s first 22 points, and had 17 of his 25 total points in the first 20 minutes, including several tough shots.
After a rough shooting half for Rowsey (1/7 shooting), he heated up early in the second half, scoring eight easy points. He ultimately finished with 26 for the game, and the duo combined had 51 of the team’s 66 points for the entire game.
Essentially the other players did little to impact the game, particularly forward Sam Hauser, who had three fouls in the first eight minutes and didn’t register a rebound for the game. No one else had more than five points, showing a lack of scoring depth that wasn’t an issue a year ago.
They take on a LSU Tigers team that, after pulling off a surprising upset against Michigan, were picked apart by a talented Notre Dame team. With a new head coach in Will Wade from VCU and a complete remodeling of the roster, there were plenty of questions as to how this team will look.
This tournament has helped solve some of those inquiries with super talented freshman Tremont Waters playing well to start his college career. In the win against the Wolverines, he led the team with 25 points and five assists, Forward Duop Reath has also become a revelation in this event, playing well in both games so far.
Although very little is expected of the Tigers, the fact that they won just about every 50/50 ball in the second half of the first round upset shows the fight that Coach Wade has already instilled in his team. They won’t be an easy out in SEC play.
Next: Wichita State beats Marquette thanks to a team effort
Neither team is known for their offense, so the game should be a high-scoring affair. While Marquette has more talent from top to bottom, someone outside of the starting guards for the Eagles will have to step up and contribute — otherwise LSU will win.
Prediction: Marquette 88 – LSU 73