Marquette Basketball: Golden Eagles upset No. 1 Kansas in Maui Invitational

Marquette Basketball’s relentless defensive pressure creates the chaos needed to take down the #1 Kansas Jayhawks in the Maui Invitational semifinal.

Shot out of a cannon, Marquette Basketball came out with chaotic defensive pressure from the tip in the semifinal of the Allstate Maui Invitational Tuesday night. The Jayhawks saw that high-octane pressure from the Golden Eagles all night long, and like UCLA the night before, Kansas got frazzled. Marquette set the pace for the full 40 minutes and the chaos that ensued drives them straight to the Maui final.

Marquette came out hot, not just setting the tone on defense but also knocking down open shots and running efficient halfcourt offense. Their ability to get in the lane, make the right pass, and score led to a fair distribution of points, with six different Marquette players going over 5 points in the first half. Sean Jones even quickened the pace, a blur on the court, creating for himself and those around him. A late first half dustup between Marquette head Coach Shaka Smart and Kansas guard Kevin McCullar led to Shaka being restrained back to the bench. More fuel for the night, the energy and pressure continued as the Golden Eagles sprinted into halftime with a 38-28 lead.

The second half didn’t come any easier for the Jayhawks, where they saw Oso Ighodaro send two blocked shots back to Lawrence and the lead swell to 17. Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson couldn’t get much established against Ighodaro but was able to convert a couple of “ball-high” lobs off the glass when Ighodaro was off the court. It was an overall quiet night for the nation’s 3rd leading scorer, and much of the same can be said for Dajuan Harris Jr., who finished with just 4 points and 3 assists. Marquette and Shaka had a gameplan and took away most of what Kansas was wanting to do, salting away the second half on their way to a 73-59 upset of the #1 Jayhawks.

Marquette showed a full 40 minutes of what they can do with this group of players. They showed their depth with huge baskets from Sean Jones and Ben Gold. They showed that they have arguably the best point guard in the country in Tyler Kolek. They showed they have a force inside with the ever-improving Ighodaro. They showed their tenacity on defense and the pressure that they can apply to completely take their opponents out of their gameplan. And they showed their togetherness, the grit that makes great teams.

Marquette advances to the Maui Invitational final, where they will battle #2 Purdue for the title. Tip-off is Wednesday, 5pm est on ESPN.