Kansas vs. Marquette score, takeaways: No. 4 Golden Eagles upset No. 1 Jayhawks, make Maui Invitational final

Spoiling a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup, Marquette rolls over Kansas to get a shot at Purdue for the Maui Invitational title

No. 4 Marquette made a statement Tuesday with a 73-59 win over No. 1 Kansas at the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii to advance to the Maui Invitational championship game behind a balanced scoring attack. The Golden Eagles will face No. 2 Purdue in the title game Wednesday.

Marquette got the biggest contribution from big man Oso Ighodaro, who scored 21 points and played critical defense to slow down a potent Kansas offense. Marquette shot poorly from behind the 3-point line, but the lackluster shooting night from beyond the arc didn't make much of a difference.

Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson was held to his lowest scoring output of the season with 13 points. Dickinson was slowed down in the first half after a hot start and didn't attempt a shot for the final nine minutes of the half.

Marquette will look to build on its already impressive resume against the Boilermakers. The Golden Eagles previously knocked off Illinois on the road last week and collected another Top 25 win against the top-ranked team in the country ahead of the Big East gauntlet that starts next month.

  • Marquette recorded its second win in school history against a No. 1 overall team. The last time the Golden Eagles accomplished the feat was a 74-72 win over Villanova on Jan. 24, 2017 at home.
  • Kansas will face its third Top 25 opponent this season Wednesday when they take on Tennessee. The Jayhawks already have a win over Kentucky on their resume.
  • Only 28 number of total fouls were called in this game after 52 were called in the first semifinal matchup.
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Dust up between Self, Shaka Smart

Toward the end of the first half, Kansas star Kevin McCullar Jr. appeared to say something to the Marquette bench after knocking down a shot. That lead to Smart and McCullar exchanging words before both teams left their respective benches. Smart and Self exchanged words at half court before play resumed moments later after both coaches received technical fouls..

After the game, Smart spoke on the incident: "The one thing I'm going to make clear is: we don't take a backseat to anyone. That's how we go about things and that's the only way you beat Kansas."

 
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Different style of play

The first semifinal game at the Maui Invitational between Tennessee and Purdue was quite literally a slugfest. There were 52 fouls called and 78 total free throws shot between both teams. That made the viewing experience far less pleasurable. Yes, Marquette recorded a near wire-to-wire win over Kansas, but the viewing experience was far more enjoyable because there wasn't a foul called every time a team went up the floor. In this game, there were only 28 total fouls called and 28 free throws shot between both teams . 

Looking ahead, Purdue and Marquette will be an awesome championship game. There weren't a ton of marquee matchups to open up the 2023-24 college basketball season and the Maui Invitational has already given college basketball fans some of the best matchups of the season. Let's just hope the finale doesn't turn into a foul-fest.

 
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Kansas needs more from rotation players 

Kevin McCullar Jr. showed up. Hunter Dickinson was there at times. Outside of that, the Jayhawks didn't receive many contributions from their other key rotation players. For a team as experienced as Kansas, that's surprising. 

The shooting numbers weren't great (40.7% from the floor, 35.3% from beyond the arc) and part of that is because Marquette made life difficult to get the shots that helped Kansas get off to a 4-0 start. Star freshman Elmarko Jackson was held scoreless. Dajuan Harris Jr. scored four points and KJ Adams Jr. added three. If the Jayhawks want to win these marquee games, they are going to need more from the players that have been in these moments already. 

Kansas couldn't feed the ball in the post to Dickinson — which is a staple of its offense. After Dickinson got off to a really hot start early, he was held scoreless for the final nine minutes of the first half. He shot 5 of 10 from the floor and knocked down a 3-pointer, but he should be taking even more shots. But, again, part of that problem is his teammates couldn't feed him down low.

You aren't going to win many game turning the ball over 18 times. The Jayhawks will need to clean it up fast before they take on Tennessee next in Wednesday's consolation game.

 
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Marquette shows depth in win

The Golden Eagles aren't a one-trick pony by any means. Sure, they have a First-Team All-American on their roster in Tyler Kolek, but they have depth. That was evident. The Jayhawks have one of the most experienced starting lineups in the sport and Marquette nearly recorded a wire-to-wire win. That's impressive. 

Kolek didn't have his best offensive outing and scored only six points, but he dished out four assists and had five steals. Ighidaro had a game-high 21 points and made plays on the defensive end. Kam Jones finished with 10 points and knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Chase Ross came off the bench and scored 12 points. In total, seven players on the roster scored at least six points. When March comes around, you need experience to advance in the NCAA Tournament. Marquette certainly has just that. Tuesday was a sign of things to come.

 
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Marquette knocks off Kansas

Final: No. 4 Marquette 73, No. 1 Kansas 59

Marquette made a statement Tuesday with a 73-59 win over top-ranked Kansas at the Stan Sheriff Center in Hawaii to advance to the Maui Invitational championship game behind a balanced scoring attack. The Golden Eagles will face No. 2 Purdue in the title game Wednesday.

Marquette got the biggest contribution from big man Oso Ighodaro, who scored 21 points and played critical defense to slow down a potent Kansas offense. Marquette shot poorly from behind the 3-point line, but the lackluster shooting night from beyond the arc didn't make much of a difference.

 
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Marquette pulling away

Late 2H: Marquette 67, Kansas 52

The Golden Eagles are making a statement in Hawaii and appear well on their way for playing for the championship game tomorrow against Purdue. Both teams haven't shot well tonight, but Marquette is playing excellent defense to maintain its lead heading into the final minutes. Ighodaro has been incredible for the Golden Eagles tonight.

 
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Kansas staying alive

Early 2H: Marquette 51, Kansas 40

The Jayhawks aren't done, yet. Kansas is currently on a mini run and cut it to 11 points with 11:58 remaining in regulation. Kansas got a key bucket from McCullar and he has a game-high 19 points. The Jayhawks are struggling to feed the ball in the post to Dickinson and they will need to do that down the stretch to get back into this game.

 
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Marquette pulling away

Early 2H: Marquette 49, Kansas 34

It's been all Marquette so far in the second half. The Golden Eagles have outscored Kansas 11-6 so far in the second half and extended their lead to as many as 17 points in the opening minutes. Marquette is using a balanced scoring attack to build its lead.

 
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Marquette extends its lead

Early 2H: Marquette 47, Kansas 32

Dickinson didn't have a shot attempt for nearly the final nine minutes of the first half and he scored the first points of the second half with a short layup. Something to monitor is Kansas star guard Dajuan Harris Jr. picked up his third foul two minutes into the second half. Self is going to leave him into the game. 

Marquette extended its lead to 15 — its largest of the game — with a dunk from Ighodaro and a three-pointer from Chase Ross.

 
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Golden Eagles up at the break

Halftime: Marquette 38, Kansas 28

Twenty minutes down, 20 minutes to go. If the end of the first half is a preview of what is to come, we are due for a fantastic finish. Things appeared to get chippy near the end of the half when Dickinson appeared to flop. The benches cleared and Kansas coach Bill Self and Marquette coach Shaka Smart were each issued technical fouls. This game has been the opposite of the Tennessee-Purdue game. The first semifinal matchup was slow paced with fouls being called almost every single time down the floor.

McCullar has a game-high 14 points for Kansas and Dickinson has seven points and seven rebounds. As for Marquette, it had a balanced scoring attack and five players scored at least five points. The Golden Eagles shot 16-of-39 in the first half and that mark will certainly need to improve in order to maintain the lead and pull off the upset. The winner of this game faces No. 2 Purdue in the Maui Invitational title game tomorrow.

 
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Ighodaro making plays

Late 1H: Marquette 33, Kansas 28

Hello, Oso Ighodaro. The Marquette big man recorded two monster blocks during the last few minutes and it anchoring that end of the floor. Ighodaro has seven points, four rebounds and those two blocks to help pace the Golden Eagles. Kansas went on nearly a five minute scoring drought earlier in the half and they followed it up with another drought of almost four minutes before Jamari McDowell and McCullar both knocked down three-pointers to cut into the deficit.

 
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Marquette on a run

Mid 1H: Marquette 29, Kansas 22

Marquette is currently on big run and extended its lead to as many as 11 points before Kansas scored. The Jayhawks went scoreless for over four minutes before McCullar ended the drought. Dickinson is heading to the bench for some rest and his replacement, Parker Braun, immediately scored. He is the youngest brother of former Kansas star Christian Braun, who is currently with the Denver Nuggets.

 
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Kansas getting Dickinson involved

Early 1H: Marquette 21, Kansas 16

Dickinson is the perfect player for Bill Self's system. His veteran coach keeps finding ways to get his star big man involved. Dickinson knocked down a three-pointer at the top of the key and then converted a shot in the short corner moments later. He's already up to seven points and four rebounds, but did miss a pair of free throws when he was fouled. Both teams are getting good looks from beyond the arc and that will be something to keep an eye on as the game goes on.

 
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Hot start for Marquette 

Early 1H: Marquette 12, Kansas 9

We are off from Honolulu, Hawaii. Marquette appears to be going right after Kansas star Hunter Dickinson in the paint. Dickinson was able to contest the first shot attempt and scored on the other end for the first points of the night. The Golden Eagles answered with a pair of 3-pointers by Kam Jones and Marquette is shooting 3 of 5 from  distance. 

The Jayhawks got off to a slow start against Kentucky last week before picking it up in the second half.

 
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Starting lineups

We are 15 minutes away from a top-five matchup in Honolulu, Hawaii. Here is who will start for both teams...

Kansas: Dajuan Harris Jr., Elmarko Jackson, Kevin McCullar Jr., KJ Adams Jr. and Hunter Dickinson 

Marquette: Kam Jones, Stevie Mitchell, Tyler Kolek, Oso Ighodaro and David Joplin

 
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Delayed tip time

Thanks to the Tennessee-Purdue game running long, this game will tip at 10:58 p.m. EST. This game was originally slated to start at 10:30, but college basketball fans will have to wait just a little bit longer to see the marquee matchup of the night. The winner of Kansas-Marquette faces No. 2 Purdue in the Maui Invitational championship game Wednesday for all the marbles.

 
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How Marquette got here

Unless you stayed up late last night (or live on the West Coast) you probably missed one of the best finishes of the college basketball season. UCLA pushed Marquette to the brink Monday and had two chances to win or tie the game before time ran out. Marquette guard Sean Jones knocked down a three-pointer in the final moments to give his team the lead back for good. David Joplin scored a team-high 19 points and star guard Tyler Kolek recorded a near double-double with nine points and nine assists. The Golden Eagles haven't knocked off a No. 1 ranked team since 2017. Could tonight be the night?

 
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How Kansas got here

In the most least surprising result of the entire tournament, No. 1 Kansas knocked off Chaminade to advance to the Maui Invitational semifinals. The Jayhawks used a dominant second half to improve to 4-0 on the season. Kansas now has a date with the No. 4 team in the country in its biggest game of the season. Kansas star big man Hunter Dickinson had his best performance at his new school and recorded a double-double with 31 points and 11 rebounds. However, the most impressive feat came at the hands of guard Kevin McCullar Jr., who recorded his second consecutive triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. The Jayhawks will need their best from both of those players to advance to the championship game

 
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Maui Invitational at 40

The Maui Invitational holds a distinct reputation in American sports. In recent decades, even as football has grown ever more popular — late November becoming as synonymous with family time and turkey as it is with pigskin — college basketball's ties to the week of Thanksgiving have endured. Maui's tournament (held the Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday before Thanksgiving) is the reason why college hoops has a place in the sports discourse this week at a time when the NFL's playoff race starts to take shape and college football's regular season is wrapping up with some of its biggest rivalry games. 

Here's a chronological look at 20 of Maui's most memorable games over its first four decades. 

Maui Invitational at 40: How an American classic was born and why it's still the best in-season tournament
Matt Norlander
Maui Invitational at 40: How an American classic was born and why it's still the best in-season tournament