A college basketball rarity will be on display on Wednesday at the holiday Maui Invitational, which this year is being held in Honolulu because of the wildfires earlier this year in Maui. Both No. 7 Tennessee and No. 4 Marquette will become the first teams to play the Associated Press No. 1 and No. 2 teams on back-to-back days since 1972. The Golden Eagles can top the Volunteers, though, by winning both matchups but are 3.5-point underdogs on the SportsLine consensus against No. 2 Purdue in the title game, which tips at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. Click here for model picks.
This year's Maui Invitational field is among the best ever. Tuesday's action from Honolulu looked like a Final Four Saturday with the second-ranked Boilermakers, led by National Player of the Year Zach Edey, knocking off the Vols. Marquette and arguably the nation's top point guard, Tyler Kolek, followed that up by upsetting No. 1 Kansas 73-59. The Vols and Jayhawks tip at 2:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in the third-place game with KU at -1.5.
Wednesday will mark the first time that a team will play AP No. 1 and 2 teams on back-to-back days since Loyola Chicago lost to a Bill Walton-led No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Marquette on Jan. 28 and 29, 1972. No school has beaten AP No. 1 and No. 2 teams in consecutive games since Kansas beat No. 1 North Carolina in the 2008 Final Four and then No. 2 Memphis in the national title game. Kansas and Purdue are currently +1100 co-favorites at DraftKings to cut down the nets this April.
Marquette improved to 3-11 all-time against the nation's No. 1 team with the win over the Jayhawks. It was the school's first such win since beating Villanova 74-72 in 2017. Marquette was clearly the better team Tuesday as it led by as many as 17 points in the second half, forced 18 Kansas turnovers and held the Jayhawks to just 40.7% shooting from the floor. Kolek didn't even have a great game with just six points on 3-for-9 shooting, although he had five steals, four assists and four rebounds. Forward Oso Ighodaro led the way with 21 points and nine rebounds. Guard Chase Ross chipped in a career-high tying 12 points off the bench.
The last time Marquette faced top-five teams in consecutive games came during its run to the 2003 Final Four. Marquette defeated No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 1 Kentucky en route to the national semifinals, eventually losing to No. 6 Kansas in New Orleans. The Golden Eagles are looking to start 6-0 for the first time since winning their first 10 in 2011-12. Marquette is now 8-3 in four appearances in the Maui Invitational. It previously made the title game in 2007 and lost by four to Duke. Coach Shaka Smart's team is now +1500 to win the national title.
Purdue is also seeking its first Maui Invitational title and has won three in a row against AP top-10 foes following a 71-67 win over the Vols on Tuesday. The Canadian Edey, who is not considered much of an NBA prospect but is a dominant college player, had a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds. Edey is the first player since Kevin Durant (2006-07) to have at least 110 points, 50 rebounds and 15 blocks in the first five games of a season. It was his 56th straight double-figure scoring game, now tied with Glenn Robinson for the third-longest streak in school history.
Edey and Marquette's Smart won last year's National Player of the Year and National Coach of the Year, respectively, and Edey is the clear favorite to repeat in 2023-24. Purdue will appear in the Maui Invitational championship game for the first time since a loss in 1999 to North Carolina.
Purdue is 10-1 all-time vs. Marquette and won last year's meeting 75-70 at home early in the season as part of the Gavitt Games. Edey scored 20 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. After having two turnovers in the game's first two minutes, Purdue had just four turnovers in the last 38 minutes. Kolek had eight points, 11 assists and six rebounds in the loss. The winner has a good chance of moving to No. 1 in the new polls.
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No. 2 Purdue vs. No. 4 Marquette Wednesday Maui Invitational college basketball odds: Golden Eagles eye rare back-to-back victories over nation's top two teams - SportsLine
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