The best team in men’s college basketball.
That’s what the polls will show when they’re released, the Purdue Boilermakers sitting on top.
It took three gutsy top-10 victories in Honolulu, including Wednesday’s 78-75 win over No. 5 Marquette in the championship of the Maui Invitational.
Purdue fended off a Marquette charge after it led by as many as 15 early in the second half. The Golden Eagles fought back, though, getting within one point in the final minute.
The Boilermakers needed every bit of a stellar first half with Marquette star Oso Ighodaro sidelined with two fouls.
Purdue hit 7 of 9 first-half 3-pointers, including a 75-foot heave at the buzzer by Lance Jones, to lead 45-33 at halftime.
Marquette, though, riding All-American guard Tyler Kolek and relying on ball pressure that forced Purdue into 15 turnovers, including nine in the second half, responded.
Kolek finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six assists and got help from Kam Jones (17 points, five assists) and Ighodaro (16 points) in a near comeback effort.
But, Purdue had the X-factor in reigning National Player of the Year Zach Edey.
It was over when…
…The clock hit zero.
Another night of horrific free throw shooting by Purdue kept Marquette in it. Mason Gillis missed the front end of a one-and-bonus with 7.6 seconds left and Edey did the same after an offensive rebounds.
Kam Jones’ last-second 3 was off the mark.
The play that gave Purdue enough cushion to force Marquette into needing a 3 came from Edey.
With the shot clock winding down, Braden Smith’s 3 from the wing hit off the front iron and caromed to the right, where Edey poked it back off the glass with his right hand, the final points with 19.1 seconds to go.
3 stars
Zach Edey, Purdue: The Maui Invitational MVP was outstanding despite five turnovers. The 7-foot-4 center finished with 28 points and 15 rebounds, seven of those offensive. Marquette kept Edey in check for nearly 16 minutes in the first half before he exploded for 11 straight Purdue points. For good measure, Edey had two blocks.
Braden Smith, Purdue: Marquette made it hellacious on Smith in the second half with its ball pressure. The sophomore maintained composure for the most part. His free throw woes are truly a mystery as he’s probably the most trusted from the charity stripe, but Smith’s shooting was otherwise solid. He scored 18 points on 7 of 11 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists. Smith threw a tough runner off the glass in traffic with 3:49 to go that stopped a Marquette run and kept Purdue ahead 74-67.
Lance Jones, Purdue: Jones’ defense in the first half was critical to a double-digit halftime lead. He also hit three 3s and they all seemed big, none bigger than the nearly full court launch at the end of the first half. Gillis found Jones on the wing with a beautiful cross-court pass with six minutes to go and Jones cashed the 3 to put Purdue ahead 10.
Sam King covers sports for the Journal & Courier. Email him at sking@jconline.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @samueltking.