Oso Ighodaro generates early NBA Draft buzz in leading No. 4 Marquette past No. 1 Kansas
HONOLULU, Hawaii — There was a potential Final Four matchup Tuesday night as No. 1 Kansas took on No. 4 Marquette in a highly competitive matchup that did not disappoint, with Marquette dethroning the top team in an upset win, 73-59, during the semifinals of the Maui Invitational. Marquette forward Oso Ighodaro was incredible, finishing with 21 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in the win.
“This will be a good 3-game test for Ighodaro and so far he’s looked great against Adem Bona (UCLA) and now Hunter Dickinson (Kansas),” one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. “In a draft that's completely wide open and a wide range of prospects, Ighodaro is definitely a player a lot of teams will be tracking this season.”
Things got heated with three minutes left in the first half when head coaches Shaka Smart and Bill Self exchanged words heading into a timeout and both benches cleared as tempers flared a bit. Smart said the confrontation started with a bit of back-and-forth chirping between Kansas guard Kevin McCullar Jr., himself and the bench.
"Kevin McCullar Jr. is one of the best competitors I’ve coached against in a long time,” Smart told reporters after the game. "He played at Texas Tech and always just brought an edge. He has always enjoyed having a dialogue with me. That’s what started the little dust-up. And then their bench got involved and our bench got involved. At the end of the day, it had very little to do with the game.”
Self was still upset postgame, telling reporters, “I doubt it was accurate, whatever he [Smart] said. I’m not going to get into it.”
The second half went on without any additional drama as the Golden Eagles became the first team this season to beat a No. 1-ranked opponent. There were several NBA scouts and executives in attendance as Ighodaro and a few others played well in an intense environment early on in the season. Yahoo Sports takes a look at standout players from both teams and how they performed on a big stage.
Oso Ighodaro, Marquette
What a difference a year made in Ighodaro’s overall development. The 6-foot-11 forward is much more aggressive and physical in the post early in his senior year and gave Dickinson the most trouble so far this season defensively. Ighodaro had back-to-back blocks on guard Juwan Harris Jr. that gave Marquette the edge defensively to close out the first half. On offense he wasn’t rushing the shovel pass in the post when anticipating the defense collapsing quickly, and instead, he would hit the guard swinging down in the opposite corner. When Dickinson wasn’t on him, he took advantage of the break and backed down his man, settling for an easy jump-hook or turnaround jumper off the block. Ighodaro’s mid-range game has improved from last year and he knocked down a couple easy shots from the short corner, shooting 9-for-15 from the field.
“I was in the gym every morning this summer and was just working on all my finishes around the rim in the paint and just my all around game,” Ighodaro said.
Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas
McCullar Jr.’s confidence is growing with each game, particularly on the offensive end. He was quick to feed the lob to Dickinson before the defense could tip the pass, and was the only player consistently making plays for the Jayhawks. McCullar Jr. finished with a game-high 24 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He did lead the team in turnovers (6) but half of them were jumbled passes from his teammates or players not running through the ball when he was passing. Every year, Self has an established senior guard that becomes the clear leader of the team while making plays in pressure situations and McCullar Jr. appears to be that guy for Kansas this year. He’s averaging 17.8 points and shooting 52% from the field after only averaging 10.7 points per game last season.
Tyler Kolek, Marquette
It was a relatively quiet game for the senior guard. Kolek was averaging nearly six assists per game entering the matchup against Kansas and had nine assists in a win over UCLA the night before. He’s so calm when the ball is in his hands and doesn’t get rattled when the defense picks him up full court or sends the double team. Kolek is everywhere defensively, getting tips on passes, stripping the ball in the post and forcing turnovers with his on-ball pressure. He’s a little jolty with the ball in his hands during one-on-one iso situations but he sees the court incredibly well and is always dishing out dimes and making excellent reads when he’s on the floor.
Hunter Dickinson, Kansas
Dickinson’s passing might be his most underrated trait and he’s so efficient getting the ball up the court for a deep outlet pass off the rebound or finding the open man in the double team. He understands that he’s going to draw multiple defenders and patiently waits for his teammate to either slide down off the opposite wing or cut to the basket. Dickinson and McCullar Jr. were the only players to finish in double digits for Kansas. The 7-foot-2 Dickinson had 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists in 33 minutes.
Marquette’s bench
What a game for Chase Ross coming off the bench. The 6-5 sophomore guard was only averaging 7.8 points per game and only played four games for the Golden Eagles last season. He finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 22 minutes on the court.
Also giving solid bench minutes for Marquette was sophomore guard Sean Jones, who completely disrupted the Jayhawks backcourt and made it difficult to run their set offense. He also contributed nine points and three assists in the win.
Marquette advances to the championship game of the Maui Invitational and will face No. 2 Purdue at 5 p.m. E.T. Wednesday night.
