Snapshots from Marquette's trip to Maui Invitational: Dwyane Wade's enthusiasm, Sean Jones' leap and defensive adjustments

The first game back on the mainland after the Maui Invitational always worries college basketball coaches.

Bodies are usually still recovering from the time change, and competitive juices often take a bit to replenish after the intensity of three games in three days at one of the sport's premier early season tournaments.

After a strong showing in Honolulu, third-ranked Marquette (5-1) returns to action against Southern (1-5) at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Fiserv Forum.

In the first game after MU's last trip to Hawaii in 2017, the Golden Eagles needed overtime to beat Eastern Illinois, 86-83, at the Bradley Center.

But this season's MU team is different, with legitimate national championship aspirations. The Golden Eagles proved at the Maui Invitational that they are among the top teams in the nation, but still played with an edge as evidenced by MU head coach Shaka Smart's tȇte-à-tȇte with Kansas counterpart Bill Self.

"We got a lot of improving to do," Smart said "I could give you a long list on offense. I could give you a long list on defense.

"Right now, we're ahead culturally compared to where we are defensively and offensively. We always kind of break things up in those three areas. If there's one of the three to be ahead in, it's culturally, which again, I'm so grateful of our guys for their willingness to buy in to that.

"Now, what can tend to happen after these tournaments and as you get into the dog days of the season, is you can move the wrong way in that category, and that absolutely cannot happen and will not happen. It's my job to make sure we keep growing championship habits."

Here are a few takeaways from MU's trip in the three categories that Smart mentioned:

Dwyane Wade has validated Shaka Smart's culture at Marquette

Dwyane Wade, inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in the summer, is MU's biggest basketball ambassador.

So it was significant that Wade took the time to hang out with the current MU players in Hawaii along with Travis Diener and Steve Novak, two other members of the school's 2003 Final Four team.

"It's special," MU junior forward David Joplin said. "I mean, not many people get the opportunity.

"I think just hats off to him. It just shows his character, coming to speak to the guys. He doesn'thave to do this. He doesn't have to be in our locker room giving us words of wisdom, talking about out-of-bounds plays, stuff like that. So it's special, it's really special."

Wade went on a boat trip with the players before the tournament started, and then visited the cramped locker room at SimpliFi Arena during the games. Wade was courtside with his father - sandwiched between MU president Mike Lovell and athletic director Bill Scholl - and enthusiastically watched as the Golden Eagles beat UCLA and Kansas.

Wade is clearly invested in the success of this season's team.

"He's a really intelligent guy," MU senior point guard Tyler Kolek said. "Whatever he wanted to say, Coach would give him the floor to say.

"Just talking about simple actions that he sees. Obviously he's one of the best players to ever play the game, so his advice is something that we could use on the floor."

Sean Jones shows offensive growth

MU suffered an injury scare before the Maui Invitational when Kolek badly sprained his ankle. He has gritted through the last four games.

"It's alright," Kolek said. "Tough through it. It's definitely battling, not 100%, just doing what I can to be out there."

But the Golden Eagles have a high-quality backup at point guard with sophomore Sean Jones, who Smart always refers to as the "fastest guy in college basketball."

Last season, MU's coaching staff worked with Jones on harnessing that speed. They wanted the 5-foot-10 guard to vary the pace of his attack, read the defense and play off two feet in the paint.

Jones is making better decisions this season. After notching 35 assists against 27 turnovers last season, Jones has 16 assists against seven turnovers over six games.

Where Jones has really improved is learning how to finish in the paint amongst taller players. Last season, he shot 25 for 51 (49%) on shots close to the rim. This season, Jones is shooting 13 for 17 (76.5%) around the basket.

Jones is struggling from long range, shooting 2 for 14 (14.3%). But he hit the biggest shot of the Maui Invitational, a three-pointer from the top of the key that gave MU the lead in the final minute against UCLA.

Marquette's defense still a work in progress

Frontcourt depth was the biggest question about MU this season.

The Golden Eagles had three huge tests in Hawaii with UCLA's formidable front line, Kansas' 7-foot-1 All-American Hunter Dickinson and then the toughest matchup in college basketball with Purdue's 7-4 Zach Edey.

MU fared well until the first half of the title game against Purdue when starting center Oso Ighodaro and backup Ben Gold both picked up two fouls apiece in the first half.

With freshman big man Al Amadou still early in his development and newcomer Caedin Hamilton redshirting, Smart was forced to play some undersized lineups and Purdue took advantage.

The Golden Eagles also ran into some trouble at the Maui Invitational with guards getting stuck on screens and forcing switches that created mismatches.

"We talk about relationships," Ighodaro said after victory over Kansas. "Defense is all relationships, having your brother's back.

"Our communication wasn't at a good enough level, but that's something that we're continuing to work on. And we really want to keep guys out of the paint, out of the moat, and we just have to keep going with that."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette Golden Eagles Maui Invitational second place Shaka Smart