No. 5 Marquette takes down No. 1 Kansas at Maui Invitational

HONOLULU — Down goes No. 1.

And up next is a battle with No. 2 in less than 24 hours.

The fifth-ranked Marquette men's basketball team pulled off one the program's biggest regular-season victories in recent memory by knocking off top-ranked Kansas, 73-59, in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday at SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center.

MU (5-0) will play second-ranked Purdue (5-0) in the championship game on Wednesday afternoon.

Oso Ighodaro led MU with 21 points and nine rebounds, getting the better of Kansas All-American Hunter Dickinson in a high-profile matchup of big men.

Kam Jones' no-look make highlights hot start

MU came out hot, thanks to sweet-shooting guard Kam Jones.

Jones hit his first two attempts from long range. On the second, he turned to say something to the Kansas bench while the ball was still in the air.

When it settled into the net, the Golden Eagles had a 6-3 lead.

By the under-12 timeout, MU's lead had grown to 21-16 while the Golden Eagles were shooting 8 for 16.

Tempers flare in first half between Shaka Smart and Bill Self

Things got heated with 3:19 remaining in the first half.

Kansas forward Kevin McCullar Jr. knocked down a 3-pointer and had something to say to the MU bench.

Golden Eagles head coach Shaka Smart took exception to that and said something back. That started a fracas between the two benches, especially between Smart and Kansas head coach Bill Self.

After peace was restored, technical fouls were given to both sides.

Marquette takes 38-28 lead at halftime thanks to Kam Jones and Oso Ighodaro

The Golden Eagles headed to the locker room with a 38-28 advantage.

Jones had eight points on 3-for-9 shooting. Ighodaro had a big stretch where he blocked two shots and knocked in a jump hook.

Ighodaro had seven points and four rebounds in the first half in a marquee matchup with Dickinson.

Chase Ross helps expand lead in the second half

The Golden Eagles kept applying pressure in the second half.

With the shot clock winding down, MU sophomore Chase Ross knocked down a step-back 3-pointer that gave MU a 47-32 lead that prompted Self to call a timeout.

Kansas got the lead down to 53-44 on a layup by Dickinson with 11:02 remaining.

But Ben Gold knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers to give MU some breathing room. When he exited the game a few minutes later, he got a loud cheer from the sizable crowd of Golden Eagles supporters.

Ighodaro gave MU its biggest lead at 63-46 with a jump hook with 8:27 remaining.

The Golden Eagles never let the Jayhawks (4-1) get close again.

When is the last time Marquette beat a No. 1 team?

MU beat Villanova, 74-72, on Jan. 24, 2017, at the Bradley Center. The Golden Eagles overcame a 17-point deficit in the second half behind the stellar play of Katin Reinhardt.

That was Marquette's only regular-season victory over the nation’s top-ranked team until Tuesday. MU also beat No. 1 Kentucky in the Elite Eight of the 2003 NCAA Tournament behind a triple-double from Dwyane Wade.

MU improved to 3-11 against top-ranked teams.