Thoughts on Yesterday’s Marquette-UCLA Game at the 2023 Maui Invitational
November 21st, 2023
By Alan Lu
Last night’s game between Marquette and UCLA was a good one, as both teams traded leads back and forth at the 2023 Maui Invitational. It got down to the wire, but Marquette was able to hold off UCLA to get a narrow victory. There were some usual standout performers here, but there were others that made their presence known that I had not known about prior to this game.
Photo: Steven Erler/USA Today Sports, via Fansided’s Go Joe Bruin
Strong, Thumbs Up Performances:
Adem Bona seems to be much improved, as he has added a dribble game to his arsenal. He did a good job of scoring on quick drives to the hoop, and he is a very athletic, explosive big man that showed off his trademark shot blocking and defensive skills. He did a good job of contesting shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint. On the other hand, he did run into foul trouble, struggled at times to consistently make plays out of the post, and will still need to improve his jump shot. Still, that he added more offensive skills seems is a good development, and Bona could end up being a mid to late first round pick in the 2024 draft.
Oso Ighodaro also played very well, as he helped lead Marquette to get the win over UCLA. He is an athletic big man that excelled as a finisher and driver to score the basketball. He was able to throw down some rim-rattling dunks, and he was able to throw them down with authority. Ighodaro proved himself to be a capable lob threat as he scored on an alley-oop dunk, and he also drove in to score on a thunderous jam. He also showed some post up skills due to possessing solid strength and scoring touch around the basket.
He also was active defensively, as he would contest shots and also poked a ball away to get a steal, but he also had some trouble defending opponents in one-on-one situations. Ighodaro still needs to improve his outside shot, but his athleticism, scoring skills, and defensive activity could make him a solid candidate to go in the late first to the early second round for the 2024 draft.
Marquette’s Tyler Kolek had a solid showing in this game. He is a smart, crafty point guard that continually made very good passes to get his teammates the ball, and he would probe and make drive and kick passes to do so. He showed the ability to maneuver into the lane to pass and score, and he also was able to make a pull-up three late in the game. He did sometimes miss on tough layups off the dribble and he also threw some errant passes that went astray, but he did do a good job of making plays on offense. Overall, Kolek is a fairly solid prospect that should go in the late first to early second round range, and his game seems to be similar to Payton Pritchard in the NBA.
UCLA’s 6-3 freshman guard, Sebastian Mack put himself on the map with a strong performance in his team’s loss to Marquette. He is a speedy, very athletic scorer that did a great job of scoring on quick, strong drives to the rim. He was like a bowling ball when driving down the lane, and he showed a knack for scoring in this game. He also was able to score off of a cut, and he showed an affinity for drawing three free throws when hoisting up three-point shots.
He also was able to draw a charge defensively, but sometimes he would be undisciplined defensively. He bit on a pump fake that led his teammate to have to rotate to commit a foul, and he also sagged too far and didn’t bother to guard a three-point shooter late in the game that led his team to give up a crucial three-point basket. While he showed he can handle the basketball, he didn’t really look to pass, so he didn’t really show any point guard skills.
Overall though, Mack played well, and he looks to be a promising guard that could project either into a scoring point guard role or into a combo guard role in the NBA. He will need to improve his outside shot and court vision, but his strong blend of athleticism and scoring skills could enable him to be a first round pick in the future.
Marquette’s 6-8 junior forward, David Joplin shot the ball really well, and he is a smooth, sharpshooter that did a terrific job of knocking down three-pointers to help his team on offense. He was terrific as a spot-up shooter, he also pulled up to make a mid-range jumper, and he also was able to score on a movement play off of a curl cut. He is a strong, mobile swingman that did an excellent job of making shots, particularly from the outside. He reminds me of Danny Green when he played, and Joplin could project well into a 3 and D role in the NBA.
UCLA’s 6-7 junior forward, Lazar Stefanovic shot the ball fairly well. He showed a solid ability to knock down jumpers, and he also made a really nice three-point shot while getting fouled after running off of a screen. He showed that he can be a movement shooter in games, and he is an agile, skilled swingman that could project into a shooting specialist role at the NBA level.
Okay Performances:
Kam Jones did a good job of scoring on crafty layups and floaters off the dribble, and he also was able to make an open corner three. He also was active defensively, and he managed to get a steal defensively. On the other hand, the 6-5 guard did not get any assists, and only hauled in two rebounds in this game. Still, he is an athletic combo guard that is a shot maker, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the second round range of the 2024 draft.
UCLA’s Dylan Andrews did a good job of scoring off the dribble as well as on mid-range shots, and he was able to intercept passes to get steals. But while he did get assists, he also tended to commit careless turnovers, as he would over-dribble and sometimes throw inaccurate passes. The 6-2 sophomore point guard will take to take better care of the basketball, but he is an athletic playmaker that could project into a backup point guard role at the NBA in the future.
UCLA’s 6-3 sophomore guard, Will McClendon did a great job of making open, spot-up threes, and he especially showed a knack for making them from the corners. On the other hand, he did not pick up an assist in this game. While he didn’t really seem to show other skills, his sharpshooting prowess could enable him to make it to the NBA someday.
UCLA’s 6-6 freshman swingman, Ilane Fibleuil put forth a mixed bag, as he made his only shot, but didn’t take many of them, and he did pretty much nothing for most of the time he was on the floor. For his one good play, he made an open three, and he is an agile swingman that showed off a solid outside shot. However, he also set a moving screen that led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover. He probably projects into a 3 and D role at the NBA level, but he will need to be much more aggressive on offense in the future.
Marquette’s 6-11 sophomore center, Ben Gold showed some skills, as he made an open three and blocked a shot to show off his floor-spacing and interior defense skills. He didn’t play much, but he could be a prospect to watch in the future.
Lackluster, Thumbs Down Performances:
Berke Buyuktuncel did show off some point forward skills, as he made some nice passes off the dribble, and he was able to swat a shot hard out of bounds to display his defensive potential, but he did not shoot or score very well. He didn’t knock down outside shots, took tough shots in traffic that led to misses, and he also missed an easy layup off of a cut, and he was held scoreless in this game. While he did have a massive shot block defensively, he struggled to guard opponents off the dribble. Overall, Berke Buyuktuncel was able to get his first collegiate start, but he didn’t look ready to play, and he is capable of turning in a much better game than this. He will need to play much better, but this game wasn’t very good at all for him.
Aday Mara was expected to have a big impact on the game, but instead…he didn’t really do much of anything. If anything, he did a good job of passing out of the post, and he was able to find a cutter to notch an assist. But he only took one shot on offense, as he missed on a quick, fadeaway jumper out of the high post, and it really seemed like he was underutilized in this game. At the very least, they could’ve used him as a roll man, but for someone who has played in the Spanish ACB League, it was very disappointing that Mara barely played, and that he didn’t show very much in general against Marquette. It is still possible that he could end up being a late first round pick and end up being a similar player to Byron Mullens, but there may be doubts about if Mara would reach his full potential in the NBA.
Other Notes:
I also wanted to see Jan Vide play, because I have heard from people elsewhere that he is talented. However, he did not play. So, I still don’t really know how well his game would translate to the NBA, but considering that he didn’t play, he probably would need more time and seasoning to develop and hone his game.
All in all, those are my thoughts on how Bona, Ighodaro, Kolek, Mack, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.