North Dakota State @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 2, 2006 ) North Dakota State 64, Marquette 60

As the nation's second-leading scorer, Markus Howard is no stranger to carrying the load offensively for Marquette, as evidenced by his 40- and 51-point outbursts at the end of November. The 5-11 senior guard has been getting a lot of help in that area lately, however - a trend the Golden Eagles would love to see continue as they head into the penultimate game of their non-conference schedule Friday when they host North Dakota State.

Howard scored 38.8 percent of his team's points in November, highlighted by a 38-point effort in the season opener against Loyola Maryland, 40 against Davidson on Nov. 28 and a season-high 51 against USC one day later. Marquette's all-time leading scorer, who missed one of his team's four games in December due to a concussion, has seen his teammates account for over 83 percent of the scoring this month. Howard (25.2 points) slightly surpassed his season average with 26 points and three other players finished in double figures as the Golden Eagles hit 16 3-pointers and coasted to a 93-72 victory over Grambling on Tuesday. Tyson Ward recorded his first double-double of the season with 19 points and matched a career high with 13 rebounds as the Bison downed Montana State 79-65 on Monday for their third win in a row.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1

ABOUT NORTH DAKOTA STATE (8-4): After getting off to a slow start in his first five outings, Vinnie Shahid (team-high 15.7 points) has reached double figures in seven straight contests after tallying 24 points versus the Bobcats - one game after erupting for a career-high 30 against CSUN. Senior 6-6 swingman Ward (12.7 points, team-high 7.6 rebounds) is the Bison's only other double-digit scorer and is averaging 16 points, 10.3 boards, 3.7 assists and 1.7 steals during North Dakota State's winning streak. Freshman swingman Maleeck Harden-Hayes (2.1 points) led an inspired bench effort with a season-high 10 points in 11 minutes Monday as the Bison reserves shot a combined 9-of-14 from the field - including 4-of-7 beyond the arc - and scored 27 points.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (8-2): Senior guard Sacar Anim (12.5 points) tallied 18 points Tuesday on 6-of-11 shooting - including 5-of-7 beyond the arc - and has been the Golden Eagles' most consistent offensive force outside of Howard in December, averaging 17.8 points while shooting 50.9 percent from the floor and 55 percent from 3-point range. Junior forward Jamal Cain (6.4 points, 5.6 assists) has been extremely efficient over his last three games, averaging 14 points while shooting 14-for-20 from the field and 6-of-8 from long-range. Utah State transfer Koby McEwen has struggled mightily with his shot over his first 10 games with the Golden Eagles (32.1 field-goal percentage) but ranks second in the Big East in free-throw accuracy (92.1 percent).

TIP-INS

1. Howard (2,182) needs 31 more points to join his brother Jordan (2,524; 2015-18 at Central Arkansas) and become the highest scoring set of brothers in NCAA history (Seth and Stephen Curry; 4,736).

2. The Bison rank fourth in Division I with 9.9 turnovers and committed a season-low five Monday.

3. Tuesday marked the third time this season and 21st time in Howard's career he knocked down at least six 3-pointers.

PREDICTION: Marquette 82, North Dakota State 68