Butler @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 24, 2020 ) Marquette 85, Butler 89

Butler's balanced scoring and tenacious defense have made it less important for Kamar Baldwin to carry the offense in 2019-20, but the Big East has been reminded twice in recent weeks that he can flip the switch at a moment's notice. The senior guard torched Marquette for a season high-tying 31 points just over two weeks ago, and he'll set his sights on another explosive performance Sunday when the 19th-ranked Bulldogs go for a regular-season sweep of the host Golden Eagles.

Baldwin's scoring has dipped slightly from 17 points per game as a junior to 16 this season, but Marquette had no answer for him when the teams last met in Indianapolis on Jan. 24, as he scored Butler's final nine points in regulation and 10 of his team's 14 points in overtime en route to an 89-85 win. The Georgia native stuck it to another conference foe in Wednesday's 79-76 victory over No. 12 Villanova, draining a step-back 3-pointer as time expired to send the Bulldogs to their third win in four tries. One of the keys to Butler's triumph over the Golden Eagles last month was holding Markus Howard to eight points after halftime. The nation's leading scorer was forced from Marquette's next game - a double-overtime victory at Xavier - but appeared to be no worse for wear as he tallied 31 points in a 76-72 comeback win over DePaul last Saturday.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: Fox Sports 1

ABOUT BUTLER (18-5, 6-4 Big East): Baldwin ranks third in the conference in scoring with 18.9 points per game during league play, although Wednesday's 3-for-6 effort beyond the arc halted a six-game slump in which he made only two of his 23 3-point attempts. Following a four-game stretch in which he averaged eight points, Sean McDermott (12.2 points, 6.1 rebounds) topped 16 points for the third time in four contests Wednesday, finishing with 21 points on 7-of-8 from the floor. Bryce Golden (8.5 points) contributed a career-high 18 points on 9-of-12 from the field, while sophomore guard Aaron Thompson scored nine points in his return from a three-game absence due to a wrist injury to help the Bulldogs shoot 57.7 percent and commit a season-low five turnovers.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (16-6, 6-4): Howard (27.9 points) scored 30 or more points for the 10th time this season versus the Blue Demons, and the 5-11 guard's 29.7 points per game in league play is on pace to set the Big East record held by Boston College's Troy Bell (27.8; 2002-03). Fellow senior guard Sacar Anim (13.3 points) battled foul trouble for the first time in over two months last Saturday and managed only four points, ending a three-game run during which he averaged 23.7 and scored at least 20 each time. Junior guard Koby McEwen (10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds) recorded 13 points and nine boards against DePaul to lift his scoring and rebounding averages to 13.5 and 8.5 over the last four games, respectively.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Howard has amassed 1,367 points in Big East play over his career, 21 shy of tying Bell (1,388) for second place and 38 shy of matching Laurence Moten's all-time conference mark (1,405).

2. Of Baldwin's 96 points over the last five contests, he has scored 77 of them in the second half or overtime.

3. Howard ranks 19th in Division I history with 399 career 3-pointers and needs five more triples to match Andrew Rowsey's program record.

PREDICTION: Marquette 75, Butler 68