Marquette @ Providence preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 7, 2020 ) Providence 81, Marquette 80

Marquette's dynamic offense has hit a cold spell and the 19th-ranked Golden Eagles will try to snap out of their funk and end a two-game losing streak when they visit a desperate Providence team on Saturday. With the nation's second-leading scorer Markus Howard shooting 12-of-34 over his last two games, Marquette has dropped consecutive games against No. 13 Villanova and No. 15 Creighton to slip into the middle of the pack in the Big East.

Howard, whose scoring average sits at 26.7 points per game, was held to 13 in Tuesday's 73-65 loss to the Bluejays, one of four teams - including Providence - that the Golden Eagles are now looking up at in the standings. "They're probably the hottest team in our league right now," coach Steve Wojciechowski told reporters of Creighton. "They're really playing well and they outplayed us today, for sure." The Friars, who upended Marquette in an 81-80 overtime thriller earlier this season, are trying to play their way back into the NCAA Tournament discussion and followed up a big victory over first-place Seton Hall with a solid 10-point triumph at Georgetown on Wednesday.

TIME: Noon ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT MARQUETTE (17-8, 7-6 Big East): Senior guard Sacar Anim scored 18 points in the loss to Creighton and is averaging 13.3 on the season, second on the team behind Howard. Junior guard Koby McEwen chips in 10.6 per contest and sophomore forward Brendan Bailey averages 7.8 points and a team-high 5.5 rebounds. Junior forward Theo John notched his first double-double of the season Tuesday with 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds.

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (15-12, 8-6): Seniors Alpha Diallo, Luwane Pipkins, Kalif Young and Maliek White combined for 56 points, 22 rebounds and 16 assists Wednesday, rewarding coach Ed Cooley for sticking with his veterans. "Something told me to play the seniors. It's their time," Cooley told reporters. "Our younger guys didn't play as well as I wanted them to and I went with my gut and it followed through." Diallo leads the team in scoring (14.1), rebounding (8.1), steals (1.7) and blocks (1.0).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. John is 10-of-12 from the field and 0-of-3 from the foul line over his last three games.

2. Howard scored 39 points in the loss to Providence earlier in the season.

3. The teams have split the last 12 meetings.

PREDICTION: Providence 76, Marquette 74