Seton Hall @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 11, 2020 ) Marquette 55, Seton Hall 69

There will be plenty of hops on leap day as No. 13 Seton Hall and Myles Powell visit Marquette and Markus Howard on Saturday in a Big East game. Howard and Powell have combined for 4,858 points and are 1-2 in the Big East in scoring as they square off for what could be the final time while the first-place Pirates try to protect a one-game lead over No. 11 Creighton and No. 12 Villanova in the conference standings.

Howard, the reigning Big East Player of the Year, and Powell are friends, as Howard told Forbes magazine "when Myles and me talk it has very little to do with basketball. We just talk about life” while Powell added "this basketball stuff is just a part of our lives. It’s just a talent that we have but when we talk, it’s a real relationship.” Howard is the Big East's all-time leading scorer with a school-record 2,663 points and averages a conference-high 27.2 this season, while Powell is third on Seton Hall's all-time list with 2,195 points and will move into second as long as he stays close to his scoring pace. The Golden Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak with a 93-72 victory over Georgetown on Wednesday while the Pirates defeated St. John's 81-65 on Sunday behind a double-double from 6-11 Sandro Mamukelashvili. Seton Hall on Jan. 11 held Marquette to 18 second-half points en route to a 69-55 victory for its third straight win in the series as Powell scored 23 and Howard had 27.

TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET. TV: FOX

ABOUT SETON HALL (20-7, 12-3 Big East): Powell - second in the Big East at 21.3 points per game - is the school's 3-point basket leader with 338, but is shooting a career-low 30.1 percent from beyond the arc this season. Quincy McKnight recorded five points and six assists against St. John's after averaging 17.3 points in his previous three games, and paces the club with 5.3 assists. Mamukelashvili, who missed 10 games earlier this season with a fractured wrist, has recorded 31 points and 16 rebounds over his last two contests.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (18-9, 8-7): Howard recorded 30 points - the 12th time this season he's scored that many - but the bench also played a key role in the victory over Georgetown. Jamal Cain, Jayce Johnson, Symir Torrence and Greg Elliott were the four reserves who played and they combined for 32 points, 18 rebounds, nine assists, three blocks and two steals. Sacar Anim (12.9 points per game), who had 15 points, five rebounds and four assists Wednesday, plays his final home game along with Howard and Johnson.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Pirates are 15-0 when attempting more free throws than their opponent this season.

2. The Golden Eagles were seventh nationally entering Friday by making 10.07 3-pointers per game.

3. Seton Hall concludes the regular season against Villanova on Wednesday and at Creighton on March 7.

PREDICTION: Marquette 77, Seton Hall 76