Seton Hall @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 9, 2017 ) Seton Hall 82, Marquette 76

Stopping Markus Howard will need to be the priority for No. 15 Seton Hall when it plays a Big East game Tuesday at Marquette. Howard has gone off for 89 points in the last two games for the Golden Eagles and the sophomore had some success against the Pirates last season.

After matching the Big East record of 52 points in a win over Providence, Howard threw down 37 points to go along with eight assists in a loss to No. 1 Villanova and has supplanted teammate Andrew Rowsey as the league's top scorer. Howard, who led the nation in 3-point shooting last season, didn't give much indication that he was about to tie or break several school and conference records as he scored 36 points and struggled from beyond the arc in the three games prior to facing Providence. In fact, it was Rowsey who entered the new year on a roll with back-to-back 30-point games and the senior can hurt the Pirates should they focus too much on Howard, whose 32 second-half points against the Friars are the most in any half in a Big East game, topping the 28 points scored by Kerry Kittles of Villanova in 1995. The Pirates received big games from the usual characters, including 28 points and 15 rebounds from Angel Delgado, to rally for a win at Butler and are the lone team with a perfect mark in Big East play.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SETON HALL (14-2, 3-0 Big East): A loss to Rutgers in mid-December appears to have been the turning point for Khadeen Carrington, who has looked like his old self in the past five games. Perhaps the senior became more comfortable in the role of point guard or maybe coach Kevin Willard gave him the green light to shoot more but either way, the results are showing. After going 8-of-37 from 3-point range in the first 11 games, Carrington is 22-of-36 from deep in the past five games and has averaged 22.4 points to lead the Pirates to five straight wins.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (11-5, 2-2 Big East): Part of the reason that Howard and Rowsey have been able to produce such big games is that the Golden Eagles don't have anyone else that can do it. Sophomore Sam Hauser has been a solid player, averaging 14.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists, but the fourth-leading scorer for coach Steve Wojciechowski is a player that left the team in November. The frontcourt, which includes centers Matt Heldt and Harry Froling, and forward Jamal Cain doesn't supply much in the way of offense and will have to contend with two of the Big East's top players in Delgado and Angel Rodriguez on the defensive end.

TIP-INS

1. Howard averaged 18 points and hit seven 3-pointers as the Golden Eagles, who lead the series 16-7, split a pair of games last season with the Pirates.

2. Carrington needs four points and 14 assists to move into the top 15 in program history in both categories for Seton Hall, which has won three straight Big East road games dating back to last season.

3. Howard, who is 51-of-51 from the foul line, and Fletcher Magee of Wofford (40-for-40) are the only two players in the country to be perfect from the stripe.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 85, Marquette 80