Georgetown @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 15, 2019 ) Marquette 74, Georgetown 71

A share of the Big East regular-season title is still in the offing for No. 15 Marquette, which hosts Georgetown on Saturday. The Golden Eagles, losers of three straight games, need to beat the Hoyas and get help from Seton Hall to share the Big East crown with No. 23 Villanova.

The Golden Eagles saw up close Wednesday what Seton Hall is capable of in a 73-64 defeat as the Pirates shut down Big East leading scorer and Naismith Trophy semifinalist Markus Howard, holding him to six points before closing the game on an 18-0 run. Howard entered the game having averaged 27.4 points in the 11 games since going scoreless in three minutes of action in the first meeting against the Hoyas, a 74-71 Marquette win. "One, we're playing really good teams," coach Steve Wojciechowski said of his team's recent struggles, which come on the heels of winning 12 of 13 games. "And two, I think our guys are really pressing. When you press, it has a tendency to lead to bad decisions." The Hoyas continued their Jekyll and Hyde campaign by surrendering 101 points to DePaul on Wednesday, one week after beating the Blue Demons 82-73 and four days removed from a double overtime victory over Seton Hall that breathed new life into their postseason hopes.

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

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (18-12, 8-9 Big East): The play of freshmen Mac McClung and James Akinjo were the lone bright spots for the Hoyas in the loss to DePaul, which held Georgetown to 69 points - 11.5 below their Big East-leading average of 80.5 points. Akinjo, a 6-0 guard who leads the Big East in assists with 5.37 per game, put up 13 points, seven assists and five rebounds and has 12 games this season with seven or more assists. McClung also had 13 but the freshman once again struggled from 3-point territory, going 1-of-5, which dropped him to 4-of-20 in the last four games and 28 percent for the season.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (23-7, 12-5): Just as he did in the first meeting against Georgetown, which Howard was forced to watch after playing only three minutes because of lower back tightness, Sam Hauser took over against Seton Hall and had the Golden Eagles in position to win before things unraveled. The junior scored 25 points, including a 3-pointer that staked Marquette to a 62-55 lead with 6:31 left, but missed his final four 3-point attempts as the Golden Eagles were off target on their final nine shots. Hauser is 12th in scoring (15.1 per game), seventh in rebounding (7.1) and first in free-throw shooting (91.7 percent) in the Big East.

TIP-INS

1. The Hoyas lead the Big East in assists with 17.1 per game.

2. The Golden Eagles have taken three straight and five of the last six meetings from the Hoyas to wrestle a 14-12 lead in the series.

3. Marquette's Joey Hauser is second in the Big East in 3-point shooting (43.5 percent).

PREDICTION: Marquette 85, Georgetown 72