Villanova @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 8, 2018 ) Marquette 70, Villanova 94

Villanova has won 11 straight games, but that 12th straight win certainly won't come easy. The 13th-ranked Wildcats visit ninth-ranked Marquette on Saturday in a matchup of the Big East's two best teams.

Every team in the Big East has at least five league losses except for the Wildcats (10-0) and Golden Eagles (8-2), who are meeting for the first of two times this month. Villanova ran its winning streak to 11 with an overtime win over Creighton despite shooting under 38 percent from the field and below 30 percent from the 3-point arc. "On nights when you're not at your best and you can still find a way," Wildcats coach Jay Wright said, "that's a good team." Marquette, meanwhile, is coming off a one-point loss to St. John's and is trying to avoid its first losing streak of the season.

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

ABOUT VILLANOVA (19-4, 10-0 Big East): The Wildcats were led against Creighton by freshman Saddiq Bey, who scored a career-high 17 points for his fourth double-digit scoring effort in the last five outings. Leading scorer Phil Booth (18.3 points) is just 10-of-32 from the field (3-of-15 from 3-point range) in the last two games, while Eric Paschall (17.3 points) made only four baskets in 45 minutes against Creighton. Collin Gillespie (12.1 points) has knocked down half of his 28 3-pointers in the last three outings and has only one turnover in 105 minutes over that stretch.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (19-4, 8-2): The Golden Eagles are a terrific shooting team, as they shoot 39.5 percent from 3-point range overall with each of their top three scorers draining at least 40 percent of their 3-pointers. Markus Howard (24.6 points) is a potential All-American who has made 82 3-pointers, although he was relatively quiet (17 points on 5-of-17 shooting) versus St. John's. Sam Hauser led the team with 19 points in that one and grabbed 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season, but he was 3-of-12 from long distance, dropping his season 3-point percentage to 40.1.

TIP-INS

1. Villanova won both meetings between the teams last season.

2. Booth and Paschall both have scored at least seven points in every game.

3. Hauser has made at least three 3-pointers in six straight games.

PREDICTION: Marquette 79, Villanova 77