Marquette @ DePaul preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 23, 2019 ) DePaul 69, Marquette 79

Marquette junior guard Markus Howard is known more as the fourth-leading scorer in the nation, but his contributions on defense have the No. 10 Golden Eagles flying high into their road test versus DePaul on Tuesday in a Big East game. Marquette, which leads the conference in field-goal defense at 40.5 percent, held No. 13 Villanova to 40.4 in Saturday's 66-65 victory.

"You kind of figure things out as time goes on and we have this group of guys that really buy into the process of wanting to play defense,'' Howard told reporters after scoring 38 points, raising his season average to 25.2. "(Coach Steve Wojciechowski) has been on it since I've been here, so I think us as a team, we're willing to do the things necessary to win, and defense is a big part of that." The Golden Eagles are one game behind first-place Villanova in the Big East with the other eight clubs all below .500 as the Blue Demons sit in a five-way tie for third following their 74-62 victory at Xavier on Saturday. DePaul's five Big East wins represent its second-highest total in the last 11 seasons (six in 2014-15) and its 13 overall victories are its most since winning 20 in 2006-07. The Golden Eagles won the first meeting this season 79-69 on Jan. 23 behind 23 points and nine assists from Howard, who was 15-for-15 from the free-throw line.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN

ABOUT MARQUETTE (20-4, 9-2 Big East): Junior forward Sacar Anim (8.1 points per game) was 8-for-10 from the field and scored 18 versus Villanova, giving him 43 points in his last three games. The Hauser brothers - junior forward Sam (15.2 points, team-high 6.9 rebounds) and freshman forward Joey (10.0, 5.6) - combined for four points, nine assists and seven rebounds Saturday with Joey going scoreless for the first time in his career. Sophomore forward Theo John (6.0 points, 4.9 rebounds) has scored a total of 10 points over the last four games after recording a career-high 16 against the Blue Demons, which was his third double-figure game in four contests.

ABOUT DEPAUL (13-9, 5-6): Senior guard Max Strus paces the team in scoring at 17.0 points per game - but only 14.5 in conference contests - and reached either average for the first time in five games with 17 versus Xavier. Senior forward Femi Olujobi (13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds) has scored 14 or more seven times in the last eight games, and averages a club-best 15.6 in Big East contests. Sophomore forward Paul Reed (11.8 points, team-high 8.2 rebounds) has averaged 16.4 points and 9.0 boards in his last nine games while senior guard Eli Cain averages 12.6 points and a club-most 3.7 assists.

TIP-INS

1. Howard (1,708 points) moved from 11th to sixth on the school scoring list Saturday and trails No. 1 Jerel McNeal (2005-09) by 277 points.

2. DePaul is 13-3 when rebounding its opponent and 0-6 when grabbing fewer boards.

3. The Golden Eagles have won 13 of the last 16 meetings and lead the series 77-47, playing only Wisconsin (125 times) more often in school history.

PREDICTION: Marquette 75, DePaul 71