It’s a two team race at the top of the Big East and the Providence Friars aren’t one of the teams. At least they got back in the win column with a win over St. John’s on Wednesday to remain tied with two others at the bottom of the league standings. The Friars stopped a two-game slide and a stretch where they had lost five of six. Marquette shook off a loss to the Johnnies by winning three straight, including a huge takedown of Villanova that has the Golden Eagles perched alone in first by the slimmest of margins. They look to stay there with a season sweep of the Friars.
Marquette Golden Eagles at Providence Friars
Date and Time: Saturday, February 23, 2019, 12 p.m. ET
Location: Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, RI
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Marquette at Providence TV Coverage: FOX
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If they didn’t have to play St. John’s twice the Eagles would be undefeated in Big East play. But it doesn’t work like that. Suffering their second loss to the Johnnies this season, Marquette could have been a little down for its next outing. Somehow playing the defending national champions has a way of bringing out the best in teams.
In a critical matchup with Villanova, MU took over sole possession of first place with a 66-65 win. The Golden Eagles proceeded to win their next two by double digits, hammering DePaul by 19 and Butler by 10. With Marquette and Villanova the only contenders for a league title, we could see the Eagles looking ahead to their second showdown with Nova, which takes place following this matchup. And the Friars are ready to pounce.
Even so, it might be too much to ask of Providence to pull the upset. It hasn’t been a good year on the hardwood for the Friars, who currently are tied for last in the conference with a 5-9 record. They ended a two-game slide with a win over St. John’s on Wednesday to also put a 1-5 stretch to bed. Providence lost at Marquette earlier this season, failing to cover the 7-point spread in a 79-68 setback. But the Friars have done something the Golden Eagles haven’t this season – beat St. John’s. And they’ve done it twice.
Player to Watch
Other players around the country certainly get more hype than Markus Howard, but every team and coach in the Big East knows exactly who he is. One of the most prolific scorers in college basketball, Howard leads the Big East and ranks fourth nationally in points per game with 25.7. And he’s done it with plenty of flair.
Howard has two 45-point games on his resume with both coming in wins over ranked opponents. He helped take out then-No. 12 Kansas State and then-No. 14 Buffalo. But his biggest accomplishment of the season came in an overtime win over Creighton. Howard hit 15 of 26 shots and 10 of 14 triples for 53 points in the 106-104 victory.
Against Villanova, Howard was the catalyst scoring 38 of Marquette’s 65 points in the victory with deadly accuracy from the floor. He hit 13 of 24 shots, including 5 of 11 threes and all seven free throws. And the Golden Eagles needed every point. Over his last six games Howard is scoring 30.3 points per with four games of at least 31 points.
Last Meeting
Howard returned from a back injury that limited him to only a few minutes in the previous game to score 23 points with nine rebounds in a comeback win over the Friars last month. With his back still tender, Howard had a rare off-night shooting the basketball, hitting just 4 of 15 from the floor. He made up for it by attacking the rim and getting to the stripe 16 times, making 14 of them.
More importantly, the Golden Eagles proved they could win without Howard and win when he doesn’t play his best. Howard was scoreless taking a seat just a few minutes into the previous game against Georgetown. Still, Marquette held on for a 74-71 victory. Getting help from Sam Hauser, who scored 25 points, the Golden Eagles overcame a 9-point halftime deficit, pulling away midway through the second half to post the 79-68 triumph.
College Basketball Live Betting Picks
It sure would be easy to look past the 5-9 Friars and ahead to the showdown with Villanova. And we’ve seen Marquette struggle in the first half of games. With the home crowd behind them, the Friars should be geeked for this one and a fast start would help their chances of pulling the upset. Play the Friars early on the live betting lines and look for Marquette to make a second half surge.
College Basketball Score Prediction: Marquette 74, Providence 65
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