3 Things About Saturday Visit to No. 21 Marquette

2018-19 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (12-4, 3-1 BIG EAST) at No. 21 Marquette (13-3, 2-1 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Saturday, January 12 \| 2 p.m., Eastern \| Fiserv Forum (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| XM 384 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Marquette
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram

Saturdays have been interesting for Seton Hall so far this season.

It started inauspiciously with a tough home loss to Saint Louis, snapping a 29-game home non-conference winning streak. It continued with a home loss to Louisville in which the Pirates fumbled away a nine-point lead in the second half.

But then Madison Square Garden came along, and so did this young group of Pirates. Myles Powell hit the off-balance three, and then Myles Cale sent the crowd wild with his overtime three-point winner to beat Kentucky. Since then, there have been magic Saturdays each and every week. The Rutgers win, the comeback victory at Maryland, the thriller vs. St. John's.

Perhaps that's why Seton Hall lost at DePaul last week. It was on Sunday, not Saturday.

Whatever it is, the Pirates hope to rekindle that Saturday magic in Milwaukee when they face the nationally ranked Golden Eagles. It will of course be no small task; Marquette is nearly unbeatable at home. In fact, it is 11-0 at home in its new building, Fiserv Forum. But all streaks must come to an end, and who better than the Pirates? They have 15 road wins over the last four seasons when attendance is higher than 8,500, and they have 11 victories over ranked opponents since 2016.

Let's see what happens!

Saturday's affair is an FS1 nationally televised broadcast with Brian Anderson and Nick Bahe on the call. Dave Popkin will handle the radio play-by-play, and if John Fanta is allowed inside Fiserv Forum, he'll handle the color on WMCA 570 AM, simulcast on XM 384 and the Pirate Sports Network.

That guy @GoodmanHoops ... he's sharp. #WillardCoachofTheYear #HALLin pic.twitter.com/udOMSE5BrW
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 10, 2019

Before we head out for Milwaukee, let's take one more look at Wednesday night's win over Butler with the Pirate Sports Network visual recap! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/bjkBp48EL0
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) January 11, 2019

Three Things to Know About Saturday's Matchup with Marquette

1. Defend the Scoring Machine
Markus Howard of Marquette is coming off a 53-point performance at Creighton. He is the league's leading scorer, and he has a fast trigger. He can shoot it any time, any place. But every guy can have an off day. In Marquette's three losses, here are his numbers:

at Indiana Nov. 14, 2018 - 6-14 FG, 1-5 3FG, 18 Points
vs. Kansas Nov. 21, 2018 - 6-23 FG, 4-11 3FG, 18 Points
at St. John's Jan. 1, 2019 - 2-15 FG, 2-8 3FG, 8 Points

So, look, Howard is going to get points because that's who he is, but can the Pirates do enough on defense to make him uncomfortable, force bad shots and make everyone else beat them? That's the key.

2. Avoid the Slow Start
Fiserv Forum is bound to be rocking 17,000 strong. The Pirates will need to avoid large Marquette runs and their own offensive droughts to contain the boisterous fans. And if this game is tight, the Pirates will need someone to step up and be ready to make the dagger shot to put the crowd to bed. Myles Powell is as good as anyone at doing that, right Butler?

3. Avoid Foul Trouble
Marquette is already pretty good at scoring points, so the Pirates need to avoid sending the Golden Eagles to the free throw line as well. Marquette is tops in the BIG EAST at the charity stripe at 74.9 percent. By not letting Marquette find the gaps to drive and forcing it to make tough jumpers, the Pirates could be in a strong position for a good finish.