3 Things About Wednesday's Battle with Marquette

2018-19 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (16-12, 7-9 BIG EAST) vs. No. 16 Marquette (23-6, 12-4 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, March 6 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| 2-for-$40 Ticket Offer
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| XM 380 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Marquette
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Promotions	First 1,000 fans receive a Seton Hall hard hat \| Student Appreciation Night
Game Presentation	Presented by Garden Savings Federal Credit Union

Life on the bubble in the BIG EAST is not easy.

Fans make every comment in the book. People on Twitter claim you're not worthy. Members of the media begin their annual "get up on a soapbox and praise the mid-majors" diatribe.

It's tough.

Of course, Seton Hall knows that winning cures all. The Pirates need a win, not only to placate all of the above, but also for themselves. This is a great group of student-athletes who have worked hard all season and they want to win games as a reward for everything they've accomplished through a grueling long season that began back in September.

Wednesday is a challenge; Marquette has only lost six times this season. However, the Pirates have a great opportunity in front of them: it's a quadrant one game at home against a nationally ranked opponent. You can only ask for opportunities. It's up to the Pirates to cash in on them. Wednesday night would go a long way.

Also, please remember, it's about the entire body of work.

Wednesday's game is an FS1 national telecast with an epic duo of Brian Custer and Bill Raftery calling the action. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return with their .636 winning percentage this season, and they will deliver the action on AM 970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 380 and the Pirate Sports Network.

In addition, Wednesday is both Union Workers Night and Student Appreciation Night. The first 1,000 fans will receive a Seton Hall hard hat, and students will have free food and an opportunity to win some prizes.

Three Things to Know About Wednesday's Battle with Marquette

1. Defense, Defense & More Defense
There's no way around it. For Seton Hall to defeat Marquette, the Pirates must play outstanding defense. They cannot get into a shootout with the Golden Eagles, who possess a tremendous amount of firepower. The Pirates must lock down, cause deflections and force Marquette into uncomfortable shots. Last Sunday, Creighton provided the blueprint: Markus Howard scored 33 points for Marquette, but the rest of the Golden Eagles only scored 27, and they committed 22 turnovers that turned into 18 Bluejays points.

2. It's About the Support
We all know Myles Powell and Markus Howard are going to get theirs. Powell was unbelievable at Georgetown, scoring 35 points and willing the Pirates to double overtime with both scoring prowess and unselfishness. Howard scores points at crazy rates and has the fastest trigger in the country. But Wednesday is going to be about which team gets more from the supporting cast. The Pirates play their best when they have two other guys making shots. The Golden Eagles rely on the Hauser brothers to open up space for Howard. Whichever team can get the other guys going will be in a great position to win.

3. Hope the Crowd is Loud
The average attendance of Seton Hall's last seven road games is 14,773. There won't be that many in the building supporting the Pirates on Wednesday, but the Seton Hall faithful has been loud when it has mattered this season. Just go back and look at the tape of the Creighton game on Feb. 9. This is no time to sit on your hands. The crowd needs to be loud and engaged for 40 minutes. The student-athletes feed off it.