Providence @ Marquette preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 3, 2018 ) Providence 77, Marquette 75

Junior guard Markus Howard, a candidate for Big East Player of the Year, is questionable to play when No. 13 Marquette hosts Providence on Sunday. Howard, who leads the Big East in scoring at 24.4 points per game, played only three minutes in Tuesday's 74-71 victory at Georgetown because of a back injury with coach Golden Eagles coach Steve Wojciechowski telling reporters Friday: “It would be premature to say he can play.”

"I'm not sure how serious it is," Wojciechowski said after Tuesday's game. "He's been experiencing some low back soreness. I'm not going to put a guy out there unless he's 100 percent especially Markus. We wanted to give it a try, and he did not look like Markus so we're not going to put him jeopardy." Marquette won its fourth straight game thanks to junior forward Sam Hauser, who scored a career-high 31 points and grabbed eight rebounds while playing the point versus Georgetown to raise his season averages to 14.4 points and 6.9 boards. The Friars are coming off a 72-63 victory over Seton Hall on Tuesday for their first Big East win of the season after losing three. “It’s one at a time, but this group has shown that we’ve played well on the road,” Providence coach Ed Cooley told reporters. “We’re battle-tested, we’re ready to go. The schedule says four of the next five are on the road, six of the next eight, you have to do what you can do.”

TV: Noon ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT PROVIDENCE (11-6, 1-3 Big East): Junior forward Alpha Diallo paces the team in scoring (17.2 points), rebounding (conference-best 8.7) and assists (3.4) after going for 15, eight and five versus Seton Hall. Junior guard Maliek White has averaged 9.7 points and 3.3 assists in seven starts since freshman guard A.J. Reeves (14.2 points) went down with a foot injury but Reeves returned to practice Thursday although Cooley said there is no timetable for his return. Sophomore center Nate Watson (10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds) and senior guard Isaiah Jackson (9.5 points, 4.8 boards) produce at both ends of the floor with Watson shooting 57 percent from the field and 57.1 percent from the free-throw line.

ABOUT MARQUETTE (15-3, 4-1): Hauser averages 14.4 points and 6.9 rebounds after Tuesday's outburst, which followed a pair of 13-point games in victories against Seton Hall and at Creighton. Junior forward Sacar Anim (7.8 points) is averaging 11.4 points and is 23-for-46 from the field in Big East games. Sophomore forward Theo John (6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds) has averaged 12 points and 8.5 rebounds in his last two games, recording his second career double-double with 10 and 11 versus Seton Hall.

TIP-INS

1. Marquette last won four straight Big East games in 2012-13, when they finished 14-4 in conference before losing to Syracuse 55-39 in the NCAA Tournament East Region final as a No. 3 seed.

2. Dwyane Wade will be in attendance Sunday as the Golden Eagles celebrate his career at the school that included a consensus All-America selection and Final Four appearance in 2003 before he was drafted No. 5 overall by the Miami Heat.

3. The teams have split the last 10 meetings with the past six encounters -- each team winning three -- being decided by five points or fewer.

PREDICTION: Marquette 75, Providence 70