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Purdue vs Marquette: 3 key storylines for 2019 Gavitt Games matchup

By Brian Rauf

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles shakes the hand of Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles during the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on February 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - FEBRUARY 12: Head coach Steve Wojciechowski of the Marquette Golden Eagles shakes the hand of Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles during the game against the DePaul Blue Demons at Wintrust Arena on February 12, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 21: Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles signals while playing the Murray State Racers during the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 21: Markus Howard #0 of the Marquette Golden Eagles signals while playing the Murray State Racers during the first round game of the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at XL Center on March 21, 2019 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

1) Can Markus Howard make a Player of the Year statement?

Markus Howard was one of the most electric players in the country a year ago, averaging 25.0 points per game on his way to being an All-American. He returned to Marquette for his senior season to improve his draft stock, help Marquette win a game in the NCAA Tournament, and potentially take home some more hardware along the way.

Howard remains one of the best pure scorers in the country, which we saw (again) in Marquette’s opener as he scored 38 points against Loyola (MD).

As good as that performance was, and as good as Howard was last year, the 5-11 point guard can give his National Player of the Year chances a major boost in his first appearance on national TV this season. He has high expectations given how illustrious his collegiate career has been, so he has a high bar he has to clear. That said, there’s a major opening early in this race given Michigan State’s season-opening loss and Myles Powell’s ankle injury.

Howard has a chance to really declare himself as the nation’s best player in 2019-20 with a resounding game against Purdue – and the Golden Eagles may need him to do just that in order to win this game.

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