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Seton Hall vs. Marquette: 3 biggest storylines for first 2020-21 matchup

By Benjamin Zacher

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: D.J. Carton #21 of the Marquette Golden Eagles dribbles the ball down the court during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 11: D.J. Carton #21 of the Marquette Golden Eagles dribbles the ball down the court during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at UCLA Pauley Pavilion on December 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /
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Seton Hall Pirates (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Seton Hall Pirates (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Two teams in the upper half of the Big East will meet on Thursday night – and both Seton Hall and Marquette have something to prove in this game.

With the Big East regular-season underway, there are two consensus top two teams – but the rest of the league has proven to be wide open.  Seton Hall and Marquette – both two teams who have a stake in being in the grouping below Villanova and Creighton – will meet late Thursday in a pivotal showdown between both squads.

Seton Hall (4-3) struggled to begin the season, going 1-3 behind losses to Louisville, URI, and Oregon, while scooping a win over Iona – but the Pirates have picked up steam as of late, coming off three-straight wins, with a come-from-behind overtime victory over Penn State, a romp of Wagner, and a Big East opening-win against St. John’s.

The Pirates, picked to finish fifth in the preseason Big East poll, have spent the 2020-21 season trying to find a new identity.  With Big East Player of the Year Myles Powell gone and highly touted Harvard transfer Bryce Aiken still out due to injury, Seton Hall has turned the reigns over to forward Sandro Mamukelashvili – and the big man has thrived with his new responsibilities.

Marquette (5-2), meanwhile, has already picked up some of the best wins of the year, knocking off two top-ten programs in Wisconsin on a buzzer-beating put-back off a free-throw – and Creighton, the Golden Eagles’ most recent victory on Monday, 89-84.  Their two losses – a 12-point loss to Oklahoma State and a nine-point defeat at UCLA – are nothing to be upset over.

Like Seton Hall, the Golden Eagles are also overcoming the departure of their leader in Markus Howard, the nation’s scoring leader last year.  Selected just below the Pirates in the conference’s preseason poll, Marquette has also had a senior step up and take the lead in 6-4 guard Koby McEwen, who has had a sensational shooting year – and is just one of three double-digit scorers on the team.

After meeting just once prior to 2006 – in 1956 – Seton Hall and Marquette have become a historically fierce Big East rivalry.  The Pirates have won the previous four meetings – and were set to see each other one more time last season in the Big East Tournament before the COVID-19 pandemic halted those plans.  Now, with new identities, the Pirates and Golden Eagles will meet for the first time this season – with some intriguing storylines to boot.

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