Seton Hall vs. Marquette: 3 biggest storylines for first 2020-21 matchup
3. Marquette and Seton Hall will meet for the first time in the post-Howard/Powell era – but both have done alright without them
Both the Golden Eagles and Pirates featured – and just graduated – two of the greatest scorers in NCAA basketball history. And, subsequently, as mentioned before, both teams feature a new look – and, considering how important those two players were to last year’s two meetings, their departures imply that tonight’s game will be a drastically different showing.
Myles Powell – a 2,000+ point scorer at Seton Hall, averaged 17.5 points for his career, tallying over 20 per game in his final two seasons. His junior campaign was sensational – in 34 games and 36.0 minutes per game, Powell averaged 23.1 points (44.7% FG, 36.3% 3PT, 84.0% FT), 4.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.0 steals per game.
Markus Howard, meanwhile, scored even more. A 21.6 ppg scorer for his career, Howard finished his time at Marquette as the 21st-leading scorer in Div. I history, accumulating 2,761 points. His final season produced absurd stats – he averaged 27.8 points per game (42.2% FG, 41.2% 3PT, 84.7% FT) as well as 3.5 rpg and 3.3 apg.
To put into context just how valuable Powell and Howard were in the two Seton Hall/Marquette games last season: the Pirates scored a combined 157 points, and Powell provided 51 of them. The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, amassed 134 – and Howard poured in 64.
These two squads, overwhelmingly, feature a new look from last year. It is not just Powell and Howard – Seton Hall returns 43.8% of last year’s scoring, while Marquette brings back just 32.7%. The Pirates, obviously, have the benefit of returning Mamukelashvili (who recorded 26 in a game) – but Marquette will need McEwen to step up and replace the hole left by Howard.
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If the early goings of the Big East regular-season have proven anything, it is that this game should be incredibly entertaining. These are two teams who have a lot to prove, and neither can afford a misstep. For Seton Hall, this would be their best win thus far – and for Marquette, a loss would hurt their reputation after knocking off Wisconsin and Creighton.