Markus Howard Scores 29 as Marquette Upsets Villanova 71-60

The Marquette Golden Eagles weren’t ranked in the Top 25 in any of the college basketball polls as 2020 began, but maybe they will be as we head into the first full week of the new year. On January 4th, Marquette hosted 10th ranked Villanova in a Big East Conference matchup, with the Golden Eagles defeating the Wildcats 71-60. Marquette improved to 1-1 in conference play and 11-3 overall on the season. Villanova is also 1-1 in Big East play, and 10-3 overall.

Markus Howard led Marquette in scoring with 29 points. He also happens to have the highest scoring average in the country in Division I schools, averaging 25.8 points per game. Last season, Howard was the Big East Player of the Year and averaged 25 points per game. There was speculation he’d skip his senior season and enter the NBA draft, but he elected to return, citing “unfinished business”. The Golden Eagles were 24-9 in the regular season and Big East Tournament, and made it to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost badly to Murray State 83-64 in the first round. With Howard playing as well as he is, he will both help the Golden Eagles get back to the NCAA Tournament and improve his stock in the NBA draft next summer.