Guarding the Big East: Two of College Basketball Top Players, Powell and Howard, Set to Take Each Other to Task in Seton Hall-Marquette Matchup

Marquette Markus Howard, Seton Hall Myles Powell
(Photo Credit: Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports)

Historically known for prolific guard play throughout the years, the Big East Conference has honed some of the premier point guards in college basketball while also inhabiting some significant scoring guards over time. As the conference experienced a transition in the last decade, having had some of its initial flagship members take their teams to other high-major conferences, questions have persisted about the quality of talent amongst the now ten-team trust, while restructuring itself in a currently more condensed, though still competitive community.

Villanova has quieted some of the qualms that have been mentioned about the Big East, having won two of the the last three National Championships, while other members have experienced varying levels of success. This season with the Wildcats having had four players from their most recent title team taken in this past NBA Draft, has seen the team stumble to a few opponents outside the conference, bringing back some of the whispers that was spoken of the conference in its most recent realignment.

Yet, if anyone is looking for a sign that there are talented teams and promising players remaining in the Big East this season, Marquette and Markus Howard, as well as Seton Hall and their star player Myles Powell might have something to say about that.

Set to tip-off against one another at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday at Marquette, Powell and Howard are two of the premiere players in the country, leading teams that each have the look to potentially play well into March. Amongst a group of 25 players, both were named to the John Wooden Award Midseason Watch List — the most prestigious individual honor in college basketball, awarded to the nation's best player at the NCAA level.

Despite that, neither Powell or Howard hardly ever surface on the many mock drafts across various publications. Signifying that doubt remains in their ability to translate their talent to the NBA level, even with their significant success collegiately.

Brought to a Seton Hall team that had won the Big East Tournament prior to his arrival, Powell surfaced primarily as a spot-up shooter during his freshman and sophomore seasons on a roster that featured three 1,000 point scorers that graduated last season. Seeing a surge in his game during his second year with the Pirates, Powell has steered the ship for them this season while also making marked improvements in his game, now as a junior.

The 6'2 guard has expanded his repertoire, transitioning from the label "shooter" to "scorer", averaging 22.8 points per game during this season. As the go-to guy for Seton Hall, Powell still remains a threat when off the ball, but now has sets ran for him to come off screens and often has the ball put in his hands to be create shots for himself. Having significantly improved his conditioning and ball-hadling during his college career, Powell has become a threat to attack the defense off the dribble, driving to the basket as much as he is dangerous burying a shot from deep.

Amongst his top performances this season, include a 28 point output in an upset win verse Kentucky, a 40 point game against Grand Canyon during an in-season tournament, while also dropping 31 points in Seton Hall's most recent game, a 76-75 win over Butler.

Having began his career as the leading scorer (13.2 ppg in 16-17 season) on a team that had seven players average at least 8.7 points per game, Howard has seen an increase in his productivity as a sophomore and now junior, as the majority of the scoring from his freshman Marquette squad no longer remains on the roster.

Controlled and crafty with his ball handling ability, the 5'11 Howard has shown he can create a look for himself off the dribble, capable of using a combination of fine footwork and a quick trigger that allows him to get his shoot off against any defense. He doesn't just jack up any shot for kicks either, maintaining a strong showing from three at a 44.7 percent clip this season, in-line with his 45.2 percent mark for his career. Not just a a danger to torch defenses from deep, Howard uses his craftiness and high offensive IQ in being able to create contact to get to the stripe (6.7 attempts per game) where he leads the Big East in free throw percentage (89.7), after leading the conference and finishing second in the country last season (93.8).

Currently leading the Big East in scoring, Howard ranks fourth in the country averaging 25.8 points per game, on the heels of a 53 point performance in a win against Creighton, Wednesday — which surpassed his career-high of 52 points that he set last season. He's had other impressive outings this season that are amongst the top individual scoring outputs in college basketball thus far, with a 37 point performance and two 45 point games — one of which he scored 40 points in the second half alone in a win against a then 11-0 Buffalo.

In the eyes of scouts they may be undersized. And even with the attention they've earned it's appropriate to say they're still underrated. However, without a doubt, Myles Powell and Markus Howard are two of the best players in the country and largely rise to the occasion for not just Seton Hall and Marquette, respectively, but guard the reputation of the Big East.