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DePaul vs. Marquette: 3-Point Preview

Marquette hosts DePaul Saturday on Senior Day as both teams look to improve their seeding for the Big East Tournament.

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

1. It's all about finishing strong

DePaul and Marquette face off Saturday afternoon with both teams coming in on six game losing streaks. DePaul comes in 6-11 in Big East play and not having won a game in over a month. Marquette comes in 3-14 in Big East play. Both teams' last win came against Seton Hall back in February. DePaul beat Marquette back on December 31st to open the Big East season.

DePaul looks for its seventh win in Big East play this season. Seven wins would be DePaul's highest win total in conference play since 2006-07 when it finished 9-7; the only year it finished over .500 in the Big East.

This has been a disappointing season for Marquette. Whether they win Saturday or not, this will be Marquette's worst season in the Big East.

2. Can Billy Garrett Jr. repeat?

Last time these two teams faced off Billy Garrett Jr. dropped 19 points on the Golden Eagles on 6-9 shooting. Garret Jr. has struggled the past four games. He's averaged 8.5 points on 30 percent shooting on the field. If DePaul is going to snap their losing streak, they're going to need another big performance from their leading scorer.

3. Big East Tournament seeding is on the line

DePaul comes in 8th in the Big East and tied with Seton Hall at 6-11. Seton Hall has lost seven of their last eight and takes on Georgetown on Saturday. With a DePaul win and Seton Hall loss, DePaul will move into the seventh seed and take on the 10th seed when the Big East Tournament begins.

Marquette, currently in 10th place, could finish with the ninth seed with a win and a Creighton loss to Xavier. The Golden Eagles and the Creighton Bluejays split the regular season series. The tiebreaker is record against the top conference teams. Marquette's win over Providence would give them the slight edge.

The Big East Tournament kicks off Wednesday night with 8/9 seeds facing off at 7:00pm ET and the 10/7 seeds tipping off at 9:30pm ET.