Howard, Marquette host NDSU
North Dakota State (8-4) vs. Marquette (8-2)
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Two senior guards will be on display as Vinnie Shahid and North Dakota State will go up against Markus Howard and Marquette. Shahid has scored 23 percent of the team’s points this season and is averaging 19 over his last five games. Howard is averaging 20.4 points over the last five games.
SUPER SENIORS: Marquette has relied heavily on its seniors this year. Howard, Sacar Anim, Koby McEwen and Jamal Cain have combined to account for 68 percent of the team’s scoring this year and 63 percent of all Golden Eagles points over the last five games.SHAHID CAN SHOOT: Shahid has connected on 31.3 percent of the 83 3-pointers he’s attempted and has gone 10 for 23 over his last three games. He’s also made 80 percent of his foul shots this season.
STREAK STATS: Marquette has won its last five home games, scoring an average of 77.4 points while giving up 59.6.
ASSIST DISTRIBUTION: The Golden Eagles have recently gotten baskets via assists more often than the Bison. Marquette has 62 assists on 79 field goals (78.5 percent) across its past three games while North Dakota State has assists on 31 of 74 field goals (41.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The North Dakota State offense has recorded a turnover on only 15.2 percent of its possessions, which is the seventh-best rate in the nation. The Marquette defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 18.2 percent of all possessions (ranked 280th among Division I teams).
