Eckel picks Seton Hall at Marquette in a battle between star seniors Myles Powell and Markus Howard

Seton Hall at Marquette (-2), 2:30

Arguably the two best seniors in the country, Seton Hall’s Myles Powell and Marquette’s Markus Howard go head to head in his one.

In an earlier meeting, Howard, the 5-11 guard from Scottsdale, Arizona, went for 27 against the Hall, while Powell, the Trenton native, had 23 in a 69-55 win at The Rock.

This one will be in Milwaukee where the Pirates (20-7, 12-3) look to keep their season-long hold on first place in the Big East. Villanova and Creighton are both just one game back and charging.

Seton Hall has won two straight and four of its last six. It is also an impressive 6-1 on the road straight-up and against the spread in Big East play.

Marquette (18-9, 8-7) has dropped three of its last four games, but is 6-2 at home against the Big East.

If you’re into long-term trends here’s one for you. The Pirates are 42-18 against the spread as an underdog in their last 60 games.

The Pick: Howard, the second-leading scorer in the country at 27.3 point per game, will get his. Powell will too and his will come in more crucial times as the Pirates win straight up.