MU men’s basketball: Point guards Howard, Garrett face off today.

Marquette’s Howard vs. DePaul’s Garrett

Every basketball game is bigger than the individual matchups within it.

But when Marquette (11-5, 2-2 Big East) hosts DePaul (8-9, 1-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in the 119th meeting between the programs, the point guards — Marquette freshman Markus Howard and DePaul senior Billy Garrett Jr. — might cause onlookers to lose the forest for the trees.

While they share the same position and power their teams’ respective offenses, Howard and Garrett employ decidedly different styles and demeanors.

Garrett is a stoic veteran, leading the Blue Demons by example. Most everything about DePaul’s offense centers around the 6-foot-6 guard’s ability to fearlessly drive the lane and create, either for himself or to set up opportunities for others. He also sets the tone for his squad with tight, aggressive defense.

“As much as anything I kind of lean on him for stability,” DePaul coach Dave Leitao said of his senior star. “He’s a guy that doesn’t ever get too high and doesn’t ever get too low and you like that from a team standpoint — you act like you’ve been there before and you kind of take care of your business on a day-to-day basis without a whole lot of fanfare and a whole lot of positive or negative emotion based on that moment. I think he does that.”

Howard, too, leads by example, but the mop-topped 17-yearold is anything but stoic. The effervescent 5-11 guard has injected his unwavering enthusiasm and lethal shooting into a roster that needed both.

In just 16 college games after graduating high school in three years, Howard has proven to be a more than capable starter and

leader, consistently playing at a high level and seemingly blossoming more with each game. On Wednesday against Seton Hall, he drove to the hoop more, sometimes finding ways to finish at the rim but more often finding the perfect kick-out pass on the way to a career-high six assists.

During Big East play, Howard leads the Golden Eagles with 20.0 points per game and ranks second in steals (6) and assists (13) while shooting an incredible 16 for 23 (69.6%) from threepoint range.

“I think he’s freakin’ phenomenal,” said Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard, who watched Howard against his team twice in a span of 10 days. “I’ll tell you what, for a freshman in this league, logging the minutes he’s logging, controlling tempo, learning offense, making very good decisions — he made a couple great passes (Wednesday) night late in the game. He shoots it so well you can’t lose him . ...

“I think the young man, if he continues with from everything I’ve heard (about) his work ethic and his focus (and) he continues on that path, I think you’re looking at a superstar in this league.”

Garrett, who was named Big East freshman of the year in the 2013-’14 season, has been DePaul’s go-to guy and has earned the right to be the unquestioned leader on the court. He’s shown up in big ways against the Golden Eagles, averaging 14.2 points per contest and helping DePaul to a 2-3 record against them — the Blue Demons are 2-8 in the past 10 games between the teams.

“With Billy Garrett you have one of the better guards in the country who has traditionally played really well against us,” Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski said.

Howard doesn’t have the same experience, but he has similarly gained the trust and support of his teammates by being what Wojciechowski calls an “everyday guy,” bringing intensity, focus and a workmanlike attitude.

“I think obviously they love him because he has really helped us win some big ball games, but they also know they have to help him continue to grow as he’s experiencing different game situations and learning (in a) baptism by fire,” Wojciechowski said. “I think our older guys have really accepted him and that’s probably one of the reasons he’s been able to play so well.”

On Saturday, Howard and Garrett will clash for the first time. But because of their size difference they probably won’t spend much of the game guarding each other. That might make it hard to keep an eye on both at all times, but considering their histories, each point guard will find ways to stand out.