No. 6 Marquette will attempt to hand Providence its first home loss when the teams open Big East play on Tuesday night in Rhode Island. The Friars (9-2) improved to 8-0 at home by beating Sacred Heart 78-64 on Saturday. Bryce Hopkins led Providence with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win. It was his fourth double-double of the season. Hopkins leads Providence in scoring (17.2) and rebounding (8.3). Rich Barron made 4 of 6 3-point attempts and added a career-high 14 points for the Friars, who played without Devin Carter and Corey Floyd. Carter and Floyd were both injured in practice earlier in the week. Providence coach Kim English called both injuries "minor." Marquette (9-2) wrapped up the nonconference portion of its schedule with a closer-than-expected 84-79 victory over St. Thomas on Thursday. St. Thomas is in its third season as a Division I program. The Golden Eagles had five players score in double figures for the first time this season. Oso Ighodaro led the way with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting. It was his third 20-point game of the season. Marquette had season highs in free throws made (22) and attempted (28), but St. Thomas was within one point, 73-72, with 3:40 to play. Marquette, which will enter Tuesday's matchup on a three-game winning streak, did not have Stevie Mitchell for Thursday's win. Mitchell sat out his second straight game with a hamstring injury. He started in Marquette's first nine games, averaging 5.8 points per game. He is second on the team with 14 steals. We like Providence here to hang tough, as it's a great public fade and we like getting points with the home dog.