Villanova vs. Seton Hall Prediction: Can Kadary Richmond, Pirates Bounce Back?
The Villanova Wildcats take on the Seton Hall Pirates in a Big East battle tonight. Can Kadary Richmond and the Pirates bounce back? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - March 6, 2024, 4:26 PM EST
5 minVillanova vs. Seton Hall Prediction: Can Kadary Richmond, Pirates Bounce Back?
The Villanova Wildcats travel to Newark, New Jersey, tonight to take on the Seton Hall Pirates in a Big East battle. Villanova and Seton Hall are neck and neck in the conference standings, as Seton Hall is just ahead of Villanova with a conference record of 11–7, while Villanova is 10–8. this game could very well decide who is a bubble team that gets an at-large bid to the tournament or not. With so much on the line in this game, what should we expect in New Jersey tonight?
Villanova vs. Seton Hall DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: March 6, 2024
- Game Time: 6:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: FS1
Villanova vs. Seton Hall Prediction
The Seton Hall Pirates are in their second year under Shaheen Holloway, who came over from Saint Peter‘s after leading them to an improbable Elite Eight appearance in 2022. Holloway has done a much better job in season two, as Seton Hall could be on track to making their first appearance in the big dance under Holloway. They are 18–11 on the season and 11–7 in conference play.
Seton Hall is led by senior Kadary Richmond, who is averaging 16.2 points per game. Dre Davis and Al-Amir Dawes are right behind him with 14.4 and 14.3 points per game respectively. These three are all in their second season with Seton Hall, while Holloway brought in transfers Dylan Addae-Wusu from St. John’s and Jaden Bediako from Santa Clara in the off-season. This starting five rounds out a talented cast that has been dangerous in certain games this season but has also fallen short in big games. There will be no bigger game than this one that could decide the fate of their season.
Villanova is in a very similar situation as Seton Hall, as they are in year two under Kyle Neptune, who also had a tumultuous season last year. Villanova missed the tournament last year, but with their résumé, could be looking at an at large bid if they were to beat Seton Hall tonight and Creighton at home on Saturday.
Much like the Villanova team under Jay Wright, Villanova is a very defensively-minded team. They rank 13th in adjusted defensive efficiency per Kenpom and like to play at a very slow tempo, as they rank 347th in adjusted tempo. Villanova is led by Eric Dixon, who leads the team with 16.1 points per game. TJ Bamba and Justin Moore back him up with 10.4 and 10.2 points per game respectively. There are not too many elite scores on this Wildcats team, but they all play excellent defense.
In the first meeting of the season, Villanova beat Seton Hall at home in a blowout, winning 80–54. Villanova played a pretty much perfect game that day, shooting 16–26 inside the perimeter and 46.7% from three. They only had eight turnovers and only gave up six free throws to Seton Hall. They also won the rebounding battle. Seton Hall had a very horrible game offensively and only made 30% of their threes and had 15 turnovers.
However, Seton Hall has been a much stronger team at home, and conversely, Villanova has been a much weaker team on the road. Villanova is 13–5 at home this season and 4–7 on the road. On the other hand, Seton Hall is 18–11 on the season but 12–3 at home. Given that we do not have to worry about the spread, I am looking at the home record moneyline-wise, since Seton Hall is only -1.5 on the point spread. I like Seton Hall to bounce back from their back-to-back losses tonight and split their season series with Villanova, taking this contest at home.
Villanova vs. Seton Hall Pick
Pick: Seton Hall ML -115 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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