Seton Hall vs Villanova Preview and Prediction
Seton Hall vs Villanova Preview
It’s been a long time since Seton Hall has defeated Villanova in Philadelphia. Some could call it half a lifetime–25 years to be exact.
Even more surprising, the Pirates have had a lot of competitive teams during that lengthy stretch. Yet no matter which type of team they take to Philadelphia, they usually leave with an L.
Seton Hall will take another crack at ending a quarter-century of frustration Sunday against the No. 18 Wildcats when they visit Wells Fargo Center for a game it, quite frankly, needs to win.
If they are going to pull the upset, Myles Powell will need to be on his A-game.
The junior guard has scored in double figures every game this season and averages 22.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
At 12-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big East Conference, the Pirates have canceled out strong December wins over Kentucky, Maryland and St. John’s by dropping four of their last five games. They have been off since experiencing a 97-93 defeat to DePaul on Jan. 19 in Newark, N.J.
This is their fifth road game in the last seven, which doesn’t sit well with coach Kevin Willard. He called conference scheduling “absurd” prior to the DePaul loss, saying it put his team at a competitive disadvantage. At that point, Seton Hall had played two more conference games than anyone else, and had played as many road games in the conference (four) as Providence had played period.
“Why is everyone else even and we’re not? It’s been difficult because of all these games in a short period of time. There’s just no reason to have that,” he told the Asbury Park Press.
For Villanova (15-4, 6-0) the team is what you can be considered is ‘hot’. Winners of seven straight games after losing consecutive games in December to Penn and Kansas, the Wildcats have been getting it done, thanks in part to their leaders.
In an 80-72 triumph at Butler Tuesday night, Villanova got a combined 40 points from its two most experienced players — Phil Booth and Eric Paschall.
The young guys haven’t been so bad either–Sophomores Collin Gillespie and Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree finished with 11 and 10, respectively, and freshman Saddiq Bey (10 points, seven rebounds) also made a big impact.
“They’re learning how to play off Phil Booth and Eric Paschall,” Willard said of the Wildcats’ fresh faces. “They’re really complementing those two guys. They’re not getting in the way. They kind of understand what their role is and to make sure they’re in the right position.”
Booth and Paschall are averaging 18.4 and 16.9 points per game, respectively, to lead Villanova.
Prediction
LINE: -8 Villanova
O/U: 147.5
Dan’s Bet: -8 Villanova
Score Prediction: Villanova 76 Seton Hall 67
Dan Schalk
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