Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction: Epic Early Season Matchup – The Betting Preview
Tuesday’s Big East basketball slate is highlighted by a Xavier vs Seton Hall showdown in Cincinnati. Sportsmemo college basketball handicapper JM Sports offers his thoughts on the matchup between the Musketeers and Pirates.
Check out his monstrous Xavier vs Seton Hall prediction and bet with some info behind your convictions!
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction: Current Best Betting Odds
Tuesday, December 20 | Xavier vs Seton Hall Betting Lines |
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Point Spread: | Xavier Musketeers -8.5 vs Seton Hall Pirates |
Total: | 143 Points |
Game Time: | 8:30pm ET / 5:30pm PT |
Arena: | Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH (Odds Above by DraftKings) |
TV: | FS1 |
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction : Xavier vs Seton Hall Betting Analysis
After a 1-3 stretch earlier this season, Xavier has gotten things on track entering the holidays. The Musketeers are on a five-game win streak, with four of those five wins coming by double digits. Xavier kicked off conference play by lighting up Georgetown’s porous defense for 102 points at the end of last week.
After four years at Saint Peter’s, Shaheen Holloway has wasted no time in making a splash at Seton Hall. The Pirates are top-20 in the country in effective field goal defense, which is even more impressive when you factor in that Seton Hall has already played five top-40 teams.
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction: Pirates Plagued By Injuries, Should Raid Another Ship
The Pirates’ defense ranks No. 26 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, and opponents are connecting on just 27.5-percent of three-point attempts.
Coach Holloway and the Pirates will rely on 6-6 point guard Kadary Richmond to disrupt the flow of the Musketeers’ offense and prevent Freemantle and Nunge from getting the ball in good positions.
Richmond is among the nations leaders in steal and assist percentages on the season, contributing to the team on both sides of the ball.
The Pirates will be without fellow guard Femi Odukale, who started ten games this season before missing the Providence contest with an injury.
Seton Hall will also be without JaQuan Harris and Abdou Ndiaye, and while they haven’t contributed as much as the other players, it does limit their depth, which is something they have thrived off of to this point in the year.
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction : Musketeers Money On Offense – But Are There Only TWO Musketeers?
That Pirates defense will be put to the test against one of the best offenses in the country. Xavier’s offense is No. 9 in KenPom’s adjusted efficiency metric, No. 4 in effective field goal percentage and the second-best three-point shooting team in the country.
Much like Seton Hall, those numbers are even more impressive when you notice who the Musketeers have played this season: Indiana, Florida, Duke, Gonzaga and West Virginia.
Xavier is top-25 in the country in team height thanks to 6-9 Zach Freemantle and 7-0 Jack Nunge. Fremantle has scored 14+ points in five of his last six games.
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction
Seton Hall has won each of the last three meetings in this series, and the Pirates won’t be intimidated by a trip to the Cintas Center. Seton Hall is 7-2 against the spread in its last nine games at Xavier.
Over the last two seasons, Xavier is 6-15 against the spread in Big East play, and 0-8 against the spread following a conference win. Seton Hall is 11-3 against the spread in their last 14 games as a road underdog (or pick’em). Take the points with the Pirates.
Xavier vs Seton Hall Prediction: Seton Hall Pirates +8.5
Interested in placing a bet on tonight’s Xavier vs Seton Hall contest? DraftKings is offering a $1,000 Deposit Bonus for first-time bettors in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Michigan, Virginia, Wyoming and Arizona.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Tuesday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Xavier vs Seton Hall contest.
Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests.
The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including possibly this Xavier vs Seton Hall clash, from a sports betting perspective. Xavier vs Seton Hall prediction takes and much more!
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Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s college basketball games, including this Xavier vs Seton Hall prediction and showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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