Big East foes Providence and Seton Hall lock horns Saturday afternoon in their conference opener. Both are riding three-game winning streaks and would love to get off to a fast start in Big East play.
Providence is off to an 8-3 start against non-conference schools, and Seton Hall finished its non-conference campaign with a 7-4 mark.
Who will win this Big East tilt? Find out in our free Providence vs. Seton Hall college basketball picks and predictions for Saturday, December 17.
Providence vs Seton Hall best odds
Providence vs Seton Hall picks and predictions
The total is set for 136.5, and my best bet is for this game to go Under.
Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway makes his Big East debut but his charges are off to a 7-4 start playing one of the more difficult schedules in the country, per KenPom’s metrics.
Seton Hall has gotten the job done on the defensive end playing against one of the most challenging schedules in the country. Opponents shoot just 26% from downtown, and now it faces a poor shooting Providence team, making 32% of its triple attempts.
Seton Hall is a bad shooting team from just about everywhere on the floor. It’s proficient at getting to the charity stripe but shoots the sixth-lowest free throw percentage.
Providence has played one of the softest schedules in the nation and allows 67 points per game. It’s scored 88 points or more in each of its last three victories but faces a Seton Hall defense allowing just 147 combined points over its three-game winning streak.
Both sides play at a D1 tempo, and while there should be enough possessions for a high-scoring affair, the defenses should rule the day.
Providence isn’t the best defensive team, but the poor shooting Pirates will make the Friars' defense appear to be better than it is.
Seton Hall makes its money on the defensive end of the floor, and the full-court man-to-man Pirates defense will make scoring the basketball a miserable experience.
Finally, this should be an intense Big East matchup. It being their first conference game, expect some nerves and that will affect everything — especially so early.
Providence is the better shooting team, but Seton Hall plays stout defense, and I don’t expect the Friars to knock down 48% from the field against this Pirates defense.
Seton Hall has turnover and shooting issues, which is a terrible combination, and playing in a fast-paced game won’t help either. Neither side shoots the triple enough to matter. With all signs pointing to the Under, that’s where I’m going.
My best bet: Under 136.5 (-110 at Caesars)
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Providence vs Seton Hall spread analysis
The Friars are 2.5-point underdogs, and I’m leaning towards Providence covering the number.
Providence has one of the country's highest effective field goal percentages (53.5) and is the better free-throw shooting team. Seton Hall has one of the nation's worst effective field goal percentages and shoots just 67% from the charity stripe.
In what should be a close battle, the team better at taking care of the ball is usually going to come out on top. That’s Providence.
Seton Hall ranks 341st with 15.5 turnovers per game, and it's hard to win games coughing up the ball. The Friars, on the other hand, average 13 turnovers and score an average of 16 points per game off opponent miscues.
The Friars are the better team and should win this game SU. They are a better shooting, rebounding, and passing team. Seton Hall is good and plays suffocating defense, but it’s a terrible offensive side that turns the ball over too much and doesn’t shoot well enough to make a difference.
Providence vs Seton Hall Over/Under analysis
Both teams are in the Top 100 in defensive efficiency. Providence ranks 87th and Seton Hall is the 23rd-best defense in the country.
This game features two schools that know how to get to the charity stripe. Providence averages 31st most (16.5), while the Pirates' 18.1 attempts are 13th in the country. The Friars make 73.5% of their free throws, while Seton Hall’s 68.5% mark is 253rd.
The Friars have surrendered fewer than 67 points in four of their last five, while the Pirates have allowed 60 points or fewer in four of their last five.
Providence vs Seton Hall betting trend to know
The Under is 6-0 in the Pirates' last six home games vs. a team with a road winning percentage below .400 Find more College basketball betting trends for Providence vs. Seton Hall.
Providence vs Seton Hall game info
| Location: | Prudential Center, Newark, NJ |
| Date: | Saturday, December 17, 2022 |
| Tip-off: | 12:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | FOX |
