Seton Hall vs Marquette Odds, Picks and Predictions: Eagles Take Pirates to Turnover Town

Seton Hall Pirates will travel to Milwaukee to face the Marquette Golden Eagles as they search for their first Big East win.

The Eagles are coming off a thrilling heartbreaker in one of the year's best games thus far. They lost to Providence by a score of 103 to 98 in a game that saw two overtime periods. But, despite that, it's been a good season for Marquette. They arrive at this game with a 9-4 record and - at times this season - have looked as good as anyone.

Seton Hall ushered in a new era with head coach Shaheen Holloway this season and has seen mixed results. Its last pair of games perfectly encapsulate where the Pirates are: close but not quite there. They've lost the previous two to Providence and Xavier by a combined four points and come into this game with a 7-6 record (0-2 in conference play).

What's the best bet for this conference tilt? Find out in our college basketball picks and predictions for Seton Hall vs. Marquette.

Seton Hall vs Marquette best odds

Seton Hall vs Marquette picks and predictions

Marquette isn't the worst option if you're looking for a deep-shot futures play for the Final Four. They have a guy in Shaka Smart with big-time coaching experience, and they've already grabbed a dominating win over Baylor this season. So I'll be rolling with them today as my best bet.

Beyond Marquette just being a better team, there are several edges here for the favorite. One that jumps is Seton Hall's turnover issues, which plays right into the Golden Eagles' hands. The raw numbers are glaring: Seton Hall's turnover percentage is 22.1%, which ranks the school in the 300s, and Marquette forces turnovers at the exact same rate, putting it in the Top 50.

This is a big issue for a Pirates offense that's already struggled so far this season. It's posted .89 points per possession, well below the national average. It's been able to make up for some of that with its formidable defense. Unfortunately, it cannot make up that disparity if it's giving up 20% of its possessions.

What else is a problem for Seton Hall? Well, its defensive setup may be exposed, and that's what they've built a foundation on. The Pirates will likely do an excellent job of defending spot-up shooters, which they've done well all season, with KC Ndefo and Dre Davis, among others, using their length to close out on shooters to make those looks difficult.

I expect Marquette to gameplan for this and move to more pick-and-roll actions as its primary offense. Seton Hall struggles here, allowing nearly .95 points per possession on pick-and-roll actions, which sets them in the Bottom 10% in that category. Kam Jones, whom I'd consider Marquette's best scorer, can feast here. He's got an expected field-goal percentage of 56% when shooting on pick-and-roll sets and grades out as one of the best scorers in the country in that area.

Let's review this, shall we? Seton Hall is a team that already needs help to score in the half court. KenPom ranks its offense in the mid-100s, and, in some metrics, it grades out much worse than that. To complicate matters, its turnover issues should be (at best) set to continue. That means an offense that struggles to score will give up possessions at a high rate. On the other end, Marquette should be well-equipped to get its best player in the best position for him to get buckets. That's a lot to overcome.

I'm rolling with Marquette. Seton Hall is improving and could be a tournament team by the end of the season, but this matchup is rough for the Pirates, who also have a slight disadvantage in the coaching department.

My best bet: Marquette -7 (-108 at Pinnacle)

Seton Hall vs Marquette spread analysis

When factoring in homecourt, I projected an 11-point win here for Marquette. That's a nice edge against the current number and falls in line nicely with my handicap. The Eagles are a better team and are further along in their development.

Seton Hall is improving, but it's still a team in flux trying to learn a new style of playing.

This spread opened up at Marquette -7, and we've seen minimal action. Some places have seen a slight buy on Marquette and have moved to 7.5, but most have stayed the same. Marquette has covered three straight times against Seton Hall coming into this matchup.

Seton Hall vs Marquette Over/Under analysis

I may end up placing a wager on the Under here, but I want to see a little more line movement before I pull the trigger with confidence. My projections see about eight points of value, and while my handicap is not quite that bullish, that feels like the right side.

I have questions about how Seton Hall scores with any degree of consistency. It's struggled regularly and there's no reason it should suddenly improve today. While I see a path for Marquette to score regularly, it will take work against a defense that has already stood up to significant challenges.

The Under is 4-0 in Marquette's last four games against a team with a winning record. In addition, Seton Hall has had a solid trend of Unders, with four straight midweek games going in that direction.

Seton Hall vs Marquette betting trend to know

Marquette is 3-0 ATS in its last three matchups against Seton Hall. Find more College basketball betting trends for Seton Hall vs. Marquette.

Seton Hall vs Marquette game info

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