Seton Hall @ Georgetown preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 13, 2019 ) Georgetown 75, Seton Hall 90

The margin for error has become razor thin for Seton Hall as it prepares to play its final three regular-season games, including Saturday's Big East contest at Georgetown. The Pirates are firmly on the NCAA Tournament bubble following two straight losses and still must face the conference's two best teams in No. 9 Marquette and Villanova after doing battle with the Hoyas.

Coach Kevin Willard suggested changes could be coming to his starting lineup after the Pirates fell in an early 28-5 hole Saturday in losing 78-70 to St. John's. "They don't understand this time of year, I think, what it takes to win on a nightly basis," Willard told the media of his team, which cruised to a 90-75 victory over Georgetown on Feb. 13. "I am going to make some changes because you can't have your starting backcourt go six and 13 on assists and turnovers." The Pirates have lacked a starting caliber point guard for much of the Willard era and Quincy McKnight didn't help himself by turning the ball over seven times against St. John's. The Hoyas, who will be honoring Jessie Govan, Trey Mourning, Greg Malinowski and Kaleb Johnson on Senior Night, are all but out of the big dance despite having one more win than Seton Hall, and the same conference record as it lacks the non-conference credentials.

TV: 6:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT SETON HALL (16-11, 7-8 Big East): Michael Nzei took advantage of Georgetown's soft interior defense in the first meeting by scoring 18 points - his most in a Big East game this season - and the senior left some points out there by missing eight shots. The 6-8 forward from Nigeria was his most active during Seton Hall's recent three-game winning streak as he put up 27 points and 24 rebounds but was quieter in back-to-back losses to Xavier and St. John's, totaling 15 points and six boards. Nzei has been a part of 84 victories in his four seasons, a total tied for fifth most in school history and surpassed by only four players - Arturas Karnisovas (93 wins), Bryan Caver (93), Terry Dehere (88) and Chris Davis (86).

ABOUT GEORGETOWN (17-11, 7-8): Mac McClung and James Akinjo will be out to make up for less than stellar showings in the first meeting with Seton Hall. The freshman duo combined to go 2-of-11 from the floor and score nine points while committing six turnovers. McClung has had a couple solid games since with 21 points against Villanova and 15 against DePaul, but those efforts bracket an off night against Creighton of six points. Akinjo has topped 10 points once in the last six games and has struggled from 3-point land, going 3-of-15, and had turned the ball over 16 times.

TIP-INS

1. Seton Hall's Myles Powell is averaging 23.7 points in seven games since being held to three points against Villanova, including 30 in the first game against Georgetown.

2. The Pirates have taken six of the last seven meetings from the Hoyas, including three straight in Washington, D.C.

3. Powell needs 10 points to become the 14th player in Seton Hall history to score 600 points in a season, a list that includes Dehere, who did so three times in the early 1990s.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 85, Georgetown 77