Seton Hall Pirates vs. Providence Friars College Basketball prediction, preview
We’ve got a 7-5 team favored over a 10-1 team in Big East play … but of a head scratcher?
Seton Hall is off to a tremendous start to the season, reaching the final in the Maui Invitational. That’s where the Pirates took their only loss of the season, covering as an underdog in a two-point loss to USC. Seton Hall is 2-1 outright as an underdog on the season, with wins away from home over NC State and Kansas State. The Pirates are also a perfect 4-0 ATS away from home, with the three neutral covers in Maui, and the outright road cover/win over K-State.
All of that success by the Seton Hall is what has kept my lean towards the Friars exactly that — a lean and not yet a bet. If you’ve followed Providence basketball, you know this is a tough team to beat at home, particularly with a rowdy Friday night crowd. While the Friars are just 7-5, all of those losses have come away from home (0-2 on the road and 1-3 in neutral games).
Home court in Providence remains strong, with the Friars a perfect 6-0 at Amica Mutual Pavilion, including 4-2 ATS. The competition that PC has hosted has been light though, with the best home win coming in the Battle of the Ocean State over the URI Rams — who don’t have anywhere near the talent of Seton Hall.
From a matchup standpoint, this will be strength on weakness on both sides, which creates an interesting dynamic. Per KenPom, Seton Hall ranks just 107th on offense, but 13th on defense. Can the Pirates go on the road an muck the game up? Providence’s strength will be attacking that Pirate’s defense, with the 34th-ranked offense, but just 154th on defense.
I think the number here tells a bit of the story. On the surface, it appears Seton Hall should be favored in this game. But Providence is always a dangerous team at home, and this could be a statement game for the Friars. This could be a good game to wind up betting live if you’re able to keep a close eye on it. The two keys I will be looking for are which style of play seems to be prevailing and how much of a boost the Friars are getting at home.
