Providence vs Seton Hall Odds, Pick for Wednesday
Erica Denhoff/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images. Pictured: Providence’s Devin Carter.
Providence vs Seton Hall Odds, Pick
| Providence Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4.5 -115 | 137.5 -105o / -115u | +150 |
| Seton Hall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4.5 -105 | 137.5 -105o / -115u | -175 |
Seton Hall suffered a heartbreaking triple-overtime home loss to Creighton on Saturday afternoon. You could argue it was the best game of the entire college basketball season.
It's always difficult to overcome a close loss on your home floor, especially after triple OT. The Pirates may have lost, but they earned respect across the Big East for their efforts.
Thet quickly turn around now and host Providence on Wednesday. The Friars destroyed DePaul on Saturday, but they had lost their four previous games before that contest.
Kim English's team has had moments of excellence but continues to struggle in conference play. If you disregard Providence's impressive win over Marquette, its 3-4 conference record is much worse than it appears.
The Friars travel to Newark ranking 11th in adjusted defensive efficiency, and it remains the anchor of their squad. They don't foul often, which has played a role in their success.
It's a good matchup for the defense, especially since the Pirates are turnover-prone. Providence is also strong at defending the perimeter and doesn't allow many attempts from beyond the arc.
The Friars can win the contest by leaning on their defense. It should help that the Pirates don't have much depth and just played a long, physical game on Saturday.
Offensively, guard Devin Carter is in for a big-time performance. Although Providence doesn't shoot well from deep, Seton Hall also doesn't close out on the perimeter.
Carter is shooting 38% from 3-point land, and I could see him connecting 4-5 times from deep throughout the contest. Guard Jayden Pierre has also hit 44% of his triples, but I have concerns about the rest of the offense.
If Pierre or Carter have an off night, I don't trust the rest of the team to pick up the slack. They struggle at the free-throw line and fail to earn second chances.
They typically rely on their interior scoring, but that's the strength of the Pirates defense. If Providence's 3s aren't falling, it may be in trouble.
Seton Hall's loss to Creighton is holding me back here.
The Pirates have a thin rotation, and despite having three days off before the game, I have concerns about their fatigue. They may come out firing out of the gate, but the second half is when the tired legs could kick in.
Fatigue typically factors in from the free-throw line, and their tempo may be slow. The Pirates don't move fast on offense, so I'm curious to see if they slow down even more and play at a snail's pace.
Seton Hall tends to be careless on offense, and we may see those turnover numbers increase. Tired bodies correlate with poor play, and I could see a world where the offense finds itself settling far too often.
The Pirates also shoot poorly from deep but don't attempt many 3s per contest. Their scoring has to come from the interior, which is the Friars' specialty on defense.
I don't have any concerns about their defense other than potentially playing on tired legs, but they've been a bit fortunate defending the 3.
Locking down Carter and Pierre is challenging, but the Pirates should remain stingy on defense.
Providence vs Seton Hall
Betting Pick & Prediction
After an explosion against a miserable DePaul team, I'm selling the Providence offense. This is a great spot to take an under.
Considering the situational spot and fatigue factors, the Pirates should slow this game down to a crawl. The Friars move methodically on offense, so I expect a lower-scoring game than the public presumes.
I was hoping the Pirates lost on Saturday to get more value on them in the game, but the three overtimes killed that value. Instead, fatigue is the first thing I thought of when handicapping this game.
I trust both of these defenses to get the job done, and if the Pirates falter out late in the game due to their tired legs, we should have enough buffer room.
The Friars should cash in on that negative defensive 3-point regression from the Pirates, but that still won't be enough to push the total over.
Pick: Under 137.5 or Better
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