NCAAB Odds & Prediction for Xavier vs Seton Hall

Two middle of the pack Big East programs meet up in Newark on Wednesday. Both of these teams have shown they have what it takes to beat the best teams in this conference, while still being vulnerable against lesser opponents.

This will be Xavier and Seton Hall's second meeting of the season. The Musketeers got the best of the Pirates by a score of 74-54 in the first duel.

Here's NCAAB odds and a prediction for Xavier vs. Seton Hall.

Xavier just recently had its second three-game win streak of the season, but the Musketeers fell to Creighton at the Cintas Center on Saturday.

They're 7-6 in the Big East and could find themselves back on the NCAA tournament bubble with a couple more quality victories.

In their first meeting against Seton Hall, the Musketeers had everything clicking, hitting 44.3% from the field and 50% from 3-point range.

Their 3-point shooting will likely come back down to Earth in this one, as they're shooting 34.2% from beyond the arc for the season.

Xavier's real path to success is defense, as the Musketeers have significant advantages over Seton Hall in effective field goal percentage allowed, 3-point field goal percentage allowed and 2-point field goal percentage allowed.

Sean Miller is aware the Musketeers shot the ball at a high level in the first meeting and knows that likely won't be replicated (especially on the road), so they'll surely lean on their solid defense.

As mentioned previously, Seton Hall lost by 20 points to Xavier in the teams' first meeting this season. But if we look closer, that loss for the Pirates came after they topped now-No. 1 UConn, which is still the Huskies' only Big East defeat.

The Pirates are coming off of a rough 80-54 loss to Villanova on Sunday, but they still remain in the 10-to-12 seed range on most Bracketology sites.

A defeat against a 13-11 team on their home floor wouldn't be a positive direction for their resume. Plus, this is a revenge spot.

Shaheen Holloway should have his team ready, especially defensively, as the Pirates look to limit the Musketeers from downtown.

Both of these teams have dreams of dancing — Xavier can take a step towards the bubble, while Seton Hall is looking to avoid a home loss that would negatively affect its resume.

Besides a 43-point outing against DePaul, Xavier guard Quincy Olivari had one of the best Big East games of his career (29 points) against Seton Hall. He'll surely be a focal point from Holloway in this one.

Although Xavier has nice defensive metrics, Seton Hall does as well. The Pirates rank inside the top-70 nationally in 2-point field goal percentage allowed, block percentage and free throws allowed.

Seton Hall will be playing solid and sound defense, while Xavier should return to its offensive baseline.

This is a home revenge spot for the Pirates as well.

Pick: Seton Hall -2.5