2017 NCAA Tournament: Arkansas vs. Seton Hall preview, prediction, TV schedule

The No. 8 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks will face the No. 9 seeded Seton Hall Pirates in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Tournament.

TV schedule: Friday, March 17, 1:30 p.m. ET, TNT

In one of the most underrated and exciting matchups of the 2017 NCAA Tournament, the No. 8 seeded Arkansas Razorbacks will go head to head with the No. 9 seeded Seton Hall Pirates in the hopes that they can likely face off with the North Carolina Tar Heels in the second round.

Arkansas finished the season with a loss in the 2017 SEC Tournament final to the Kentucky Wildcats but had a solid season that only included two losses to teams that are not in the Big Dance. Arkansas’ up-tempo defense and plethora of dependable scorers meant that this team just didn’t get upset by weaker teams. Winning games that you should win is one of the most important aspects of college basketball, and few were better at this than the Razorbacks.

Seton Hall, on the other hand, had an extremely similar season. The Pirates only lost to three teams that did not make the Big Dance and did what they had to do against the teams that they were supposed to beat. An elite rebounding team that doesn’t jump off the page statistically anywhere else, you never really know what you’re going to get with the Pirates – which makes them dangerous.

Next: 5 most likely first round upsets

The first one to 60 in this game will win, and, while Seton Hall could definitely win, Arkansas just has something in their will to win that I don’t think the Pirates possess. The Razorbacks have come back to win multiple games after being down big, and I think that bodes well for their chances at tournament success.

Prediction: Arkansas 62, Seton Hall 55

Give this one to Arkansas in a close, low-scoring game, but, let’s be real, neither are making it past North Carolina in the next round anyway.