Villanova vs. Seton Hall: Game preview, TV schedule, prediction

Seton Hall is in search of a big win to grab some momentum before the tournament begins, while Villanova is hoping to hold on to their #1 seed position.

TV Schedule: Wednesday, February 28, 8:30 p.m. ET. FS1

Arena: Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey

The Villanova Wildcats have been at the top of the Big East conference for the majority of the season, and consistently in the nation’s top five rankings. They enter this week ranked 4th, and have a difficult task at hand when they travel to Newark to take on the Pirates of Seton Hall.

There is currently a lot of debate over whether or not Villanova is worthy of a #1 seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament. Though the Big East conference tournament still looms large in determining positioning, this final road regular season game could play a significant role as well.

Seton Hall has had one of their better seasons in program history, winning 20 games and going 9-7 so far in conference play. Home court advantage has been huge for the Pirates as well, going 13-2 at the Prudential Center this season.

Earlier in the year, these two teams faced off in Villanova, a contest that was defined by the Wildcats’ offensive explosion in their 92-76 triumph. But this time around, both teams have changed, and the game will be held in Newark, two important factors to consider.

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The Wildcats are right on the brink of a top seed, and Seton Hall is currently a #8 seed according to ESPN’s bracketologist Joe Lunardi. The Pirates will certainly want to play their best with one of the country’s top teams coming to town, even if a win wouldn’t do a whole lot for their NCAA tournament positioning.

Villanova remains the far superior team on paper, but there is so much more than that which determines these games, especially when the underdog holds home court advantage. This game will likely come down to which Villanova team shows up. It will either be the team which beat Xavier twice in convincing fashion or the team that dropped last week’s road game in Creighton.

With so much uncertainty for the Wildcats and a hot Seton Hall team, this matchup screams upset.

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Prediction: Seton Hall 74, Villanova 70

Home/Big East

Villanova vs. Seton Hall: College basketball game preview, TV schedule, prediction

By Jonathan Goehring | Feb 27, 2018

Seton Hall is in search of a big win to grab some momentum before the tournament begins, while Villanova is hoping to hold on to their #1 seed position.

More from Busting Brackets