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Big East Basketball: Seton Hall vs Creighton preview, TV and key matchups

By Neil Adler

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Ty-Shon Alexander #5 of the Creighton Bluejays handles the ball on offense against the St. John's Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 01: Ty-Shon Alexander #5 of the Creighton Bluejays handles the ball on offense against the St. John's Red Storm at Carnesecca Arena on March 01, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /
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The quest for Big East supremacy centers on a tantalizing top-15 tilt this Saturday afternoon, as conference leader Seton Hall travels to Creighton.

TV schedule: Saturday, March 7, 2:30 pm ET. FOX.
Arena: CHI Health Center Omaha in Omaha, Neb.

The Big East Conference regular-season champion is still not entirely settled, making Saturday afternoon’s match-up between Seton Hall and Creighton a truly entertaining encounter. With one contest remaining in the league’s regular stanza, the No. 11 Bluejays (23-7, 12-5) welcome the No. 8 Pirates (21-8, 13-4) into town, and a ton is on the line.

At this juncture, Seton Hall is one affair ahead of both Creighton and No. 14 Villanova, and the Wildcats make a trip to our nation’s capital to battle struggling Georgetown on Saturday. Should the Bluejays and Villanova succeed, which is entirely feasible, then the Big East regular-term trophy will end up in a three-way split.

This bout featuring Creighton and the Pirates is not only important for conference bragging rights and seeding in the league’s post-season tournament that commences next week, but it also has significant ramifications for March Madness.

Seton Hall, presently at No. 14 in the NCAA NET system, is projected by bracketologists as a No. 2 seed in the Big Dance, as compared to a No. 3 seed for the Bluejays, a crew that is No. 12 in the NET.

When Creighton and the Pirates go toe to toe, their duel will feature two of the best guards in all of collegiate hoops. Senior Myles Powell of Seton Hall and junior Ty-Shon Alexander of the Bluejays each recently received inclusion as one of the five finalists for the 2020 Jerry West Award, doled out annually to the country’s premier shooting guard.

So far in the 2019-20 campaign, Powell is averaging 21.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per meeting. Alexander collects 17.0 points, 5.1 boards and 2.3 dimes a game, and he hits on 40.2 percent from beyond the arc. What a fun pairing!

According to ESPN’s Basketball Power Index, Creighton possesses a 65.4 percent chance to prevail. The Bluejays are a stellar 15-1 on their own turf. Conversely, the Pirates are 8-3 in true road engagements.

Back on Feb. 12 in Newark, N.J., Creighton knocked off Seton Hall, 87-82. Without question, the Pirates are hungry to return the favor in the Bluejays’ backyard.

From a statistical perspective, Creighton boasts advantages in points scored, shooting percentages from the field, the charity stripe and deep, assists and turnovers committed. Seton Hall gets the nod in points allowed, rebounding, blocks and steals. Pretty even, if you ask me.

dark. Next. Projecting 2019-20 All-Big East teams

These days, the Bluejays are playing a bit better than the Pirates, so I’ll go with Creighton in this one by a slim margin, with the Bluejays claiming a share of Big East glory.

Prediction: Creighton 78 – Seton Hall 75

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