Seton Hall vs. Marquette: 3 biggest storylines for first 2020-21 matchup
2. Last season’s games were decided by nine or more points – but early season KenPom stats indicate this game could be much better
Seton Hall and Marquette have had ferocious battles as recently as their past few tilts – three of their past six games have been decided by four points or less – but last season’s tilts were not necessarily the most competitive. Seton Hall came away with victories in January (69-55) and February (88-79).
But early-season stats indicate that the first meeting this year could – and should – be a lot closer than last season’s two tilts. It begins with the two teams’ style – or tempo – of play, where they rank among some of the slowest in college basketball. Seton Hall ranks 225th in adjusted tempo (70 possessions), whereas Marquette comes in at 243rd (69.8 possessions).
Their adjusted efficiencies are nearly equal, as well. Marquette has a higher efficient offense (109.8, 21st) but the Pirates just barely trail (109.0, 33rd) – and the Golden Eagles have a better defense as well (92.0, 45th), but Seton Hall’s is not that far behind (93.8, 62nd).
That, for the most part, is the opposite of each teams’ points per possession – on the offense end and the defensive end. Neither stat are particularly stellar, but they are nearly equal to one another. Seton Hall – just barely – has had a better offense, scoring 0.95 points per possession to Marquette’s 0.94 – and has also maintained a better defense, holding opponents to 0.88 points per possession to Marquette’s 0.83.
The team that holds the edge through the majority of the remaining statistics, however, is Marquette. They are among the best in 3P% (38.2%, 50th) and they get an offensive rebound on 35.7% of their possessions – the 32nd-best mark in Div. I. Defensively, the Golden Eagles rank in the top 100 in 3PT-defense (29.8%, 96th) and 2PT-defense (42.1%, 30th).
Again, these are two teams searching for new identities whose best individual players are of varying heights – a seven-inch difference, to be exact. Likewise, both are middle-of-the-pack Big East teams fighting to be among those below Villanova and Creighton – and a lot hangs on this game in determining that.