Seton Hall vs. Villanova: 2020-21 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
TV Schedule: Tuesday, January 19th, 9pm ET, FS1
Arena: Finneran Pavilion, Villanova, PA
The No. 3 ranked Villanova Wildcats return to action on Tuesday night against Big East rival Seton Hall Pirates. Villanova has not played a game since December 23rd having been sidelined due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the program. The pandemic is causing game cancellations and postponements almost daily in college basketball, however the month-long hiatus for the Wildcats is the longest to date.
The obvious storyline to watch in this game will be how the substantial time off affects the Wildcats’ on-court play. A level of rust should be expected and they may not initially appear like a team that is 8-1 overall and 3-0 in conference. Nevertheless, Jay Wright is among college basketball’s coaching elite and he will have his team well-prepared when they step on the floor.
Seton Hall, during the time since Villanova’s last game, has played five games, winning four of them. The lone loss for the Pirates came in an 89-53 rout by No. 8 Creighton University. The Pirates are underperforming this year, yet the one bright spot on the team is Sandro Mamukelashvili. The senior from Georgia is averaging 18.1 points per game and opposing teams are having trouble containing him in the paint.
Additionally, the Pirates have an impressive defense that is led by Mamukelashvili’s frontcourt running mate, Ike Obiagu. Obiagu is averaging three blocks per game, which when complemented by the team’s 6.7 steals per game, could frustrate Villanova in the half-court offense.
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Villanova’s frontcourt does not have ideal size to match up well with Obiagu and Mamukelashvili who will have to be defended by committee. I expect this game to be close, mostly due to Villanova’s long period of inactivity and the matchup problems in the paint. In the end, expect the Wildcats to pull out this victory and maintain their perfect in conference record.
Prediction: Villanova 76, Seton Hall 69