For most teams in the Big East, a third-place regular season finish and a 20-win season is a success, but for Dan Hurley coming off of back-to-back national championships at UConn, at times this year has felt like rock bottom. No moment more than the Huskies’ 69-68 overtime loss to Seton Hall last month.
Still, despite the ups and downs for Hurley’s group, if they handle business at home in the regular season finale, they’ll enter the Big East Tournament as the No. 3 seed with a first-round bye and riding a four-game win streak. A loss would drop the Huskies to fourth in the conference, one spot behind Marquette, which UConn beat on Wednesday, and in a matchup with red-hot Xavier.
In a conference that’s likely to send five teams to the NCAA Tournament this year, getting a top-three seed is crucial and Hurley can lock that in on Saturday afternoon. Here’s how you can watch this Big East regular-season finale on FOX.
How to watch Seton Hall vs. UConn
- Date: Saturday, March 8
- Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: Harry A. Gampel Pavilion
- How to Watch (TV): FOX
- Streaming: fubo TV
- Seton Hall record: 7-23 (2-17)
- UConn record: 21-8 (13-6)
Seton Hall vs. UConn odds, spread and total
Odds provided by FanDuel Sportsbook
Moneyline
- Seton Hall +1400
- UConn -4000
Spread
- Seton Hall +18.5 (-110)
- UConn -18.5 (-110)
Total
- 132.5 (over -115/under -105)
Seton Hall injury report
- Chaunce Jenkins, G: Questionable (hamstring)
- Godswill Erheriene, C: Questionable (elbow)
UConn injury report
- N/A
UConn and Seton Hall series history
- UConn all-time record vs. Seton Hall: 49-24
Seton Hall vs. UConn prediction
Seton Hall has been a disaster this season. Shaheen Holloway’s team has just two wins in Big East play, but they remain a tough matchup for UConn.
Aidan Mahaney is the only true point guard on the Huskies roster and the St. Mary’s transfer has just not worked out at all for Hurley. Mahaney is undersized and the physicality of the Big East has proven to be a problem, as has the lack of ball handling for UConn. Without Mahaney in the starting lineup, Hurley has turned to score-first guards Solo Ball and Hassan Diarra to handle the ball with Alex Karaban and Liam McNeeley shouldering some of the play-making load from the front court.
Diarra is the most reliable ball-handler but has been hampered by injury all season. While Hurley’s group has still produced an efficient offensive attack, the best in the confernece, they’ve struggled mightily with turnovers. That plays right into the Pirates’ biggest strength.
Seton Hall forces a turnover on 19.4% of their opponent’s possessions, which is second to Marquette in the Big East and 97th percentile in the country according to CBBanalytics.com. The Pirates will struggle to score against UConn, and the Huskies have been playing better, but with Seton Hall’s ability to take the ball away, I wouldn't be surprised if it keeps this one close.