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Teams: St.John’s (15-9; 5-6) vs. Seton Hall (13-11; 4-7)
Day: Thursday, February 13 Time: 9:00 PM ET
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
TV: FS1
About St.John’s:
St.John’s beat #12 Creighton, which is their first win against a team in the top twenty five. The Johnnies are making a serious push to make March Madness after this great stretch winning six of their last seven games. St.John’s defeated Creighton only by five points and thanks to D’Angelo Harrison, who scored 19 points in the game, had the go-ahead three pointer with around two minutes to go. Doug McDermott, the second leading scorer in the nation, scored 25 points, but when it counted the most he wasn’t able to step up and help his team win because he was guarded well by Jakarr Sampson.
About Seton Hall:
The Seton Hall Pirates fell to Marquette by a large margin, which is their second straight loss. This game was thought to be winnable for a team that actually had a chance to make March Madness, sporting a 13-10 record coming into the game with notable wins against Providence, Georgetown and Xavier. This time out, the Pirates led Marquette at the 9:22 mark in the second half, but were outscored 27-10 after this. Marquette played a better and more physical game against The Hall, out rebounding them 32-19 and scoring many second chance points. In the final minutes, it was not a one possession game once because of the Pirates turnovers, unphysical play and poor performance overall. According to the New York Daily News, Coach Willard said its possible he might "need to make changes in roles or playing time". Seton Hall has to change something after a disappointing loss like this one.
Two Keys to the Game:
-St.John’s momentum
St.John’s is on a three game winning streak after defeating #12 Creighton, Providence and Marquette. The Red Storm are a very streaky team winning and losing patches of games. It will be important for St.John’s to carry their momentum over against Seton Hall.
-Seton Hall’s turnovers
The Pirates ball security against Marquette was not evident, having a 25.8% turnover percentage. Marquette did not let these opportunities slip scoring 18 points off of Seton Hall’s turnovers. Seton Hall has to keep their turnovers under control if they want any chance at beating St.John’s or making March Madness.
Prediction: St.John’s 74, Seton Hall 68
