Seton Hall Battle Georgetown in the Garden

How to Watch, Stream and Listen:

Time: 9:30 EST

TV: Fox Sports 1

Stream: FoxSportsGo

Listen: AM970

Gerry’s Gamblin’:

Info: Seton Hall is favored -2, O/U is 151.5

My Take: double down on money line/spread picks, Under seems like a good call but both teams can explode for 80 on a given week.

Gerry’s Take: I still hate Seton Hall for the DePaul performance. Hoyas cover and the under hits

BECB player of the year Myles Powell and his Seton Hall Pirates are surging into the Garden, much like they were against Kentucky. After toppling Villanova and Marquette in the same week, the Pirates will need to continue their strong play versus the Hoyas.

James Akinjo, the toughest point guard in the nation according to Damian Lillard, will have his work cut out for him against the Pirates. The Hoyas have had a good but quiet season under second year coach Patrick Ewing. That is in large part due to the extremely talented and young backcourt of James Akinjo and Mac McClung. Combine that with the leadership and amazing play of Jessie Govan, Georgetown has quietly built a team that will make noise for years to come.

Georgetown needs to play to their strengths. The first strength is Tempo, where they rank 18th and 17 in possession length in KenPom. That’s dangerously quick, which will open up Seton Hall in transition. The other key piece is passing. The Hoyas get assists on close to 62% of their buckets. As a team they are in the top third of college basketball on threes as well. This is a deadly offensive team with the ability to lock-up guards.

Seton Hall has to slow the game down. It’s not that they can’t keep up, but they are top 100 in generating blocks and steals. They also need to attack the basket, as they draw fouls extremely well.As mentioned above, the BECB Player of the Year is Myles Powell and he plays for Seton Hall. When he puts up a shot it just magically falls. His play making ability is no joke either. His magic at the Garden is something to be on the watch for. Let’s also not forget the defensive monster that is Quincy McKnight, Who will most likely be matched up on McClung. He’s another solid option for the Pirates in the half court. Myles Cale is a dangerous player, his combination of size and shooting make him an X factor.

There are two more important battles in this game. Akinjo will most likely guard Powell. In a vacuum, I can see Akinjo giving Powell fits. However it is March and under the bright lights, I can see Powell taking advantage of the pressure. The other big matchup is on the low block. Although his offensive production has fallen off, Sandro Mamukelashvili must protect the paint against Jessie Govan. Govan is able to stretch the floor on pick-and-pops, so Mamu will have to be able to adjust on defense.

All in all, this is going to be an extremely close game where second half momentum is going to swing everything.