Seton Hall Takes on Providence Sunday Afternoon

The Providence Friars (4-2) head to Newark to take on the Seton Hall Pirates (5-3, 2-0) in the late afternoon slot this Sunday.

Seton Hall comes into this one on a four game winning streak. The Pirates knocked off Marquette 70-63 on the road this Thursday, so they’ll be on short rest against Providence.

Meanwhile, the Friars haven’t played in eleven days, so Ed Cooley should have his squad well prepared for this one. Providence had three games postponed last week, as positive tests for Xavier, UConn, and DePaul derailed the first week of their schedule. This Sunday will be the Big East opener for the Friars.

This game features two of the top scorers in the Big East. Seton Hall’s Sandro Mamukelashvili is scoring 20 points per game, good for second in the conference, as a do-it-all big man. The 6’11” forward has scored in double figures and hit a three-pointer in all but one game this season (he was ejected after 19 minutes against Wagner), and he set a career high with seven assists last time out. Providence’s David Duke comes in one spot behind Mamu with 19.7 points per game. The junior guard has been red hot as of late, turning in back-to-back 28 point performances in his last two games. Duke is 2nd in assists and 3rd in rebounds for the Friars, and he has been their most consistent shooter from long range.

Providence has managed a top-50 offense on KenPom despite being one of the worst three-point shooting teams in the country. David Duke and Nate Watson lead the show for the Friars, with each scoring double-digit points in every game so far. However, they uncharacteristically struggled with rebounding through non-conference play.

Seton Hall saw the return of PG Bryce Aiken against Marquette. Aiken, a grad transfer from Harvard, was expected to run the point after the departure of Myles Powell but sprained his ankle in the season opener. When healthy, Aiken can offer a scoring presence from the backcourt to take some of the load off of Mamu.

THE FACTS

Time and Date: Sunday, December 20, 4:30 p.m. ET

Records: Providence (4-2) | Seton Hall (5-3)

Rankings: Providence (#62 KenPom) | Seton Hall (#46 KenPom)

TV Channel: FOX Sports 1

Watch Online: FOX Sports Go

Line: Seton Hall -4.5

O/U: 141.5