Cats Look to Clinch Big East Title Against Seton Hall

Seton Hall has gone 5-4 since that loss to ‘Nova, entering Saturday with a 17-12 record and an 8-9 mark in the Big East. Much like Villanova, the Pirates suffered a late-season slide, losing three-straight before beating Marquette earlier this week, a victory that helped give ‘Nova control of its Big East title destiny.

For a look at Seton Hall’s key contributors and strengths and weaknesses, you can reference our preview of the last matchup between the teams here.

But the main thing to know is that the Pirates still revolve around Myles Powell, who averages 22.7 points per game. Powell is coming off back-to-back 30+ point games, scoring 35 in a double-overtime loss to Georgetown and 34 in the victory over Marquette.

Villanova did an excellent job on Powell in the first meeting, holding him to just three points. He produced season lows in points, field goal makes, and field goal attempts. It was the only game this season in which he failed to make a 3-pointer, and his three attempts from deep were a season-low as well. In addition, he had a season-high seven turnovers.

With Powell struggling, the rest of the Seton Hall offense couldn’t pick up the slack. The Pirates shot 34.6 percent from the field and 30.4 percent from 3. Only Myles Cale reached double figures, scoring 14 points. The Pirates had the same number of turnovers as made shots.

Offensively, the 17 made 3’s for Villanova garnered most of the attention, and rightfully so. But the ‘Cats assisted on 16-28 made field goals and 10 Wildcats scored in the game.

Phil Booth and Eric Paschall were fantastic, scoring 25 and 17 points respectively, while Saddiq Bey chipped in 10. Jahvon Quinerly got 15 minutes in the last meeting between the teams, responding with eight points, three rebounds, and two assists.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on Powell, as there’s a fascinating contrast between the job Villanova did on him defensively and what he has done over the previous two games. If he is hot early, things get much more difficult for the ‘Cats. Conversely, if ‘Nova can come even close to replicating the defensive effort against Powell from the last meeting, the ‘Cats will be feeling good about their chances.

The 3-point line is another area to watch. The arc was basically the difference in the last meeting between the teams, as the Wildcats were +30 from beyond the arc. We don’t expect ‘Nova to pour in 17 3’s like they did in the first meeting, but Seton Hall shoots just 31.8 percent from deep so Villanova should be able to build an advantage from 3 once again.

We’ll also be watching the glass, especially the offensive glass. The rebounding battle was close in the first meeting, with a slight 36-33 edge going to Villanova. Both teams pulled down 10 offensive boards, but the Hall has been susceptible on the offensive glass this season. The Pirates rank 187 in offensive rebounding percentage, and 233 in opponent’s offensive rebounding percentage. The ‘Cats didn’t establish much of an advantage on the boards in the last meeting, but it’s an area where there is an opportunity.

Finally, we’ll be interested to see how Villanova handles the circumstances and the environment. Reports are that tickets are going fast, and an impressive crowd is expected. Seton Hall is in desperation mode and knows it can’t afford a slip-up. Meanwhile, the ‘Cats are well aware of what they can accomplish with a win, and how important a win is to their long-term hopes. While Collin Gillespie, and to a lesser extend Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree and Jermaine Samuels, got a taste of varying degrees of this type of high-stakes college basketball last season, it remains relatively new to them, especially considering their expanded roles this year. Meanwhile, it’s completely new to players like Bey and Quinerly. It will be fascinating to see how they react.

It’s been a whirlwind of a season, full of ups and downs, and yet the ‘Cats find themselves with a chance to clinch the Big East title by simply handling their own business. Hopefully, they can get the job done, end the regular season on a high note, and lay a foundation on which to build a postseason run.