After a hiccup in the schedule with Wednesday’s game against Temple postponed, the Wildcats will be back on the court Saturday as they continue Big East play against No. 15 Seton Hall.

The Pirates enter with a 9-2 record and an 0-1 mark in Big East play, having lost to Providence on Wednesday. They also lost a tough game against Ohio State, 79-76. Seton Hall holds a nice win over Texas and a win over Michigan.

Seton Hall has been good on both ends of the floor, but the defense really stands out. The Pirates have shown elite 3-point defense, holding opponents to 25.7% from beyond the arc, the seventh-best mark in the country. They also rank in the top 50 in 2-point defense (45.2%) and rank 11th in opponent’s effective field goal percentage. The FG defense has been particularly strong around the basket and beyond the 3-point line, but teams have found some success in the mid-range against Seton Hall. The Pirates have also done a decent job keeping opponents off the offensive glass and have been excellent at defending without fouling. One potential knock on the Seton Hall defense is that it hasn’t forced a ton of turnovers.

Offensively, the Pirates have struggled to shoot from 3-point range, hitting 31%. They’ve hit 45% of their field goals overall. But they’ve made up for the average to below average shooting through volume. They’ve been excellent taking care of the ball and have been decent on the offensive glass, helping them to get up a good number of shots. In addition, the Pirates have been excellent at getting to the foul line and converting when they do get there.

Jared Rhoden leads the way for the Pirates, leading the team in both scoring (16.7) and rebounding (7.6). He adds 1.2 assists and 1.5 steals. Rhoden has played his way into all-conference consideration and has been key in helping Seton Hall to its strong start.

Bryce Aiken follows Rhoden with 11.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, two assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Myles Cale chips in 9.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals. He’s also been one of the team’s better 3-point shooters at 34.6%.

USF transfer Alexis Yetna adds 9.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. He could take on some extra significance for the Pirates as their frontcourt deals with some absences and injuries.

Trey Jackson chips in eight points and 4.3 rebounds and has hit 37.9% from 3. Jamir Harris has averaged 7.9 points, while Syracuse transfer Kadary Richmond has done a bit of everything with 7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.5 steals while hitting a team-best 41.7% from 3.

The 3-point line will be interesting on Saturday. Seton Hall hasn’t shot well from deep but has been elite defending the 3-point line. Meanwhile, Villanova has had some shaky shooting performances lately (although the Wildcats showed some nice long-distance shooting in the second half against Xavier) but we know how important the 3 is to what they do and they’ve proven capable from deep at times this season. An advantage from beyond the arc could go a long way to a victory on Saturday.

Even though the 3-point line will be important, it will be interesting to see how Villanova attacks Seton Hall. Not only do Villanova’s recent shooting struggles and Seton Hall’s strong 3-point defense stand out, but ‘Nova has been making a more concerted effort to go inside recently. That could be something the ‘Cats look to continue Saturday, especially with the Seton Hall frontcourt being a bit shorthanded.

The free throw line will be interesting as well. Both teams have been great at defending without fouling. Seton Hall has been very good at getting to the line, and both teams have been good at converting opportunities from the charity stripe. It’s possible the free throw line ends up being a wash on Saturday, but if one team can carve out an edge it could prove significant.

It will be another tough test in another hostile environment for the Wildcats, and the Seton Hall-Villanova rivalry has been one of the better ones since the formation of the new Big East. It’s a great opportunity for the Wildcats to add another impressive win to the resume and it should be a good, high intensity game.

The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. tip on CBS.