Seton Hall Pirates vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 12/30/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Seton Hall Pirates vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: FS1

Odds/Point Spread: Seton Hall (+3.5)

The Seton Hall Pirates (6-4) go to Cintas Center on Wednesday where they'll take on the Xavier Musketeers (8-1). Seton Hall opens this game as 3.5-point underdogs. The over/under is set at 144.

Seton Hall heads into this contest with a mark of 6-4 so far this year. They are giving up possession 13.0 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.2 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, Seton Hall is pulling down 35.1 boards per contest and has earned 142 assists for the campaign, which has them ranked 33rd in D-1 in terms of passing. The Pirates are shooting 36.1% on three-point shots (75 of 208) and 71.9% from the charity stripe. They are averaging 76.7 pts per game (113th in the country) while connecting on 45.7% from the field. On the defensive end, the Pirates have forced 13.3 turnovers per contest while drawing 21.0 fouls. The Pirates defensively are giving up a shooting percentage of 42.3% (261 of 617) and they relinquish 36.7 boards per game as a basketball team. They rank 287th in Division 1 in allowing assists to their opponents with 121 conceded for the year. They are giving up 35.0% on shots from distance and they are 190th in Division 1 in points per game allowed (70.9).

The Seton Hall Pirates faced the Georgetown Hoyas and went home with a win by a final score of 78-67 in their last game. Seton Hall ended with a 45.2% FG percentage (28 of 62) and converted 9 out of their 25 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Pirates made 13 of their 18 attempts for a percentage of 72.2%. With regard to pulling down boards, they collected a total of 36 with 5 of them being offensive. They also dished out 18 assists in the game as well as having 6 steals and 11 blocks. In the matter of defense, Seton Hall allowed the other team to go 45.2% from the floor on 28 of 62 shooting. Georgetown distributed 10 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. In addition, the Hoyas totaled 41 rebounds (11 offensive, 30 defensive) and had 11 rejections. Georgetown finished 92.3% from the charity stripe by knocking down 12 of their 13 attempts. They knocked down 7 of 17 shots from distance.

Myles Cale is someone who was a contributor in the game. He notched 30 points on 10 out of 16 shooting. He played 28 minutes played and also pulled down 3 boards. Cale finished 62.5% from the field and dished out 2 dimes. An additional guy that was a contributor in this matchup for the Pirates was Jared Rhoden. He collected 12 boards and tallied 4 assists. He finished 52.6% from the field in this contest by shooting 10-of-19 (26 points). When the final whistle blew, Rhoden played for 37 min.

Xavier has a mark of 8-1 so far this season. The Musketeers are committing 15.3 fouls every game and they shoot 72.5% from the charity stripe. They are earning an assist 19.6 times per contest (15th in the country) and they are giving up possession 11.8 times per game. Xavier has totaled 734 pts this year (81.6 per game) and they grab 39.0 boards per game. As an offense, the Musketeers are connecting on 49.3% from the field, which ranks them 60th in D-1. The Musketeers are ranked 150th in college hoops in PPG given up with 68.4. They are forcing their opponents into 12.0 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 38.2% from the floor (31st in D-1). The Xavier defense allows 31.4% on 3-pointers (65 of 207) and their opponents are connecting on 76.6% of their free throw attempts. They have allowed 13.1 assists and 35.9 boards per game, ranking them 193rd and 201st in college basketball.

For their last game, the Xavier Musketeers took a loss by a score of 66-61 against the Creighton Bluejays. The Musketeers were able to corral 33 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds totaling 38 for the matchup. They also turned away 3 shots while getting 4 steals in the matchup. The Bluejays earned 11 fouls for the matchup which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 7 attempts. They were able to convert 5 of the free throws for a rate of 71.4%. In regard to shooting from downtown, Xavier converted 8 of their 32 attempts (25.0%). At the conclusion of this game, the Musketeers ended up shooting 24 for 68 from the field which gave them a percentage of 35.3%. The Musketeers allowed the Bluejays to bury 22 out of their 62 tries from the floor which gave them a rate of 35.5% in this matchup. They shot 28.6% from beyond the arc by shooting 8 out of 28 and finished the contest at 14 out of 20 at the charity stripe (70.0%). Regarding attacking the glass, Xavier allowed Creighton to grab 41 overall (7 offensive).

Nate Johnson ended up being important for the Musketeers in this contest. He made 4 out of 13 in the game for a rate of 30.8%, which earned him 12 points. Johnson grabbed 5 rebounds in his 32 mins and added 2 assists for the matchup. One more player that ended up playing a role for Xavier was Paul Scruggs. He accumulated 11 points in 32 minutes played via 4 out of 9 from the floor in this game. Scruggs walked away from this one going 44.4% from the floor as well as earning 4 dimes and 3 rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Seton Hall (+3.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here