N0. 8 Arkansas vs. No. 9 Seton Hall Preview
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena – Greenville, SC
When: Friday, March 17, 2017 – 1:30 PM ET
Line: Arkansas Razorbacks (-1) vs. Seton Hall Pirates (+1); total: 146.5 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
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Betting on Arkansas Razorbacks (25-9, 12-6 SEC)
The Razorbacks are back on the tournament after another competitive year. This will be their second appearance in three years after being unable to qualify in the six seasons prior.
Dusty Hannahs (14.6 PPG), team newbies Daryl Macon (13.4 PPG) and Jaylen Bradford (12.6 PPG), and big man Moses Kingsley (11.8 PPG) powered the team’s resurgence. Their strong play had Arkansas scoring 79.8 per game, shooting 46.1 percent from the floor, and finishing third in the SEC during the regular season, while also advancing to the conference championship game, where they lost to Kentucky, 82-65.
In clashing with Seton Hall, the three-guard attack should be able to continue providing damage from inside and out. Hannahs, the seniority in the team’s main core, is among the most reliable shooters in Division I ball, and his 70 treys are currently fourth in the SEC. Macon and Bradford, meanwhile, are both on a stretch where they are averaging 17 per game, with the former also shooting 51.6 percent in the span.
As for Kingsley, who, aside from chipping in points through his low post offense, is a rebounding and shot-blocking specialist (7.6 RPG, 2.6 BPG) he’ll have an intruiging matchup with opposing big, Angel Delgado.
Arkansas is 13-7 in their last 20 games (11-9 ATS).
Betting on the Seton Hall Pirates (21-11, 10-8 Big East)
For the first time in over two decades, Seton Hall is going to the dance in consecutive years. A big part of it was due to the breakout season of their man in the middle, Angel Delgado, who became more consistent in his presence in the shaded lane.
The junior is currently netting 15.3 points and a nation-leading 13.1 rebounds, and was able to post 24 double-doubles in his last 26 games. He’s enjoying getting loads of scoring opportunities, thanks to being perfectly surrounded by shooters, particularly Khadeen Carrington (16.9 PPG) and Desi Rodriguez (15.9 PPG).
The trio should be on redemption mode against the Razorbacks, as they are coming off a frustrating 55-53 loss to Villanova in the semis of the Big East tournament. In the contest, they played horrible offense but still lead up until the final 10 seconds of the game – a blown box out coverage and a gimme miss by Delgado were the only things that separated them from competing for another conference title.
Seton Hall will be bringing in averages of 73.3 points and 39.5 rebounds (13 or which are on the offensive side) per game, along with a 45-percent shooting clip. Those numbers should be maintained or exceeded against an Arkansas defense that only ranks 96th overall.
The Pirates have won five of their last six outings (4-2 ATS).
Writer’s Prediction
Seton Hall (+1) advances after a thrilling game, 71-69.
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