The Connecticut Huskies are in New Jersey on Wednesday night at Seton Hall University looking to get hot for a deep run in March. It has been a while since Kemba Walker has been at the University of Connecticut, but can James Bouknight rekindle some of that magic in 2021? The Huskies enter Wednesday night with a record of 12-6 and 9-6 in the conference. They’ve looked good with four wins in their last five games, the most recent an easy win over the Marquette Golden Eagles, 80-62.
Beating up on Marquette isn’t anything special these days, but it was nevertheless a good performance for the Huskies. UConn was not highly regarded in 2011 before Kemba Walker caught fire and led the Huskies through a crazy 11-game run to the National Championship. Kemba made a name for himself and was rewarded for it with a huge draft boost. Bouknight has to look at what Kemba did that year and use it as a potential springboard this March. He’s a great player, but we’ll see if he has the same killer instinct.
There isn’t a clear No. 1 in the Big East this season. Villanova and Creighton are certainly the top two teams, but there is going to be no surprises if somebody else wins the Big East Tournament. UConn and Seton Hall are going to be in the thick of things. The Huskies are third in the conference, ahead of Seton Hall by an inch, who are going into Wednesday night with a record of 13-10 and 10-7 in the conference.
The Pirates are coming off two losses on the road, 81-75 against Georgetown and 61-52 against Butler. Those are two very bad losses versus beatable teams. Seton Hall was the favorite in both outings by 4.5 and 7.5 points. Along with failing to win and cover those spreads, the Pirates have failed to cover in four straight games. They were 7-point favorites against Marquette four games ago and won 57-51. As 14-point favorites against DePaul, Seton Hall won by 8 points, 60-52, in a tougher game than they imagined at home. Head below for our free UConn vs. Seton Hall pick on March 3, 2021.
Connecticut Huskies vs. Seton Hall Pirates NCAA Betting Odds:
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UConn vs. Seton Hall Prediction:
Seton Hall gets the call back home just in time following a brutal short road trip to Georgetown and Butler. If Seton Hall is serious about winning the Big East, they cannot bring a similar effort to the table in the Big East Tournament. They were looking great for four games, including a 80-73 on the road at UConn, but have flopped recently. It can be very hard to flip a switch at the perfect moment come tournament time. A slow build up before getting to the tournament has seemed to work best for outside teams in the past.
Seton Hall are a balanced team that isn’t exceptional at any one thing, but gets the job done by being a well-rounded unit. The Pirates are 161st in the NCAA with 72.2 points scored per game. They’ve scored just 64.8 points per contest in their previous five games, though. The two games against Georgetown and Butler really need a number on them. They should feel good about going back home on Wednesday night to host the Huskies.
However, the Pirates have been beatable at home, and haven’t been lighting the scoreboard up in New Jersey. They’ve netted an average of 73.4 points per game at home, just a touch above the NCAA average. After Seton Hall made it look easy against the Huskies in their first meeting this season, expect a capable UConn defense to come back with a strong performance. UConn has allowed 64.6 points per game for 46th in the country. They are holding teams to 31.2% shooting from the field.
Defense has travelled for the Huskies on the road. They haven’t gotten away from their defensive identity. UConn has conceded 63.5 points per game as a visitor on the road. With five wins in eight outings on the road, they’ve been respectable playing away from home. Note that Seton Hall has gone 0-5 ATS in their previous five home games, along with 0-4 ATS in their last four overall. Conversely, the Huskies have gone 7-1-1 ATS In their last nine trips on the road. Look for UConn to edge out Seton Hall behind James Bouknight for a late win and cover. It’s important to note that Bouknight did not play in the loss in the first meeting.
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