It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Xavier-Seton Hall prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Xavier-Seton Hall.
The Xavier Musketeers are right on the NCAA Tournament bubble. They know that as they come to New Jersey to play a not-very-good Seton Hall team, they simply have to win. A loss would send them tumbling several spots lower on the bubble. A loss here would significantly cripple their NCAA Tournament hopes. Bubble teams have to win the games against lower-tier conference opponents in late February. The damage of a loss is usually too great for a team to withstand; a loss means Xavier would have to pick up an extra high-quality win or two to compensate. The Musketeers don’t want to deal with that potential scenario.
Seton Hall is laboring this season under head coach Shaheen Holloway. Everyone who follows the Big East knows that Seton Hall has lost key players in the transfer portal and was not able to restock the cupboard to keep up with the rest of the conference. However, in spite of this roster’s limitations, Seton Hall continues to forge on. Instead of sulking, the Pirates are putting forth an effort, a sign that Holloway has not lost the locker room and is trying to coach up the players he has. It’s not for lack of effort. This team gives it the old college try. The talent is what is deficient, and the Hall knows it has to improve its roster construction in the coming offseason.
Here are the Xavier-Seton Hall College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Basketball Odds: Xavier-Seton Hall Odds
Xavier: -9.5 (-102)
Moneyline: -450
Seton Hall: +9.5 (-120)
Moneyline: +340
Over: 137.5 (-110)
Under: 137.5 (-110)
How to Watch Xavier vs Seton Hall
Time: 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT
TV: FS1
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (Get Access | Save $30)*
Why Xavier Will Cover The Spread/Win
Rick Pitino and other Big East coaches have come right out and said the truth about Seton Hall and Shaheen Holloway this season: No coach would have won with this roster. Pitino mentioned the hollowed-out nature of the Pirates’ 2025 roster because it was Pitino whose St. John’s program paid significant NIL dollars to land former Seton Hall player Kadary Richmond in the transfer portal. St. John’s is in position to win the Big East because it has Richmond on its roster. Seton Hall’s loss of Richmond and other good players is the foremost reason Holloway is struggling. No one in the coaching business thinks Holloway got dumber or less skilled as a coach this year. It’s all about Seton Hall not being able to keep up in the college basketball arms race for NIL dollars and high-end investments. Seton Hall just doesn’t have the horses to keep pace with Xavier and other solid Big East basketball teams.
We should add here that Xavier is on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Musketeers watched a lot of bubble teams lose on Saturday, so this is Xavier’s big chance to make an upward move just three weeks before Selection Sunday. Xavier will be hugely motivated to win and keep making that push toward March Madness.
Why Seton Hall Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Hall will be motivated, and we can say that because while this team lacks elite talent, it is still getting after it and still competing hard. Consider the win over UConn a week ago which shocked everyone in college basketball. This team hasn’t given up on this season, and that’s what you want to see if you are betting on a 9.5-point underdog to keep the game close and ultimately cover the spread.
Final Xavier-Seton Hall Prediction & Pick
Our lean is to the Hall, but Xavier is in a must-win position, and that’s not a great situation in which to bet. Pass.
Final Xavier-Seton Hall Prediction & Pick: Seton Hall +9.5
The post Xavier vs Seton Hall prediction, pick, college basketball odds appeared first on ClutchPoints.
