The Providence Friars (19-8) will travel to the Prudential Center to challenge the Seton Hall Pirates (19-7) in their home finale. Action begins at 7:00 pm ET on Thursday, Feb. 25 and can be seen on FS1.
The Pirates enter this game hoping for similar success after edging St. John’s 62-61 on Sunday. Desi Rodriguez was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 8-for-10 shooting. The Friars, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 85-74 loss against Xavier on Wednesday. Providence lost despite the best efforts of Kris Dunn, who recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
Isaiah Whitehead has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Pirates. During that stretch, he has averaged 19.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists, 2.0 steals, 2.0 blocks, and 3.0 three-pointers.
The Seton Hall defense could make it difficult on the shooters from Providence. It ranks 24th in the nation in forcing misses (opponents’ eFG% of 45.4%), while the Providence offense is 285th with a mark of 47.5%.
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Pirates winning the first matchup 81-72. Despite the loss, Ben Bentil had a standout performance with 21 points, nine rebounds, one assist, two steals, two blocks, and one three-pointer.
Notes
The Providence Friars have a defensive rating of 98.3 (ranked 64th), while the Seton Hall Pirates have an offensive rating of 105.4 (ranked 192nd).
The Providence Friars average 70.3 possessions per game and 1.053 points per possession. The Seton Hall Pirates earn fewer possessions with 69.9, but they score more points with 1.054.
The Seton Hall Pirates average an effective field goal percentage of 49.0% this season. The Providence Friars have a winning 10-6 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 49.0% or greater.
Providence ranks 44th in assists, recording 15.9 per game. Seton Hall performs worse at 160th with 13.6 assists per game.
Seton Hall, the 53rd-ranked team in blocked shots, records an average of 4.6 per game. Providence does worse, ranked 141st with 3.6.
Seton Hall ranks 27th in offensive rebounding. Providence ranks 202nd in defensive rebounding.
On average, Seton Hall makes 7.5 steals per game. Providence has a solid 8-5 record when it gives up at least 7 steals.
