NCAA Basketball Prediction: Seton Hall Pirates vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Friday, February 17, 2012

by Mike Stewart

Sean Kilpatrick - NCAA Basketball Prediction: Seton Hall Pirates vs Cincinnati Bearcats

Two of the hotter teams in the Big East collide when Seton Hall Pirates and Cincinnati Bearcats meet in a battle of teams trying to scratch their way into the upper tier of the conference.

Seton Hall has won three straight and Cincinnati has won three of its last four.

Both still have a chance to improve their seeds for the conference tournament. The teams are quite similar on paper: Seton Hall averages 69.2 and allows 63.2, Cincinnati averages 70.4 and allows 61.7. This is their first meetingthis season.

- Seton Hall Pirates @ Cincinnati Bearcats
When: 4:00 PM ET, Saturday, February 18, 2012
Where: Fifth Third Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
TV: ET. FSO, Big East Network.

The Bearcats have opened as 6-point favorites on SBG Global Sportsbook’s Live NCAA Basketball Odds.

Seton Hall Pirates (18-8): The Pirates are coming off their best shooting performance of the season, as six players scored in double figures and the team shot 62.3 percent against St. John’s. Jordan Theodore leads the team in scoring (15.8 points) and notched his sixth double-double of the season vs. St. John’s with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Herb Pope, who recently scored his 1,000th career point, averages 15.6 points and a team-high 10.4 rebounds. Pope had his 14th double-double against St. John’s. Fuquan Edwin averages 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds, and leads the nation in steals (3.0). Aaron Cosby had a career-high 14 assists against St. John’s.

Cincinnati Bearcats (18-8): The Bearcats rely heavily on their starting lineup, which features four double-figure scorers: Sean Kilpatrick (15.3), Dion Dixon (13.3), Yancy Gates (12.8) and Cashmere Wright (10.8). Only Gates, who had nine points and six rebounds, figured prominently in last year’s meeting, a 70-53 Cincinnati win. Gates has 21 career double-doubles, third-most among active Big East players. Kilpatrick has been the most consistent offensive player, with double figures in 22 games and with 20 points on six occasions. He had 22 points against Providence on Wednesday.

1. Cincinnati has outrebounded its last three opponents by a combined margin of 135-84.

2. Seton Hall is 13-6 when it commits fewer turnovers than its opponent.

3. A win would give Cincinnati nine conference wins for only the second time since it joined the Big East.

NCAA BASKETBALL PREDICTION: Bearcats 71, Pirates 59.

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