Seton Hall Pirates vs Xavier Musketeers Prediction, 3/3/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Seton Hall Pirates vs Xavier Musketeers

Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

Location: Cintas Center in Cincinnati, OH

TV: ESPN+

Cintas Center is where the Xavier Musketeers (13-15) will try to beat the Seton Hall Pirates (19-9) on Tuesday.

The Seton Hall Pirates stepped onto the hardwood against Connecticut and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 71-67 in their last game. Seton Hall finished having earned a 47.2% FG percentage (25 out of 53) and converted 9 of 18 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the Pirates made 8 of 9 shots for a rate of 88.9%. When discussing pulling down boards, they collected 25 with 8 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 13 assists in the matchup while forcing the other team into 14 turnovers and having 10 steals. Pertaining to defense, Seton Hall allowed the other team to go 45.7% from the field on 21 of 46 shooting. Connecticut earned 17 dimes and had 9 steals in the game. Additionally, Connecticut pulled down 24 rebounds (9 offensive, 15 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. Connecticut finished the game at 69.0% from the charity stripe by making 20 of their 29 shots. They buried 9 out of their 21 shots from 3-point range. When it comes to personal fouls, the Pirates ended up walking away with 22 while Connecticut racked up 10 personal fouls.

A.J. Staton-McCray is one guy who was a factor for the contest. He finished the game at 46.2% from the field and distributed 2 assists. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and also grabbed 3 boards. He finished with 20 points on 6 out of 13 shooting.

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Seton Hall heads into this one with a mark of 19-9 so far this season. They are losing possession via turnover 11.3 times per game and as a unit they are committing 18.6 fouls per game. As a unit, Seton Hall is pulling in 36.0 rebounds per game and is sitting with 363 assists this year, which is 277th in the nation in terms of passing. The Pirates are connecting on 30.3% on three-point shots (132 of 435) and 71.5% from the charity stripe. They average 70.4 pts per game (304th in Division 1) while hitting 43.6% from the field.

On defense, the Pirates are forcing 14.7 turnovers per contest and they draw 17.9 personal fouls. They surrender 32.0% on shots from downtown and they rank 9th in the nation in PPG allowed (64.5). The Pirates defense is giving up an opponent shooting percentage of 39.7% (583 of 1,467) and they concede 33.6 rebounds per contest as a unit. They are ranked 43rd in college hoops in giving up assists with 327 relinquished on the season.

The last time they took the court, the Xavier Musketeers walked away with a victory by a final of 91-84 against Georgetown. In regard to how they cleaned up the glass, Xavier permitted Georgetown to snag 23 in all (4 on the offensive side). They shot 44.4% from 3-point land by shooting 12 of 27 and finished the contest at 14 out of 20 at the free throw line (70.0%). The Musketeers permitted Georgetown to bury 29 out of their 55 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 52.7% for the contest. Overall, the Musketeers ended up shooting 29 out of 57 from the field which gave them a shooting percentage of 50.9%. In the matter of shooting from downtown, Xavier knocked down 10 of their 20 tries (50.0%). They were able to make 23 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 88.5%. Georgetown committed 20 personal fouls in the matchup which got the Musketeers to the charity stripe for a total of 26 attempts. They also gave up possession of the ball 9 times, while earning 11 steals in the matchup. The Musketeers recorded 20 defensive rebounds and 6 offensive boards totaling 26 for this game.

Tre Carroll ended up being a factor for the Musketeers in this matchup. He knocked down 5 out of 11 in this contest giving him a rate of 45.5%, and accumulated 6 rebounds. He accumulated 22 points in his 31 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this contest.

Xavier has a win-loss mark of 13-15 on the year. The Musketeers are committing 18.0 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 71.4% from the charity stripe. They are assisting teammates 17.6 times per game (20th in the country) and they lose possession via turnover 10.0 times per contest. Xavier has accumulated 2,192 pts for the year (78.3 per game) and they pull in 34.9 boards per game. On the offensive side of the ball, the Musketeers are hitting on 44.3% from the field, which ranks them 245th in the nation.

The Musketeers on defense are ranked 323rd in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 79.6. They are able to force 11.3 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 47.2% from the floor (329th in the country). The Xavier defense allows 34.5% on shots from beyond the perimeter (206 of 597) and their opposition makes 69.1% of their shots from the charity stripe. They have given up 18.1 dimes and 38.0 boards per game, which has them ranked 362nd and 342nd in college hoops.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Xavier

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