In a solid matchup in the Round of 64, No. 9 Seton Hall will take on No. 8 Arkansas in South Region action in Greenville, South Carolina.
Fresh off a loss in the SEC Championship Game, the Arkansas Razorbacks will take on the Seton Hall Pirates in a classic 8-vs-9 matchup on Friday. The Razorbacks looked very good in the SEC Tournament, but ran into a buzzsaw in the Kentucky Wildcats in the final. Seton Hall, who won the Big East Tournament over the Villanova Wildcats last year, lost to Nova in the semifinals, and will head into the Big Dance with a ton of confidence.
These two teams have very good bigs, and it will be interesting to see who gets the better of the matchup. Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado led the nation in rebounding this season, as he pulled down over 13 boards per game. In addition, he also averaged over 15 points per game, though he will have a tough test in Moses Kingsley of Arkansas. Kingsley is a very athletic player, and could cause Delgado fits down low on defense.
Arkansas plays some good pressure defense, but the Pirates guard play is nothing to sniff at. The combination of Khadeen Carrington and Desi Rodriguez can put up points in bunches, and they should be able to make plays against the Razorbacks. This Arkansas team is very deep, as four of their starters have averaged double-figures in scoring this season.
The Pirates will be making their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, though they would like to fair better than they did in 2016. The sixth-seeded Pirates were bounced in the Round of 64 by Gonzaga, as perhaps their victory in the Big East Tournament took too much out of them. They are a battle tested team, and they will likely be much more prepared for their first round matchup this year.
Here is how to watch all of the action online.
Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 1:30 p.m. ET
Location: Greenville, South Carolina
Venue: Bon Secours Wellness Arena
TV Info: TNT
Live Stream: March Madness Live, Fubo TV
Next: UPDATED NCAA TOURNAMENT BRACKET
Even though they are the lower seed, expect the Pirates to get the win in this one. The matchup between Delgado and Kingsley is going to be must-watch TV, but the Hall is just too deep in other areas of the roster. This is going to be a good one, but if Seton Hall plays the way they did in the Big East Tournament, they should squeak by and onto the Round of 32. Unfortunately for either team, UNC likely awaits.