Seton Hall, the No. 3 seed, will take on top-seed Villanova Saturday night in the Big East Tournament Championship Game. Villanova has won four Big East Tournament titles, including three in the last four years. The one year the Wildcats didn’t win, Seton Hall did. Villanova is 4-5 in nine trips to the title game. The Pirates are a perfect 3-0 in title games and beat the Wildcats, 69-67, in 2015.
Here’s the selection:
SETON HALL (+4.5) vs. VILLANOVA, 6:30 p.m.
Pick: Seton Hall (+4.5)
The voters who decided Marquette’s Markus “1-for-15” Howard was the Big East Player of the Year over Seton Hall’s Myles Powell might want to re-cast their votes.
Powell showed again in the semifinal win over the Golden Eagles he was the best player on the court, took over the game when it needed to be and willed his team to the final. Howard shot 1-for-15 from the floor, missed six foul shots, threw up a brick at the buzzer for what could have been the game-winner . . . and is on his way back to Milwaukee.
Enough about that.
We’re going to continue to ride the Trenton native Powell and the Pirates (20-12), who have gotten on a good roll at the end of the season and in the tournament against the well-seasoned and well-coached Wildcats (24-9).
The two teams split during the season, with each winning at home. Both teams are also 6-0 this season on neutral courts.
This has the makings of a great game. So let’s go with Powell, the Pirates and the points.