Big 12-Big East Battle - Part 4
The Big 12-Big East Battle starts Tuesday evening 11/29 and continues through next Sunday 12/4 and will feature several great games. Please see below for Part 4 of my Previews. There will be a total of 5 Previews - one per day - previewing 2 games each day.
Seton Hall at Kansas
Thursday 12/1 at - Allen Fieldhouse, Lawrence, KS, 9:00PM, ESPN
The defending National Champions enjoyed a great start to the 2022-23 Season but were dealt their 1st loss by a strong Tennessee team in the Battle 4 Atlantis Championship game last Friday night. They will be looking to rebound against a solid Seton Hall team led by new Head Coach Shaheen Holloway. The Pirates have had an up-and-down season thus far and will be looking to secure a big win on the road when they travel to Lawrence to take on Kansas.
Steve's Thoughts - Even with a revamped lineup Kansas has too many weapons for the Pirates to contain. Look for Gradey Dick to continue his torrid start and the Jayhawks to use a big spurt in each half to knock off the Pirates. The game should be a high scoring affair with both teams looking to run and gun. Kansas wins by the final score of 85-75.
Oklahoma at Villanova
Saturday 12/3 at - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA, 12:30PM, CBS
Villanova has had a tough start to this season with losses to Temple, Iowa State, and Portland. The Wildcats are still waiting for several players to come back from injuries most notably Justin Moore and Cam Whitmore. Meanwhile Oklahoma is on fire since losing to Sam Houston at home in their Season Opener. The Sooners are 6-1 after winning the ESPN Events Invitational. The Sooners defeated Nebraska, Seton Hall, and Ole Miss in Orlando this past weekend.
Steve's Thoughts - Villanova may not have enough offensive weapons to hang with Oklahoma over 40 minutes. The Wildcats will gain momentum throughout the season as they continue to get healthy. Unfortunately for the Wildcats they begin Big East Conference play earlier than usual this season. Oklahoma should be able to do just enough to grind out the victory as the environment in the Wells Fargo Center will not be anywhere near as tough as it would have been if the Sooners had to play at Finneran Pavillion. Oklahoma wins 70-66.
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