Monmouth vs. Seton Hall Odds
| Monmouth Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+19.5 -105 | 134.5 -115o / -105u | +1400 |
| Seton Hall Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-19.5 -115 | 134.5 -115o / -105u | -4000 |
Before new Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway goes head-to-head with his old team — Saint Peter's — over the weekend, he must conquer his season debut against a former MAAC team.
Will the Pirates maul the Hawks? Or should we target the total?
Dive in below to find out.
Monmouth Hawks
Monmouth embarks on a new era in its program history. The Hawks waved goodbye to the MAAC this offseason and joined the ever-growing Colonial, resulting in a steep uptick in overall competition.
Head coach King Rice enters his 12th season at the helm after developing his program into a perennial MAAC contender.
The Hawks were an ATS darling last season, going 10-1 in non-conference and ranking as high as 112th in KenPom. Rice had one of the most experienced rosters in the country in 2021-22, and it was clear his group was underrated by the masses.
This season’s group resembles nothing of last year’s.
Monmouth lost all five starters, including three All-MAAC honorees. Rice also brought in zero transfers to ease the loss of talent, instead opting to rebuild his program the traditional way — with high school recruits.
The mass exodus — plus the lack of incoming talent — means we could see Monmouth take a sharp nosedive this season. Many see the Hawks finishing near the basement of the CAA, and they’re up against a major challenge on Wednesday vs. Seton Hall.
Seton Hall Pirates
If anyone is familiar with the Monmouth Hawks, it’s Holloway, the new Seton Hall head coach who led last year’s NCAA tournament darling Saint Peter’s to an improbable Elite Eight berth.
Holloway coached four seasons in the MAAC, going 6-3 against Monmouth in that span, including a clean 3-0 last year. He’s intimately familiar with Rice’s approach and should have his significantly more athletic and talented Pirates ready for battle.
Holloway’s Saint Peter’s teams were known for their grit and tenacious defense. Going to war with the Peacocks was like going to an actual war.
Saint Peter’s ranked 25th nationally in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency last season, per KenPom, and there’s every reason to believe Holloway can repeat or even improve upon that ranking with a bigger and stronger roster.
The first thing to notice about this Hall roster is its sheer length across all five positions.
With only two players under 6-foot-6 projected to be in the rotation, and a 6-foot-6 point guard in Kadary Richmond leading the charge, Seton Hall should be one of the most intimidating defensive teams in the country this season.
Monmouth’s significantly smaller backcourt — a backcourt very low on experience — should be overwhelmed in this game.
The one caveat here is injuries. Seton Hall could be without key rotational pieces — Alexis Yetna and Jamir Harris — for this game.
Will it matter against a Monmouth team that could struggle out of the gate? Perhaps not.
Monmouth vs. Seton Hall Betting Pick
With a giant spread like this, it’s tough to confidently recommend backing the favorite due to the injury concerns listed above and the pace Holloway has shown in the past.
At Saint Peter’s, Holloway’s teams were consistently among the slowest in the nation on offense, and one of his key pieces this year — KC Ndefo — was groomed in that system.
It’s possible Holloway will flex his tempo with a more talented roster against a program in Monmouth that it should A) overwhelm, and B) has played blazing fast under Rice in the past.
Rice is a smart coach, and he knows getting into a high-possession game with a superior opponent is a recipe for disaster. Because of this, it’s likely we see him tap the breaks in the season opener as his green guards and forwards get accustomed to the game.
So, instead of taking the favorite, I have my eyes set on the under. Monmouth will struggle greatly to score (barring any miracle outside shooting day).
Holloway likely won’t drift too far away from his preferred style and floor the gas pedal against a former peer.
The hope is, of course, that Monmouth can get enough stops and rebounds to prevent the Pirates from putting up a high number.
