Seton Hall University
Marquette
Players Mentioned
Pirates Tip Off BIG EAST Tournament run Thursday
3/7/2017 4:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
| 2017 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep - Quarterfinals [5] Seton Hall Pirates (20-10, 10-8 BIG EAST) vs. [4] Marquette Golden Eagles (19-11, 10-8 BIG EAST) |
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| Date/Time/Location | Thursday, March 9 | 2:30 p.m. | Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster.com |
| Pirate Blue Events | Pregame Reception at Hudson Station Bar & Grill - 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. |
| Television Broadcast | FS1 | FOX Sports GO |
| Radio Broadcast | AM970 The Answer | Pirate Sports Network (FREE) |
| Game Notes | Seton Hall | Marquette |
| Links | Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook |
Flash back to February 2016. The Pirates were a respectable 5-4 in the BIG EAST and looking to challenge the upper echelon members of the conference. Led by Isaiah Whitehead, the Pirates forged one of their best ever February performances, going 6-1. The team went 7-2 in the back half of the league schedule to finish 12-6, earn third place in the conference and then catapult itself into a run unlike any other straight to the 2016 BIG EAST Tournament title.
Flash forward to February 2017. The Pirates struggled to 3-6 in the first half of the conference slate, a schedule that included three consecutive road games against three teams that ended up finishing in the league's top four. Led by Angel Delgado, the Pirates quickly rebounded to go 6-3 in February and 7-2 in the second half of the conference schedule to force a four-way tie for third place.
Sound familiar?
The script has been nearly identical, and now the Pirates will look to continue writing the exact same prose as last year. It starts with a Thursday matinee against Marquette, a team that the Pirates split with during the regular season, but a team they have not seen in more than six weeks. The fluky schedule had The Hall and Marquette play twice within the first two weeks of the conference season. Both games were decided by three points, and the Golden Eagles probably have nightmares of Khadeen Carrington - he scored six points in the final 38 seconds to lead the Pirates to a comeback win on Jan. 1 and then nailed the tying jumper with 2.2 seconds to go in regulation on Jan. 11 that capped an incredible seven-point comeback in the half's final 46 seconds.
Thursday's BIG EAST quarterfinal clash will air live on FS1, simulcast online via FOX Sports GO, with Justin Kutcher, Jim Jackson and Steve Lavin providing the coverage. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).
Pirate Points
>> Down 10 with 7:03 remaining in the game, Seton Hall closed out on a 23-7 run, punctuated by junior Khadeen Carrington's layup and freshman Myles Powell's three-pointer as the Pirates upset No. 13 Butler, 70-64, to notch their second consecutive 20-win season Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Junior Desi Rodriguez led all scorers with 21 points, and junior Angel Delgado continued to stake his case as the Best Big Man in the Nation after generating 20 points, 16 rebounds and four assists for his 12th consecutive double-double and 23rd in the last 24 games.
>> The win clinched the No. 5 seed in the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament and improved Seton Hall's record to 20-10 overall and 10-8 in the BIG EAST, the second straight winning conference record for head coach Kevin Willard. Seton Hall has not had back-to-back winning BIG EAST seasons since 2003-04 and has not had back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1992-93. The Hall has won seven of its last nine games, and has bolstered its NCAA Tournament resume (see page 4) with three wins over NCAA top-50 RPI teams in the last six games (Creighton - 27, Xavier - 34, Butler - 12).
>> The Pirates return to Madison Square Garden, their "home away from home", for the 2017 BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals Thursday against No. 4 seed Marquette. SHU has won five of its last six games at The Garden including three in a row during last season's historical run to the BIG EAST crown. It has also won three straight over nationally ranked opponents at MSG with victories over No. 5 Xavier and No. 3 Villanova during last year's tournament and a win over then No. 16 ranked South Carolina earlier this season in the Under Armour Reunion game.
>> The Hall is competing in its 62nd BIG EAST Tournament and has an all-time record of 28-33 (.459). It is the first five seed for the Pirates since the the conference realigned, and first since the 2000 team that lost to Connecticut in the quarterfinals, but reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Hall is 11-25 as the lower seed and 17-8 as the higher seed, and 9-11 all-time in quarterfinal games.
>> SHU and Marquette split the regular season series as each team won on its home floor. SHU pulled off a 69-66 win on New Year's Day in Newark behind a 6-0 run from Carrington over the final 38 seconds. He also forced overtime on a last- second jumper in Milwaukee 10 days later, but the Golden Eagles came away with an 89-86 victory despite a career-high 30 points from Rodriguez.
>> Including both games in the season series with Marquette, the Pirates have endured several back-and-forth games that have come down to the wire. SHU has played in SEVEN BIG EAST games decided by three points or fewer in 2016-17, the most in a single season under head coach Kevin Willard. SHU is 5-2 in such games, and is 7-2 overall in games decided by three points or fewer. Additionally, Marquette is 2-3 in games decided by three points or fewer.
>> The Pirates have shown resilience all season and have seven wins when trailing at halftime and four wins when trailing by 10 or more at any point in the contest. SHU is shooting 48.0 percent in the second half overall and 50.7 percent in the second half of 20 wins while limiting opponents to 41.2 percent shooting. Although The Hall was edged in the rematch with Marquette earlier this season, Willard and the Pirates have proven the ability to make in-season adjustments and take advantage of experience against BIG EAST competition. Since the start of 2015-16, Seton Hall is 16-5 when facing an opponent for the second or third time in the same season.
>> Seton Hall's 7-2 close to the regular season is tied with Villanova and Providence for the best record during the second half of league competition. Last season, the Pirates also went 7-2 over the back nine of the BIG EAST slate with the only two losses coming against Butler. The reigning BIG EAST Champions have used the last two months of the season to their advantage the past two years, and are a combined 17-6 during February and March since last year including five wins over nationally ranked opponents.
>> The strong finish to the regular season is due in large part to the play of the Best Big Man in the BIG EAST™, Delgado. He is a unanimous 1st Team All-BIG EAST selection, and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week March 5 after averaging 16.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and scoring the game-winning basket against Georgetown on top of Saturday's win at Butler. He continues to make his case for the Best Big Man in the Nation, and is currently riding a career-best 12 game double-double streak, topping his 11 in a row earlier this season. During the current double dip run, he is averaging 17.8 points and 14.8 rebounds per game. He enters the week as the nation's leading rebounder with 13.1 per game, leading offensive rebounder with 4.8 per game, and top double-double producer (25). He averages 6.5 more rebounds per game (188 total) than any other player in the conference.
>> The 6-foot-10 Dominican native posted 21 points and 20 rebounds against St. John's at home and 12 points, 22 boards in the first meeting with Butler. His performance in the St. John's game marked the first 20-20 game for The Hall since Eddie Griffin vs. Saint Peter's on Nov. 27, 2000 and just the 14th to occur in any BIG EAST regular season conference game. Delgado's 22 rebounds against Butler are the most by any Pirate since the school joined the BIG EAST in 1979. He is only the seventh Pirate in program history to record a 20-rebound game, and the first since Pope vs. Syracuse on Jan. 8, 2011.
>> The big man is posting truly historic numbers in his junior campaign, and has aligned himself with some of the elite rebounders in school and conference history. With 253 rebounds during BIG EAST play this season, Delgado is the conference's all-time single-season leading rebounder, passing Luke Harangody (Notre Dame, 2008-09). He also broke the league's record for rebounding average in a single season with 14.1 rebounds per game. Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane held the former record of 14.0 per game. Delgado is averaging 11.37 rebounds through 54 career BIG EAST games, which is currently second best in league history.
>> In addition to his superior skills on the glass, Delgado has also proven to be a reliable scorer in the post. He has scored in double figures in 23 of the last 24 games and has seven 20-point outings this season including a career-best 26 at Georgetown. He is one of two players in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He has earned recognition on the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll for the 10th time this season. No other player in the conference has more than six appearances on the Honor Roll.
>> The go-to scorer throughout conference play, Rodriguez put up a game-high 21 points on 6-of-12 shooting to go along with five boards, three assists and two blocks on Saturday in SHU's first-ever victory over Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse. He has the ability to explode through the lane or let it rip from beyond the arc. He led the team with 17.3 points per game during BIG EAST competition and shot a team-best 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. He drained a triple in all 18 conference games after going 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) from three-point range in non-conference play. Affectionately known as #DunkinDesi, Rodriguez has thrown down 12 dunks this season and 35 for his career.
>> Earlier this season, Rodriguez scored a career-high 30 points at Marquette and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 9 after a 25-point performance in the first meeting with DePaul in which he made each of his first 10 field goal attempts. He was also named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 21 after a 25-point nine-rebound showing at Iowa, and Jan. 16 after averaging 25.0 points per game at Marquette and Providence.
>> The team's leading scorer and one of the most dynamic guards in the BIG EAST, Carrington has the ability to take control, and on Sunday he was named 2nd Team All-BIG EAST. He went off for a career-high 41 points including 10 in the final 41 seconds as Seton Hall picked up an 87-81 victory over Creighton on Feb. 25. The 41 points are the most by a Pirate since Jeremy Hazell posted 41 on Dec. 26, 2009 against West Virginia. In addition to his scoring production, Carrington also totaled seven assists, five rebounds and four steals on top of an 18-for-22 performance at the free throw line. His 41-point output is the most of any BIG EAST player this season and nine more than any other individual scorer in a conference game. It is tied for 14th all-time in a BIG EAST conference game, and is only the 26th time in league history that anyone has scored 40 or more in a conference game. It is furthermore the first 40-point game for a Pirate since Sterling Gibbs scored 40 against Illinois State on Nov. 24, 2014. It is tied for the most points in a BIG EAST game in school history.
>> The Brooklyn native also has the ability to drive it to the rim or pull up from long range. He is sixth in the conference with 17.0 points per game and is second on the team in three-point shooting. He has 11 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but four contests this season, 58 times throughout his career. Carrington has also been clutch in late- game situations. For the season, he is averaging 9.9 points during the second half on 47.8 percent shooting from the field, 79.2 percent from the free throw line, and leads the team in scoring during the final five minutes of game time. Another crucial factor for the Pirates of late has been Carrington's ability to take good care of the ball. He owns a 2.4 assist-to- turnover ratio over the last 14 games with an even or positive ratio in 15 of 18 league contests.
>> Juniors Carrington, Delgado and Rodriguez have been the driving force behind the success of Seton Hall basketball this season. They provide 66.3 percent of the team's scoring, and are the only three teammates in the top-10 in scoring during conference play. They have a combined 27 20-point games in 2016-17, and have the opportunity to be mentioned among the best classes in program history. Carrington became the 41st student-athlete in school history to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season, and is now 29th on the all-time scoring list with 1,263 points. Delgado reached the milestone Feb. 15 vs. Creighton, and sits 35th with 1,097 career points. Rodriguez is the latest Pirate to join the club and is 36th with 1,080 points. The three juniors are only the second trio of 1,000-point scorers to be active in the same season, joining John Morton, Daryll Walker and Ramon Ramos of the program's historical 1988-89 national runner-up team.
>> SHU prides itself on defensive tenacity and it shows. The Pirates held Providence, St. John's, Georgetown and Butler to under 40.0 percent shooting; and SHU is 8-1 on the season when opponents shoot under 40 percent. Furthermore, the team recorded six or more steals in 15 of 18 conference games and is third in the BIG EAST with 7.0 per game. Seton Hall and its strong defense has also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 43-1 in their last 44 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding at least a seven-point lead at any point in the contest.
>> Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, and described by head coach Kevin Willard as the team MVP day in and day out, junior forward Ismael Sanogo is an invaluable asset on both ends of the floor. He is 11th in the BIG EAST with 5.7 rebounds per game and pulled down a career-high 16 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic victory over Rutgers on Dec. 23. In the first meeting with St. John's, Sanogo played a crucial role in limiting the BIG EAST's fifth leading scorer, Shamorie Ponds (17.3 points per game), to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. Last season, he was named to the 2016 All-BIG EAST Tournament team.
>> Freshman Myles Powell has shown the ability to be a dynamic scorer and dangerous three-point threat in his first collegiate season. He is the fifth-leading scorer among BIG EAST rookies, and drilled a pair of crucial triples down the stretch in Saturday's win at Butler including a dagger with 37 seconds to go. In non-conference play, just three games into his rookie campaign, he put up 26 points in SHU's victory at Iowa (Nov. 17) to snap the Hawkeyes' 41-game home winning streak over non-conference foes. He went 9-for-14 from the field, 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21. Powell scored 26 and made a career-best 10 field goals at Xavier Feb. 1 including a 6-of- 12 mark from three-point land. He is one of only two Pirates since 2008 to have multiple 25-point games as a freshman, joining Jeremy Hazell.
>> With innate defensive awareness and leadership at the point, senior guard Madison Jones has shown the ability to be a true impact player for the Pirates. Perhaps his best game of the season was against Xavier on Feb. 1. He totaled eight points, nine assists, a career-high five steals, five rebounds, and turned the ball over just once. He leads the team in steals and assists and ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.7 per game), eighth in assists (3.3 per game) and seventh in assist- to-turnover ratio (1.7).
>> One of the most critical aspects of the Pirates' offense is its ability to produce second chance points. That effort is led by Delgado, who leads the country with 4.8 offensive rebounds per game. Earlier this season, he grabbed 13 offensive boards at Marquette, which is the most by any Pirates player in recent history and it is the first 13-offensive rebound game by a BIG EAST player since Kentrell Gransberry of USF had 13 vs. DePaul on March 3, 2007. Effort on the offensive glass has led to 12.8 second chance points per game, 3.3 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 145 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 83 times, which is 57.2 percent of total chances. The team has scored 165 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. On Saturday, all seven of his offensive boards led to baskets for the Pirates, 13 total points, in a six-point victory over No. 13 Butler. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 35.3 percent of all available chances, the second-best in the BIG EAST.
>> Although the Pirates rely heavily on disciplined play on the defensive end, much of their success this season has been predicated on their ability to make shots and get to the free throw line. SHU is 15-0 when it out shoots opponents and 14-2 when it has more free throw attempts. Additionally, the Pirates are 17-6 when shooting 40.0 percent or better and 6-1 when they shoot 70.0 percent at the line.
>> Sophomore forward Michael Nzei has been a valuable contributor in the post all season and has made nine starts in a row. He proved worthy of starter minutes earlier this season at the AdvoCare Invitational by averaging 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a pair of starts. His sound defense and efficient offense has earned him 18.1 minutes per game. Nzei is second on the team with 16 blocks and his efficient offensive selection has led to a blistering 68.6 percent (48-of-70) from the field, which would rank second in the BIG EAST if qualified. He has also shown the ability to throw it down and leads the team with 13 dunks.
>> In addition to all of his other accomplishments this season, Delgado recently reached a historical milestone. Against Georgetown on Feb. 28, he pulled down his 1,000th career rebound, and is now just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, as well as the combination of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, the first since Glenn Mosley (1973-77). Last week, Delgado also passed one of the all-time greats, Patrick Ewing (Georgetown, 1981-85), on the BIG EAST career rebounding list and is now fourth in league annals with 614 career boards.
