3 Things About Saturday's Sold Out BIG EAST Opener

2018 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (9-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. St. John's Red Storm (12-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Saturday, December 29 \| 8:30 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	SOLD OUT - No tickets will be made available today. Check Ticketmaster.com for Verified Resale Tickets.
Television Broadcast	FOX Sports Networks (Full List of TV Clearances) \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| XM 383 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| St. John's
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram

We're here. The 18-game grind. The round-robin struggle. The schedule that will help determine a champion.

It's BIG EAST Conference season, and for Seton Hall, it's been a successful one over the last three seasons. Their 36 BIG EAST wins (including the conference tournament) since Dec. 30, 2015 ranks third among the 10 league schools. A lot of that can be attributed to holding serve at home for the most part: at Prudential Center, the Pirates are 19-8 (19-5 against teams not named Villanova).

Once again, defending home court will once again be key as the Pirates open up against undefeated St. John's before playing four of their next five on the road. With a five-game winning streak on the line, and the road trips looming ahead, Saturday night at The Rock is as critical as it comes. History is on Seton Hall's side: the Pirates are 6-2 in their last eight BIG EAST openers; St. John's is 3-5 in the same eight-year span.

Saturday's game is sold out to the general public (scroll back up for other ticket information) and it will be televised regionally on FOX Sports Networks with Brian Custer and Len Elmore on the call. You can check out the full list of TV Clearances and be sure to tune in on the YES Network if you live in the Metro New York area. You can also catch it on the FOX Sports app. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring the fire and ice on the radio broadcast (including the Kevin Willard Pregame and Postgame Interviews) on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 383, the Pirate Sports Network and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.

P.S. - Is it weird that it's only game 13 and yet this is the sixth game Seton Hall is playing against an opponent whose primary color is red?

Our game on Saturday has reached a GENERAL SELL OUT of the lower bowl! But if you're a Seton Hall student, faculty or staff member, you can still get your seats! Read more here: https://t.co/jAXDfuY2VE #HALLin
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 28, 2018

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Here's a reminder of what we accomplished during the non-conference season! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/7ouQN3E5t7
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) December 26, 2018

Three Things to Know About Saturday's BIG EAST Opener vs. St. John's

1. Hitting the Century Mark
Tonight marks the 100th all-time meeting between Seton Hall and St. John's. It's Seton Hall's fourth series to reach the century mark, joining Villanova (115 games), Georgetown (105 games) and Providence (103 games). Although the Johnnies have the all-time advantage, 59-40, the Pirates have won six of the last eight and 15 of the last 23 matchups. And apparently St. John's does not like crossing the Hudson River because the Pirates are 13-1 against the Red Storm in the last 14 games in New Jersey. The lone loss was a one-point defeat on Feb. 13, 2014, when there was a massive snowstorm that pelted Newark and there very few fans in the stands.

2. Who has the Advantage - The Bigs or the Smalls?
Seton Hall will have a size advantage in the front court as the Red Storm plays with four guards and their one forward, Marvin Clark II, is 6-7. The Pirates have Sandro Mamukelashvili in the post, one of the league's better rebounders. This will be an interesting thing because both teams are at the bottom of the conference in offensive rebounding and rebounding margin. If Seton Hall can be the better rebounding team and limit St. John's second opportunities while creating second chances for itself, the Pirates could be in business.

3. Defend the Three
Another key difference is St. John's ability to make threes vs. Seton Hall's ability to defend them. The Johnnies average nearly 10 makes per game, and the Pirates only allow 7.7 makes per contest while holding opponents to 33 percent shooting. Those two extra threes could make all the difference in the world is what is bound to be a tight contest.