Pirates Return Home for Midweek Tilt With Xavier

Wednesday, January 28

Newark, N.J.

7:30 p.m.

Seton Hall University

Xavier

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1/27/2026 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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SETON HALL PIRATES (14-6, 4-5) vs. XAVIER MUSKETEERS (11-9, 3-6)

Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 28 • 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Site: Newark, N.J. • Prudential Center (11,153)
TV: Peacock • Ed Cohen & Jordan Cornette
Online: Peacock
Radio: SHU Pirates Mobile App • Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
SHUPirates.com • Varsity Network App
Seton Hall All-Time vs. Xavier: 16-15 (Streak: L2)

NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW

Seton Hall has made the largest jump in KenPom among BIG EAST teams from opening night, improving 42 spots from the start of the season.
That leap is also tied with Virginia for the largest among all Power 5 schools (as of 1/26).
The Pirates own the eighth-best scoring defense in the nation (64.1) and the ninth-best blocks per game average (5.7).
Najai Hines ranks 22nd in the nation and second among all freshmen in blocks per game (2.3).
Budd Clark ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in assists per game (4.6).
Tajuan Simpkins has been essential to the Pirates' success this season, averaging 11.7 points and shooting 50% FG in Seton Hall's 14 wins this season.
Clark had a nice bounce back game at DePaul on Saturday, leading the Pirates with 14 points and dishing out five assists while adding four steals.
Stephon Payne has three games this season with 15+ rebounds after having zero such games in his career prior to this year.
Seton Hall is limiting opponents to a league-best 28% shooting from 3PT in BIG EAST games.
Shaheen Holloway is one of 51 coaches in the nation to be coaching at his alma mater.
Seton Hall has used the same starting lineup in every game so far this season.
Josh Rivera has seen his playing time steadily increase, averaging 19.4 minutes in January after averaging just eight minutes through the first two months of the season.
Najai Hines secured his second double-double of the season on Saturday against Butler with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
Hines' 16 rebounds were the most by a Seton Hall freshman since Angel Delgado had 19 boards against Marquette on Jan. 22, 2015.
The Pirates opened the year with a six-game winning streak, the team's longest streak under Shaheen Holloway. The last time The Hall won six straight was Feb. 19-March 9, 2022.

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO LATELY

The Pirates were unable to overcome another double digit second half deficit at DePaul on Saturday, falling to the Blue Demons, 67-60.
Second half rallies have been Seton Hall's thing as of late. On Jan. 17, the Pirates trimmed a 17-point Butler lead down to six before the Bulldogs were able to stem the tide.
The Pirates nearly overcame an 18-point second half deficit last Tuesday, cutting the UConn lead down to one in a 69-64 defeat to the No. 3 Huskies on Jan. 13.
On Jan. 10, the Pirates erased an 11-point second half deficit to defeat Georgetown, 76-67, in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
The win over the Hoyas was the third straight game in which the Pirates had overcome a double digit second half deficit to win.
Budd Clark scored 13 of his 22 points after halftime en route to the victory. For his efforts, Clark was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Seton Hall rallied from 16 points down in the second half to defeat Creighton, 56-54, on Jan. 4 at Prudential Center.
Seton Hall's leading scorer in the game, Elijah Fisher, had just 10 points, marking the first time the Pirates won a game where their leading scorer had just 10 points since Dec. 11, 2022 at Rutgers (Dre Davis).
The Pirates used a 13-0 run to close the game in a 79-73 victory at Marquette.
The win snapped Seton Hall's four-game losing streak in Milwaukee.
Stephon Payne grabbed 22 rebounds in the win at Marquette on Dec. 30, the most rebounds by a Pirate since Angel Delgado pulled down 23 in his memorable performance against Kansas in the Second Round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
The Pirates opened BIG EAST play with a 72-67 victory over Providence on Dec. 19.
Stephon Payne put on a show with 18 points and 16 rebounds, while Tajuan Simpkins poured in a career-high 22 points.
For Payne's efforts against the Friars, he was named BIG EAST and MET Writers Player of the Week, and also received a USBWA National Player of the Week honor.
In the non-conference finale, Seton Hall reclaimed the Boardwalk Trophy by defeating in-state rivals Rutgers, 81-59, in the Garden State Hardwood Classic on Dec. 13.
Budd Clark was named the Joe Calabrese MVP of the game, finishing with 16 points, seven assists, four steals and just one turnover.
The Pirates grabbed a signature road win on Dec. 6, downing Kansas State, 78-67, for their first win over a Big 12 foe since downing Texas on Dec. 7, 2021.
The Longhorns were ranked No. 7 in that game, which served as Seton Hall's last non-conference ranked win before it defeated No. 23 NC State at the Southwest Maui Invitational.
Picked to finish last in the BIG EAST before the season, the Pirates have already nearly doubled last year's win total and have scored double-digit signature wins over No. 23 NC State in Maui as well as on the road at Kansas State.
Five different Pirates made multiple three-pointers in the win over CCSU back on Dec. 3, a first since Feb. 14, 2012 against St. John's.