Seton Hall Pirates
Big East (25-8, 12-6)
Last season’s great freshmen class has really stepped up at Seton Hall. Coach Kevin Willard lost a lot of talent from last year and it was up to the sophomore class to step up and take the reins and they did just that. There were some ups and downs and inconsistencies, but overall the Pirates are a tough team to beat and they can keep up with just about anybody on any given day.
Big Wins: 12/19 Wichita State (80-76), 1/16 at Providence (81-72), 2/28 Xavier (90-81)
Bad Losses: 11/19 vs Long Beach State (77-80), 12/2 at George Washington (64-72), 1/9 Creighton (67-82)
Coach: Kevin Willard
Why They Can Surprise:
Coach Willard often starts five sophomores. Isaiah Whitehead emerged as the team’s best scorer thanks to his improved outside shooting. Whitehead is not the greatest three-point shooter in the Big East, but he knocked down 38.2 percent of his attempts and boosted his point total to 18.4 per game. He is also Seton Hall’s best passer and dished out 5.0 assists per game on the season. Khadeen Carrington is the other main scoring threat. Like Whitehead, Carrington has been more consistent with his shot this year and that has led him to be a much more dangerous scorer. Desi Rodriguez, Ismael Sanogo and Angel Delgado form a dangerous frontcourt trio. Rodriguez is a versatile small forward who can do a bit of everything. Sanogo is not much of a scorer, but he is tough on the glass and can block some shots. Delgado made a name for himself as a freshman last year and has certainly avoiding a sophomore slump, averaging 10.0 points and 9.4 rebounds.
Why They Can Disappoint:
Seton Hall’s inexperience has been prevalent at times this season. Derrick Gordon is a senior leader off of the bench and is often brought in to provide an offensive spark, keep the team under control and give the Pirates another option to handle the ball. Still, the turnover numbers are high. And still the offense is stagnant at times. Despite Whitehead and Carrington knocking down three-pointers on a more regular basis, this is not a great shooting team. If the shots are not falling, the Pirates need to attack the basket and at least get to the free-throw line, but they are not very good there either. That can lead to some long scoring droughts and this team cannot afford any of those if they want to make some noise in March.
Probable Starters:
Isaiah Whitehead, Sophomore, Guard, 18.4 ppg, 5.0 apg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Khadeen Carrington, Sophomore, Guard, 14.3 ppg, 2.5 apg
Desi Rodriguez, Sophomore, Forward, 12.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.4 apg
Ismael Sanogo, Sophomore, Forward, 5.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.1 bpg
Angel Delgado, Sophomore, Forward, 10.0 ppg, 9.4 rpg
Key Roleplayers:
Derrick Gordon, Senior, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 1.7 apg
Michael Nzei, Freshman, Forward, 3.4 ppg, 2.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.4 (145th in nation, 46th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 67.1 (63, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.5 (154, 7)
Field-Goal Defense: 40.2 (37, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.1 (266, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 35.0 (156, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.0 (272, 9)
Rebound Margin: 4.0 (61, 2)
Assists Per Game: 13.6 (151, 8)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.4 (247, 7)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2012 NIT First Round win over Stony Brook
2012 NIT Second Round loss to Massachusetts
2010 NIT First Round loss to Texas Tech
2006 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Wichita State
2004 NCAA Round of 64 win over Arizona
2004 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Duke
2003 NIT First round loss to Rhode Island
2001 NIT First Round loss to Alabama
*all team stats through 3/6
