The consistent hedging by our big men when defending the Pick and Roll is absolutely ridiculous. How many times do they need to get beat.

RELAX, pretend our season is 0-0 and our 1st 2 home games are nova and depaul........ and thats it.......

Like it was yesterday against UConn or like this at the end of a close game

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A minor distraction while everyone gets ready for Nova

I recall 1 event vividly from the game yesterday. It was later in the second half, we were down big and went to a zone. The guys had already packed it in but not Davis. He emphatically barked and waived at Dawes to get in position and kept fighting.

Maybe it’s that he his a winner, maybe it’s that he wants the tournament, maybe it’s that he has a family to support and has to find a way to make a team oversees after college or maybe it’s a combination of all those.

All I can say is maybe the rest of the team, and I mean every single one of them, can learn a lesson of want, urgency and desire from this extraordinary young man.

Season going to come down to beating Nova at home. Sucks that this team will definitely get 12 conf wins but ridiculous metrics going to keep them out of tourney if they don't get to 13.

1. Connecticut 26-3 16-2
No surprise. A lock.

2. Marquette 22-7 13-5
Credit for playing Creighton tough shorthanded.

3. Creighton 22-8 13-6
When hot can beat anyone at MSG.

4. Villanova 17-12 10-8
Credit where credit is due. Nova 5 of 6.

5. Seton Hall 18-11 11-7
Lack of depth catching up to the Pirates.

6. St. John's 17-12 9-9
Two cupcakes left

7. Providence 18-11 9-9
As expected the schedule has caught up to them

8. Butler 17-13 8-11
Last game of the year vs Xavier for 8th place.

9. Xavier 15-14 9-9
Cupcake city this week gets them even in conference.

10. Georgetown 9-20 2-16
Better get your licks in this year.

11. DePaul 3-26 0-18
Probably the worst team in the history of the Big East

Sports world mourns death of longtime ESPN insider Chris Mortensen​

By Bryan Fonseca

Chris Mortensen’s colleagues and peers took to social media to commemorate his life and pay their respects following his death at the age of 72.

The longtime NFL insider died Sunday morning, his family announced, per his longtime professional home at ESPN.

On the NFL Network, Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah tearfully celebrated Mortensen while broadcasting the NFL combine on Sunday afternoon.

“I met Chris Mortensen when I was 26 years old, when [Mortensen] was the GOAT (Greatest Of All-TIme) in the making for the worldwide leader in sports, ESPN,” Eisen recalled. “One of the best football reporters we’ve ever known.”

Jeremiah added, while fighting tears, “He’s my mentor. He’s one of my best friends… he’s a sweet, sweet person with a sweet family, and that’s who I’m thinking about right now.”

Mortensen took a leave of absence from ESPN in 2016 after being diagnosed with Stage 4 throat cancer and left the Worldwide Leader in September 2023.

Pro Football Hall of Famer and ESPN colleague Peyton Manning posted a tribute to Mortensen on Instagram.

“Heartbroken. We lost a true legend,” Manning wrote. “Mort was the best in the business and I cherished our friendship. I trusted him with my announcement to sign with the Broncos and with the news of my retirement. I will miss him dearly and my thoughts and prayers are with Micki & his family. Rest in peace, Mort.”

Mortensen worked very closely with fellow NFL Insider Adam Schefter, who also took to X.

“An absolutely devastating day,” posted Schefter. “Mort was one of the greatest reporters in sports history, and an even better man. Sincerest condolences to his family, and all who knew and loved him. So many did. Mort was the very best. He will be forever missed and remembered.”

Ian Rappaport, an Insider for the NFL Network, referred to Mort as one of his “idols growing up.”

He added, “His contributions to our world will never be matched.”

Longtime Fox NFL Insider Jay Glazer posted his own tribute.

Mort… I will ALWAYS love and appreciate everything I learned from you, all our battles, all our talks, but the most cherished voice mail I ever got, which I will save forever, came from this man about being of service!” he said. “I love you brother and can’t wait for you to drop alllll sorts of scoopage in heaven.”

The recently retired Peter King, an NFL reporter for more than over 40 years, added on Mort, “A giant in our business, and a terrific person. Will miss you, Mort.”

Where did the Quincy Douby-esque arc come from on his jump shot? That’s definitely new and he was way off all game. I know he was sick but the staff needs to work with him on that as we will need him to provide a spark off the bench down the stretch. Raf even made a comment towards the end of the game.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Graduate student Azana Baines (Blackwood, N.J.) had a game-high 23 points, but the Seton Hall women's basketball team lost to No. 23 Creighton, 72-65, on Senior Day in Walsh Gymnasium on Sunday.

The Pirates led at the half, but an 11-0 third-quarter run by Creighton proved to be the difference-maker as The Hall couldn't draw even afterward. Seton Hall was just 12-for-21 from the free-throw line which made its comeback attempts more difficult.

With the loss, the Pirates will be the No. 7 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament and will face No. 10 seed DePaul in the first round on Friday at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8 at Mohegan Sun Arena.

In addition to Baines, Sha'Lynn Hagans (Manassas, Va.) and Kae Satterfield (New York, N.Y.) also scored in double-figures. Hagans had a season-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and two assists. Satterfield had 12 points and nine rebounds.

THE STORY:
A jumper by Baines cut The Hall's deficit to 12-9, but Creighton responded with an 8-2 run to take a 20-11 advantage with 1:47 left in the first quarter. Seton Hall shot just 38 percent from the floor in the first 10 minutes, while the Bluejays fired at a 53 percent clip. Creighton took a 22-15 lead into the second.

Down 29-17 in the second, The Hall held Creighton scoreless for the next 5:33 and went on a 13-0 run. An offensive rebound and putback by Satterfield gave The Hall its first lead of the game 30-29 with 3:16 to go before halftime. The Pirates held the Bluejays to just 4-for-16 shooting in the second stanza and took a 34-32 lead into the break.

Satterfield scored to give The Hall a 42-34 lead with 5:47 left in the third quarter, but Creighton answered with an 11-0 run to take a 45-42 advantage.

In the fourth, a free-throw by Baines made it a one-possession game, 57-54, with 5:06 left in the game, but the Bluejays responded with made three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to pull away. Down 64-55, the Pirates went on a furious rally late thanks in large part to their full-court press. A lay-in by I'yanna Lops (Stamford, Conn.) cut The Hall's deficit to 66-62 with only 1:35 to go, but Creighton was able to ice the game on the free-throw line.

THE NUMBERS:

• Seton Hall was 25-for-68 (36.8%) from the floor for the game, while Creighton was 23-for-54 (42.6%). The Hall was 3-for-17 (17.6%) from three-point range, while the Bluejays were 9-for-28 (32.1%).
• Baines had 23 points on 8-for-18 shooting to go with nine rebounds and two assists.
• The rebounding battle was tied, 39-to-39, but the Pirates had a huge 14-to-7 edge on the offensive glass and a 15-to-10 advantage in second-chance points.
• Hagans had a season-high 16 points and was 2-for-4 from three-point range. She also pulled down five rebounds and had two assists.
• Seton Hall was just 12-for-21 (57.1%) from the free-throw line, while Creighton was 17-for-21 (81.0%).
• Satterfield tallied 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting to go with nine rebounds.
• Seton Hall forced 12 turnovers, while the Bluejays forced nine. Points-off-turnovers were tied 12-to-12.
• Senior Amari Wright (Jacksonville, Fla.) had a game-high six assists, only two steals and a game-best five steals.
• The Pirates pounded Creighton in the paint, 40-to-20.

THE NOTES:

• Seton Hall finishes the regular season with a 16-13 overall record and a final BIG EAST mark of 8-10, while Creighton improves to 24-4 overall and 15-3 in conference play.
• The Pirates have earned the No. 7 seed in next week's BIG EAST Tournament and will play No. 10 seed DePaul in Friday's first round at 1:30 p.m. The winner will face No. 2 seed Creighton on Saturday.
• The Hall is now 6-19 all-time against Creighton and has dropped the last five contests.
• For the 21st time in 29 games, Seton Hall forced more turnovers than its opponent.
• Baines reached at least 20 points for the sixth time this season and the 10th time in her career.
• With five steals tonight, Wright moved into a tie for 18th place on Seton Hall's career list with 154.
• With nine rebounds today, Baines surpassed the 700-rebounds mark for her career.
• With 16 points today, Hagans surpassed 900 points for her career.
• Prior to the game, Seton Hall honored nine seniors/graduate students in a Senior Day ceremony. Baines, Hagans, Lops, Satterfield, Wright, A'Jah Davis (Dekalb, Ill.), Brazil Harvey-Carr (Camden, N.J.), Shannon Mulroy (Flemington, N.J.) and Makennah White (Farrell, Pa.) were honored.

UP NEXT:
Seton Hall will return to action on Friday, March 8 when it begins play at the 2024 BIG EAST Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The No. 7 seeded Pirates will face No. 10 seeded DePaul at 1:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live by the BIG EAST Digital Network and available to FloHoops subscribers.

Indianapolis, Ind. – Both relay teams set new program records as the Seton Hall women's swimming and diving team wrapped up a strong Day One of the BIG EAST Championships at IU Natatorium.

The finals started with the 200 Medley Relay team earning a third-place finish. Leiya Istambouli (Danbury, Conn.), Yosun Hacifazioglu (Istanbul, Turkey), Sarah Frie (Waterford, Va.) and Lea Moeller (New Lenox, Ill.) combined to touch the wall in a time of 1:42.76, topping the previous mark of 1:43.00 set back in 2017.

Later on, the 800 Free Relay crew picked up the team's second program record of the night. Amanda Zajdzinski (Mesa, Ariz.), Madeleine Bachand (Raleigh, N.C.), Allie Waggoner (Moorestown, N.J.) and Natalie Heim (Middletown, N.J.) took fifth in the event with a time of 7:24.19. That surpassed the record of 7:24.34 which was set back in 2019.

In the 1-meter diving finals, Silvia Alessio (Trieste, Italy) took home a second place finish with a total score of 303.55. This marks the best finish in a diving event by a Pirates women's diver since Taylor Jackson's victory in the 3-meter event back in 2018. Laura Stavila (Oakland, Calif.) also qualified for the finals of the 1-meter, finishing seventh with a score of 242.80.

Seton Hall finds itself in second place overall with 180 total points, trailing only UConn who tallied 244 points.

1. UConn – 244 points
2. Seton Hall – 180
3. Villanova – 171
4. Xavier – 120
5. Georgetown – 108
6. Butler – 100
7. Providence – 72

The Pirates return to action on Thursday with Day Two of the BIG EAST Championships. Events include the 500 Free, 200 IM, 50 Free, Men's 3-Meter Dive and 200 Free Relay.

Ok - When Sha wins the Big East regular season or the BET, what place is he going to enjoy the victory with family, friends and students like Danny did at Teds Bar and when Travis S went to Dana's bar after the UC game.....

There's a chance that neither Rutgers or Maryland will get an invite to the NIT this season. Both can end the season under .500.

YIKES!!!

I think he didn’t want to have a Pitino moment.

Can’t blame him. I think he wanted to drop a dozen F bombs and call out many. He did say we embarrassed ourselves.

Devoted a segment to Moms for Liberty

Let’s goooo!!!🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️🏴‍☠️

?

In the middle of December, I was unsure that the Hall could win more than five games in the conference. If you had me sign on for the possibility of beating Villanova and DePaul to get into the dance my John Hancock would be on that agreement. I am not thrilled that they have been blown out this week, but the reality is that they are still alive. Eleven victories with literally no bench and limited resources is testament to Sha’s ability to coach.

The resources were meager this year. but there are some encouraging signs for the future. and my money is that as we become more competitive in the money area we will hold our own in the future.

Now let’s beat Nova and DePaul and know that the ticket has been stamped.

GO PIRATES!!!!

LeBron James becomes first player in NBA history to reach 40,000 career points​

By Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — LeBron James reached 40,000 points Saturday night, still going strong in his 21st NBA season as he tries to put the career scoring record out of reach.

James drove past Michael Porter Jr. and hit a layup with 10:39 left in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets for the historic basket.

“Being the first player to do something, it’s pretty cool in this league, just knowing the history, the greats that’s come through the league, and then you see some of the greats on the floor tonight, it was great to compete,” James said. “But for me, the main thing, as always, is to win, and I hated that it had to happen in a defeat.”

James did it in 1,475 regular-season games, reaching double-digit points in each of the last 1,205 of them.

He has largely avoided major injuries in that time, while also playing another 3 ¹/₂ seasons worth of games in the playoffs en route to four titles in 10 NBA Finals appearances, all with unfathomable pressure placed on him to be the next transcendent player before ever stepping on the court as a professional.

“For the first time in a long time, I’ve seen the commercial that was played before my first game,” James said. “I think they mentioned all the greats to ever play the game of basketball, like Big O and Michael and Kareem and Kobe, and forgot who all else was in that commercial. And then it was like, ‘the next one, LeBron James.’

“I didn’t see that commercial when it happened, but when I was watching it today, I was like what the hell? That expectation on an 18-year-old kid like that, that was insane to think about.”

Even with all that, James put in the work and has now accomplished something that seemed impossible.

James’ relentless march saw him pass the previous record of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 points on Feb. 7, 2023 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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But James did all that scoring without necessarily wanting that to be his trademark.

He is fourth in career assists with 10,847, picking up another nine against Denver, and his average of 7.35 helpers per game ranks in the top 25.

But on this night, it was the defending champion Nuggets who were victorious.

Denver was led by Nikola Jokic, who had 35 points and 10 rebounds as the Nuggets closed the game on a 16-6 run for their sixth straight win.

Michael Porter Jr. — who was 5-for-5 from 3-point range — scored 25 points while Jamal Murray added 24 points and 11 assists.

Nuggets coach Michael Malone, who spent five seasons with James as an assistant for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2010, saw an early dedication from James in all areas.

It was already a priority for James to keep himself in peak physical condition, even if the march to scoring title was an unforeseen outcome back them.

“I remember being in Cleveland, him being in the weight room with our weight and strength coaches, and there’s no way he’s doing what he’s doing at this stage of his career if he is not putting a ton of time into his body, his diet, his sleep, all those things that really matter,” Malone said before the Nuggets’ win.

James’ combination of longevity and sustained excellence is what makes it entirely likely he could be the only player to ever reach 40,000 points.

To put the feat in perspective, Nuggets center Nikola Jokic will need to average 25 points over his next 1,057 appearances to join James at 40,000 points.

That would be nearly 13 full seasons without injuries or any other unforeseen circumstance, all the way past age 41 without a drop in production for the two-time MVP.

Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic seems like the most reasonable candidate to make a serious push, as his career average of 28.51 points per game is third in league history behind Michael Jordan (30.12) and Wilt Chamberlain (30.07).

But Doncic will need to keep it up for 1,022 more games to match James, a timeline pushing into the 2036-37 season barring interruption.

“There’s just certain things that you just don’t think that’s going to happen,” James said. “I guess for years people said Kareem’s record wouldn’t be broken. I was able to eclipse it. But like I said, you have to have some really good luck, you have to play the game at a high level for a long time, and then we see.”

As to whether James might ever take up residence in the 50,000-point club, a conservative estimate of 25 points per game from here on out — essentially matching what he has been producing in his 21st professional campaign at 39-years-old — while playing 55 outings each coming season would put him at the doorstep in 2031-32.

Malone wouldn’t rule it out.

“Really, when you take a step back, you just have to marvel at the longevity. But he’s just not playing at this. He is playing effectively,” Malone said. “I’m sure for him, that’ll be his decision down the road probably in five, six years. ‘Am I still playing effectively?’ And he is.”

If anyone would even dare to make a charge at the impossible, it could only be King James.

“I come to work and prepare and prep, mentally, physically, spiritually every single night when it’s time to play, and I just try to go out and contribute,” he said. “Been able to do it for 20-plus years, including this year. When I come on the floor and feel pretty good, I feel I can make plays.

“Still able to do the things that I was doing 10 years ago. And some things I was doing 20 years ago, which is weird to say.”

Nationally televised CBS game at Noon on Sunday against the defending National Champion and #3 team in America (#4 NET). Ian Eagle and Bill Raftery. Big time. Ticket-punch opportunity.

Since Holloway took over, we tend to play Connecticut much better than we do some of these other BE teams. Even the loss at Gampel last year when Richmond got injured early on was more competitive than what we’ve seen on the road in the BE this year with the 4 losses by 20+ points each.

Just playing with assertiveness and showing we can compete with them will be important at this time of year and with the audience. Can we do that? For some reason we have lulled into this bad habit of no-showing road games.

**Lose by 21 at Creighton
**Win at St. John’s after going down 19
**Lose by 24 at Villanova

Not good.

Give it a watch if you want to educate yourself

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