Butler game notes

[Halldan1]

Pirates Seek Fifth Straight Win, Host Butler Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Butler (16-7, 5-6 BIG EAST) at Seton Hall (17-6, 7-4 BIG EAST)

Feb. 10 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 6:30 p.m., ET

TV: FS1 with Scott Graham & Tarik Turner

Radio: AM970 The Answer, Sirius 145 and XM 201 with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin



FOX ALL-ACCESS VIDEO



What to Know About The Hall:

• A stout defensive effort combined with standout performances from sophomores Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead last time out helped lead Seton Hall past Georgetown, 69-61. Delgado (11) and Whitehead (12) combined for 23 of the team’s 39 second half points as Seton Hall improved to 25-22 at home against the Hoyas in what was the 100th meeting between the two original BIG EAST members.
• The win against Georgetown increased the Pirates’ winning streak to four - the second-longest active streak in the conference behind Xavier (5). Seton Hall has won four consecutive BIG EAST contests for the first time since 2011-12 and with another triumph Wednesday, the Pirates would boast five-straight conference wins for the first time since 2008-09.
• Now in sole possession of third place in the BIG EAST standings, the Pirates are positioned to make a push for the program’s 10th all-time NCAA Tournament berth and its first since 2006. Heading into the matchup with Butler, Seton Hall ranks as one of the top-35 teams in the nation according to the latest RPI (35) and KenPom (31) ratings. For the season, The Hall owns wins over two RPI top-35 teams in Providence (34) and Wichita State (33) as well as five RPI Top-100 teams overall (Georgia-67, Georgetown-74, Ole Miss-84). SHU is 7-1 against the teams it leads in the BIG EAST standings and three of the squad’s’ four losses over the last nine weeks have come to teams among the top-seven in RPI (Villanova, 2x - 1 / Xavier – 7).
• Delgado recorded his fourth-straight double-double; finishing with totals of 19 points and 13 rebounds for the second consecutive game. The Dominican native now has 12 double-doubles on the season after rattling off a stretch of seven-straight from 12/5-1/2 and holds 22 double-doubles for his career - 13 of which have come in conference play.
• For his exploits, the big man was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and Monday and became the second-straight Pirate to be named Metropolitan Writers Player of the Week on Tuesday, following Whitehead who received the award on February 2. Delgado has been playing at an elite level while helping the Pirates follow a 1-4 stretch with the current run of four wins in-a-row. During the turnaround, the 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 16.5 ppg and 13.8 rpg while shooting 70.0 percent from the field (28-of-40). Delgado has been even hotter over the last two games at Prudential Center; knocking down a career-high eight shots in each and shooting 16-of-21 (.762) overall.
• Whitehead has been just as instrumental to the Pirates’ success from his point guard spot and has elevated his play since the start of the BIG EAST schedule. Following a 16-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist outing against the Hoyas, Whitehead is the ONLY player in the BIG EAST who ranks among the top-three in both scoring (17.7 ppg, 3rd) and assists (5.3 apg, 3rd) since the start of conference play. Playing at a first team All-Conference level, the Brooklyn native has also made 2.1 3-pointers per game in league play (t-6th) and is the top ranked guard with 1.1 blocks/game (8th). Against BIG EAST opposition, Whitehead has scored or assisted on 122 of the team’s 296 field goals (.412) - a total that is only 10 less than that of Providence’s Kris Dunn who has directly factored into 132 made shots (64 FG, 68 A) in the Friars first 11 conference games.
• Senior Derrick Gordon made a tremendous impact off the bench in the win over the Hoyas, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 30 minutes. Gordon has now scored 25 points over the last two games and ranks fifth on the squad with 9.5 ppg in BIG EAST action. Against the Hoyas Saturday, Gordon played 30+ minutes for the fifth time this season and is now averaging 11.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.0 spg in those games.
• Seton Hall took a narrow one-point edge into halftime against Georgetown but never trailed by more than two points in the second as the Pirates improved to 13-0 when in front at the break this season. Over the six seasons during the Kevin Willard era, SHU owns a 81-14 mark (.853) when leading after the opening half.
• The Pirates shot 37.1 percent from the floor (23-of-62) in the triumph last time out - prevailing for the first time this time this season when failing to shoot at least 40 percent for the game. The Hall has connected at a rate of 40 percent or better 21 times in 23 outings this season after totaling 19 such shooting efforts in 31 contests last season. On the defensive end, SHU limited Georgetown 19-of-56 shooting (.339) as the Hoyas became the 13th opponent to finish with a field goal percentage under 40.0 this year. The Hall is now 12-1 in those games.
• The Hall finished with just eight turnovers in the win over Georgetown while forcing the Hoyas to commit 15. The effort matched SHU’s second-lowest amount of giveaways this season and marked the fifth time that the squad has recorded 10 turnovers or less this season - all of which have come at home (5-0 record). Last season, Seton Hall posted 10 turnovers or less nine times during the regular season, amassing a 6-3 record in those games. Two of the setbacks came against Butler as the Pirates recorded just nine turnovers in an overtime loss to the Bulldogs at home (79-75 OT, 1/13/15) before committing only seven turnovers during the trip to Hinkle (77-57, 1/25/15).
• In the first of two meetings with the Bulldogs this season, The Hall will be closing a three-game home stand that has also featured a win against Marquette that clinched a season sweep of the series for SHU. The subsequent victory over Georgetown marked Seton Hall’s 11th home win of the year - 10 of which have come at Prudential Center. Since the arena opened prior to the 2007-08 campaign, the Pirates have now recorded at least 10 wins at the Prudential Center five times and will enter Wednesday’s contest with a 92-49 (.652) record at The Rock all-time.
• By virtue of a victory at Creighton during the current unbeaten run, the Pirates reached the 15-win plateau for the fifth consecutive season. This marks the first time since 1990-95 that The Hall has posted 15+ victories in five-straight years. SHU Athletics Hall of Famer PJ Carlesimo led the Pirates for the first four years of the stretch while George Blaney took over prior to the 1994-95 campaign. Sixth-year head coach Kevin Willard is the first Seton Hall coach to be at the helm for five consecutive 15+ win seasons in the BIG EAST era and is the first SHU head man to accomplish the feat since Bill Raftery did so in six-straight years from 1973-79. Including Raftery and Willard, eight different coaches have led SHU during that span.
• With the Pirates sitting at 17-6 for the season, Willard is now just one victory shy of becoming the sixth head coach every to record 100 wins at The Hall. No Seton Hall coach has reached the 100-win mark since SHU Athletics Hall of Famer PJ Carlesimo did so during a 31-win 1988-89 campaign that culminated in a national championship game appearance. With a win, Willard would join John “Honey” Russell (294 wins), Carlesimo (212), Frank Hill (178), Bill Raftery (154) and Richie Regan (112) in the exclusive group.
• Seton Hall Athletics announced that in the fall, student-athlete academic performance reached a new all- time high for the 11th-straight semester. Head coach Kevin Willard’s squad boasts six Dean’s List honorees from the fall (Angel Delgado, Derrick Gordon, Michael Nzei, Desi Rodriguez, Veer Singh, Isaiah Whitehead) and increased its cumulative GPA to 3.18. The Willard-led Pirates earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award over the summer for posting a multiyear APR that ranks among the top-10 percent among all men’s basketball teams and are part of a collection of 14 varsity programs at The Hall that all own a cumulative GPA over 3.1.

Tweetables:

• .@SetonHallMBB’s @IsaiahW_15 is the only @BIGEASTMBB player who ranks in the top-3 in pts and assists during conference play
• Back atop the @BIGEASTMBB rebounding race, @SetonHallMBB’s @angelluis45 is averaging 10.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg (55.8 FG%) in 29 career conf. gms
• .It could be a milestone Wednesday @PruCenter as @SetonHallMBB HC Kevin Willard is one win shy of becoming the 6th SHU coach to reach 100 W’s

 

[HallB]

For those that didn't see it, the All-Access Link is a pretty cool feature on SHU hoops from FS1.

http://www.shupirates.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020616aaa.html