Media notes
Seton Hall Back at Prudential Center Saturday to Face Delaware
Seton Hall (8-2, 0-0 BIG EAST, Kenpom 44, RPI 49) vs. Delaware (5-4, 0-0 CAA, Kenpom 262, RPI 226)
Saturday, Dec. 17 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 6 p.m.
TV: FS2 & FOX Sports GO with Rich Ackerman & Tom Pecora
Radio: AM970 The Answer / SHUPirates.com / SHU Pirates App with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Promotion: Team Walker Toy Drive
What to Know About The Hall:
>> The Pirates improved to 8-2 on Monday night when junior Desi Rodriguez crossed over his defender, drove baseline and connected on a game-winning layup with less than 15 seconds remaining in the game, as the Seton Hall men’s basketball team continued its hot streak over nationally ranked teams with a 67-64 victory over No. 16 and previously unbeaten South Carolina Monday night at the first Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden.
>> Tonight’s meeting with Delaware is the first between the teams since November 2008, as The Hall leads the all-time series, 3-0. Head coach Kevin Willard is seeking his first victory over the Blue Hens as a Pirate after going 1-0 against the team prior to his arrival in South Orange in 2010-11.
>> SHU has played 79 consecutive regular season non-conference games without losing two in a row, a streak that dates back to Willard’s debut season with the Pirates in December 2010. Overall, Willard is 64-19 (.771) in non-league games at SHU. Additionally, the Pirates are riding an 18-game home winning streak over non-conference opponents with a +18.1 average margin of victory.
>> Monday night’s victory was the program’s 11th over an AP-ranked team under Willard, and the first against an AP-ranked non-conference opponent for SHU since Dec. 20, 2008 vs. USC. Currently, the Hall is on a five-game winning streak against nationally ranked teams in the AP or Coaches Poll:
>> The Pirates improved to 3-0 this season when trailing at halftime (including two in a row), and have largely impressed over the final 20 minutes. In the second half, they are shooting 50.0 percent (141-of-282) overall and 55.2 percent (122-of-221) during the eight games they have won. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 4.8 in the final frame while scoring 40.3 points.
>> Defenese has been a crucial factor for The Hall over the last three games as it has limited its opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from three-point range. During the same stretch the Pirates forced 15 turnovers per game and allowed just 8.3 assists.
>> Rebound aficionado and 6-foot-10 big man Angel Delgado leads the BIG EAST and is tied for 15th in the country with 11.0 boards per game. He received a nod to the league’s weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 12 after averaging 16.0 points and 13.0 rebounds in victories over Hawaii and California at the Fox Sports Pearl Harbor Invitational last week. He also pulls down 4.0 offensive boards per game, which is ninth in the country and, according to KenPom, means he is grabbing 15.7 percent of all available offensive rebounds for SHU, which is 22nd-best in the nation.
>> Delgado is the BIG EAST’s active leader in double-doubles with 29 (third most in the country), and when he delivers a double-double, good things happen for The Hall. Dating back to last season, the Pirates have won 19 straight when he double dips (13-0 in 2015-16, 6-0 in 2016-17), and are 25-4 during his career.
>> The Hall is paced offensively by Carrington, who is third in the BIG EAST with 20.1 points per game. The team’s most consistent scorer has five 20-point games and has poured in 17 or more points in nine of 10 games thus far. He is shooting 51.4 percent (75-of-146) from the field and 52.3 percent (23-of-44) from three-point range. His three-point percentage is good for third in the BIG EAST.
>> Carrington currently has a team-high 953 career points (43rd all-time in school history), and passed former teammate and current NBA player with the Brooklyn Nets, Isaiah Whitehead, with 17 points against Columbia. He has the chance to become Seton Hall’s 41st 1,000-point scorer later this month.
>> Freshman sharp shooter Myles Powell has shown flashes of brilliance through the first 10 games of his career. He posted an impressive season-best 26 points in SHU’s victory at Iowa (11/17), just three games into his career, to snap the Hawkeyes 41-game home winning streak over non-conference foes. He went 9-for-14 from the field and 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21. He is one of only three Pirates freshmen since 2008 to score at least 25 points in a game, joining Jeremy Hazell, who did it four times in 2008, and Isaiah Whitehead, who accomplished it vs. Rutgers in December 2014.
>> Another valuable addition in the back court this season is graduate transfer from Wake Forest, Madison Jones, who leads the team with 3.2 assists per game. In his debut with the Pirates he dished out a career-high 10 helpers en route to a 91-70 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. He ranks 10th in the BIG EAST with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
>> Junior swingman Desi Rodriguez is an invaluable asset to the Pirates and is 13th in the BIG EAST with 14.6 points per game and sixth with 6.5 rebounds per game. He has had two 20-point games and two double-doubles this season including a 23-point, 11-rebound performance in an 82-58 victory over Quinnipiac in the AdvoCare Invitational.
>> Rodriguez was named to the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll on Nov. 21 after totaling 25 points, nine rebounds and three steals at Iowa. He scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half while shooting 7-for-8 from the field.
>> Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, junior forward Ismael Sanogo proved his worth in the team’s 60-57 victory over Cal, limiting top Golden Bears scorer Ivan Rabb to just eight points and 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) shooting from the field. Entering the game, Rabb had averaged 17.5 points per game and was shooting 59.1 percent. Sanogo pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds against South Carolina, and is 10th in the BIG EAST with 5.9 boards per game.
>> Filling in for Sanogo at the AdvoCare Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, sophomore Michael Nzei proved he can be a significant contributor in the post. He averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in two starts and put up career highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds against Quinnipiac. For the season, he is an impressive 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) from the field.
>> SHU has seen consistent scoring from Carrington, Rodriguez, Powell and Delgado, and is the only team to have four different players in the top-25 in scoring in the BIG EAST. The quartet has combined to post 78.6 percent of the total scoring output for the Pirates. Additionally, SHU is 6-1 this season when the junior trio of Carrington, Rodriguez and Delgado score in double figures.
>> The team’s 95-point outburst vs. Columbia was the most scored in a game for The Hall since a 104-79 victory at UMass in December 2010. It marked the fourth time in the young season that the Pirates have reached the 90-point threshold, the most in a single season since 2009-10 when they scored 90 or more on eight occasions.
>> The Hall has been dominant in the paint all season and is outscoring opponents 354-224. It is averaging 13.0 more points in the paint per game than opponents, and outscored FDU 52-18, and Iowa, 50-24, in the paint. Additionally, SHU has out-rebounded its opponent in eight of 10 games and ranks second in the BIG EAST with 39.9 boards per game and a +6.1 rebounding margin. The team pulled down a season-best 18 offensive boards against South Carolina Monday.
>> The Pirates have one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules in the country this season. Out of the 12 games, seven matchups are against teams that advanced to postseason play in 2015-16, including four NCAA Tournament squads (Fairleigh Dickinson, Iowa, Hawaii, California). Five of the games are against opponents entering the season with KenPom/RPI rating in the top-75 (Iowa, Florida, Stanford, California, South Carolina). Seton Hall itself was a top 25 team last season in the RPI and KenPom ratings as well as the final Associated Press poll of the year. The Pirates are 4-0 this season against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16, and 3-2 against Basketball Power Six teams either on the road or at a neutral site.
Seton Hall Back at Prudential Center Saturday to Face Delaware
Seton Hall (8-2, 0-0 BIG EAST, Kenpom 44, RPI 49) vs. Delaware (5-4, 0-0 CAA, Kenpom 262, RPI 226)
Saturday, Dec. 17 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 6 p.m.
TV: FS2 & FOX Sports GO with Rich Ackerman & Tom Pecora
Radio: AM970 The Answer / SHUPirates.com / SHU Pirates App with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
Tickets: Ticketmaster
Promotion: Team Walker Toy Drive
What to Know About The Hall:
>> The Pirates improved to 8-2 on Monday night when junior Desi Rodriguez crossed over his defender, drove baseline and connected on a game-winning layup with less than 15 seconds remaining in the game, as the Seton Hall men’s basketball team continued its hot streak over nationally ranked teams with a 67-64 victory over No. 16 and previously unbeaten South Carolina Monday night at the first Under Armour Reunion at Madison Square Garden.
>> Tonight’s meeting with Delaware is the first between the teams since November 2008, as The Hall leads the all-time series, 3-0. Head coach Kevin Willard is seeking his first victory over the Blue Hens as a Pirate after going 1-0 against the team prior to his arrival in South Orange in 2010-11.
>> SHU has played 79 consecutive regular season non-conference games without losing two in a row, a streak that dates back to Willard’s debut season with the Pirates in December 2010. Overall, Willard is 64-19 (.771) in non-league games at SHU. Additionally, the Pirates are riding an 18-game home winning streak over non-conference opponents with a +18.1 average margin of victory.
>> Monday night’s victory was the program’s 11th over an AP-ranked team under Willard, and the first against an AP-ranked non-conference opponent for SHU since Dec. 20, 2008 vs. USC. Currently, the Hall is on a five-game winning streak against nationally ranked teams in the AP or Coaches Poll:
- 12/12/16 - No. 16/15 South Carolina (67-64)
- 3/12/16 - No. 3/2 Villanova (69-67)
- 3/11/16 - No. 5/5 Xavier (87-83)
- 2/28/16 - No. 5/5 Xavier (90-81)
- 2/25/16 - No. UR/24 Providence (70-52)
>> The Pirates improved to 3-0 this season when trailing at halftime (including two in a row), and have largely impressed over the final 20 minutes. In the second half, they are shooting 50.0 percent (141-of-282) overall and 55.2 percent (122-of-221) during the eight games they have won. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 4.8 in the final frame while scoring 40.3 points.
>> Defenese has been a crucial factor for The Hall over the last three games as it has limited its opponents to 37.9 percent shooting from the field and 28.0 percent from three-point range. During the same stretch the Pirates forced 15 turnovers per game and allowed just 8.3 assists.
>> Rebound aficionado and 6-foot-10 big man Angel Delgado leads the BIG EAST and is tied for 15th in the country with 11.0 boards per game. He received a nod to the league’s weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 12 after averaging 16.0 points and 13.0 rebounds in victories over Hawaii and California at the Fox Sports Pearl Harbor Invitational last week. He also pulls down 4.0 offensive boards per game, which is ninth in the country and, according to KenPom, means he is grabbing 15.7 percent of all available offensive rebounds for SHU, which is 22nd-best in the nation.
>> Delgado is the BIG EAST’s active leader in double-doubles with 29 (third most in the country), and when he delivers a double-double, good things happen for The Hall. Dating back to last season, the Pirates have won 19 straight when he double dips (13-0 in 2015-16, 6-0 in 2016-17), and are 25-4 during his career.
>> The Hall is paced offensively by Carrington, who is third in the BIG EAST with 20.1 points per game. The team’s most consistent scorer has five 20-point games and has poured in 17 or more points in nine of 10 games thus far. He is shooting 51.4 percent (75-of-146) from the field and 52.3 percent (23-of-44) from three-point range. His three-point percentage is good for third in the BIG EAST.
>> Carrington currently has a team-high 953 career points (43rd all-time in school history), and passed former teammate and current NBA player with the Brooklyn Nets, Isaiah Whitehead, with 17 points against Columbia. He has the chance to become Seton Hall’s 41st 1,000-point scorer later this month.
>> Freshman sharp shooter Myles Powell has shown flashes of brilliance through the first 10 games of his career. He posted an impressive season-best 26 points in SHU’s victory at Iowa (11/17), just three games into his career, to snap the Hawkeyes 41-game home winning streak over non-conference foes. He went 9-for-14 from the field and 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21. He is one of only three Pirates freshmen since 2008 to score at least 25 points in a game, joining Jeremy Hazell, who did it four times in 2008, and Isaiah Whitehead, who accomplished it vs. Rutgers in December 2014.
>> Another valuable addition in the back court this season is graduate transfer from Wake Forest, Madison Jones, who leads the team with 3.2 assists per game. In his debut with the Pirates he dished out a career-high 10 helpers en route to a 91-70 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. He ranks 10th in the BIG EAST with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
>> Junior swingman Desi Rodriguez is an invaluable asset to the Pirates and is 13th in the BIG EAST with 14.6 points per game and sixth with 6.5 rebounds per game. He has had two 20-point games and two double-doubles this season including a 23-point, 11-rebound performance in an 82-58 victory over Quinnipiac in the AdvoCare Invitational.
>> Rodriguez was named to the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll on Nov. 21 after totaling 25 points, nine rebounds and three steals at Iowa. He scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half while shooting 7-for-8 from the field.
>> Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, junior forward Ismael Sanogo proved his worth in the team’s 60-57 victory over Cal, limiting top Golden Bears scorer Ivan Rabb to just eight points and 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) shooting from the field. Entering the game, Rabb had averaged 17.5 points per game and was shooting 59.1 percent. Sanogo pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds against South Carolina, and is 10th in the BIG EAST with 5.9 boards per game.
>> Filling in for Sanogo at the AdvoCare Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend, sophomore Michael Nzei proved he can be a significant contributor in the post. He averaged 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in two starts and put up career highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds against Quinnipiac. For the season, he is an impressive 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) from the field.
>> SHU has seen consistent scoring from Carrington, Rodriguez, Powell and Delgado, and is the only team to have four different players in the top-25 in scoring in the BIG EAST. The quartet has combined to post 78.6 percent of the total scoring output for the Pirates. Additionally, SHU is 6-1 this season when the junior trio of Carrington, Rodriguez and Delgado score in double figures.
>> The team’s 95-point outburst vs. Columbia was the most scored in a game for The Hall since a 104-79 victory at UMass in December 2010. It marked the fourth time in the young season that the Pirates have reached the 90-point threshold, the most in a single season since 2009-10 when they scored 90 or more on eight occasions.
>> The Hall has been dominant in the paint all season and is outscoring opponents 354-224. It is averaging 13.0 more points in the paint per game than opponents, and outscored FDU 52-18, and Iowa, 50-24, in the paint. Additionally, SHU has out-rebounded its opponent in eight of 10 games and ranks second in the BIG EAST with 39.9 boards per game and a +6.1 rebounding margin. The team pulled down a season-best 18 offensive boards against South Carolina Monday.
>> The Pirates have one of the toughest out-of-conference schedules in the country this season. Out of the 12 games, seven matchups are against teams that advanced to postseason play in 2015-16, including four NCAA Tournament squads (Fairleigh Dickinson, Iowa, Hawaii, California). Five of the games are against opponents entering the season with KenPom/RPI rating in the top-75 (Iowa, Florida, Stanford, California, South Carolina). Seton Hall itself was a top 25 team last season in the RPI and KenPom ratings as well as the final Associated Press poll of the year. The Pirates are 4-0 this season against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16, and 3-2 against Basketball Power Six teams either on the road or at a neutral site.
