Game Notes

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St. John’s (7-13, 0-7 BIG EAST) at Seton Hall (13-6, 3-4 BIG EAST)

Jan. 27 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 7 p.m.

TV: FS1 with Tim Brando & Donny Marshall

Radio: AM970 The Answer with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin

Note: This is Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers Awareness Week, and the Seton Hall staff will be wearing Under Armour sneakers to support. For more information on Suits & Sneakers Awareness Week and to donate, click here.



What to Know About The Hall:

• Desi Rodriguez delivered a career-high 21 points to become the third Pirate to hit the 20-point mark this season but The Hall came up short in its bid to score a marquee road win at No. 5 Xavier Saturday, falling 84-76. The game was the third-straight against an AP Top-12 opponent for SHU after the team got past No. 12 Providence (81-72, 1/16) on the road before being clipped by No. 4 Villanova, 72-71, in its most recent home appearance (1/20). Seton Hall had not played three-straight AP Top-25 foes since the 2012-13 season when the team faced off with No. 6 Syracuse, No. 17 Marquette and No. 10 Louisville in a span of eight days, Feb. 16-23.
• Following the challenging stretch, The Hall still boasts the fourth-best RPI in the BIG EAST (44) behind only the three aforementioned teams in Villanova (2), Xavier (5) and Providence (21) - all of whom cracked the top-10 in Monday’s AP Top-25 poll. The Pirates boast the second-best strength of schedule in the conference and own a trio of victories over current RPI Top-100 teams in Providence, Wichita State (RPI: 41) and Georgia (RPI: 61). SHU is also rated among the top-50 squads in the nation by KenPom.com (42) and the ESPN Basketball Power Index (47).
• Backcourt stars Khadeen Carrington and Isaiah Whitehead also helped carry the load offensively against the Musketeers, finishing with 19 and 17 points respectively. Both members of the Brooklyn-born duo have scored in double-figures in all seven BIG EAST games and enter Wednesday’s contest as the second-highest scoring tandem in the league during conference play. Carrington ranks fifth with 17.1 ppg since the start of the BIG EAST schedule while Whitehead is tied for eighth at 16.7 ppg. Only Providence’s Ben Bentil (21.7 ppg, 1st) and Kris Dunn (17.7 ppg, 3rd) have scored at a higher rate. For the season, Carrington and Whitehead have combined for 30+ points 12 times, including each of the last three games.
• Whitehead has put his length and athleticism to good use at the defensive end as well, swatting away shots at a rate that places him among the elite shot-blocking guards in the nation. Whitehead rejected three shots against the Musketeers - his sixth game with 2+ blk this season - and now ranks 14th in the league and first among guards with 1.1 blocks/game. Nationally, he’s tied for the ninth-highest blocks per game average among guards and is second among high- major backcourt players - trailing only Craig Sword of Mississippi State who has 18 swats in 20 games to 19 in 21 appearances for Whitehead.
• In his sophomore season and first as the team’s primary point guard, the former McDonald’s All-American has also developed into a well-rounded floor general. His 17-point, five assist effort against Xavier marked the eighth time this year that he has recorded at least 15 points and five assists in the same game.
• As a team, the Pirates finished with more assists (15) than turnovers (13) against the Musketeers, doing so for the second-straight game after totaling 14 dimes and a season-low six giveaways against No. 4 Villanova. The two performances mark the second time this season That SHU’s assist totals have out-paced its turnover numbers in consecutive outings and the first since wins over Troy (15 A / 9 TO) and Saint Peter’s (14 A / 13 TO).
• SHU also continued to excel on the offensive boards against what is the BIG EAST’s top overall rebounding team in Xavier, finishing with 18 offensive boards, just one off a season-high 19 recorded at George Washington on December 2. The Pirates lead the conference with 13.7 offensive rebounds per game during league play and after totaling 16 second chance points on Saturday, SHU has recorded double-digit points on second opportunities 15 times this season. In two meetings last year, The Hall averaged 15.0 offensive rebounds and totaled 27 second chance points.
• Senior Derrick Gordon continued to provide a vital bench presence for The Hall, finishing with six points, six rebounds and four assists. Primarily a reserve, Gordon ranks 30th in the BIG EAST with 9.6 ppg and has recorded 3+ assists four times. Three of his five double-digit scoring performances have also come since the beginning of conference play and the Pirates are 4-1 when he scores at least 10 points.
• The Seton Hall Athletics Department is saddened by the loss of SHU Athletics and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Bobby Wanzer who passed away Saturday at his home in Pittsford, N.Y. Wanzer, who wore number 8 in his two seasons at The Hall is one of eight players in program history to have his number retired, The legendary shooter played for SHU during the 1942-43 and 1946-47 seasons due to the program’s hiatus during World War II, leading the Pirates to a 40-5 record that included a then-program record 24 wins in his final season. Wanzer went on to star for the NBA’s Rochester Royals, teaming with fellow Pirates Hall of Famers Bob Davies and Frank “Pep” Saul to lead the squad to a championship in 1951. Over a nine-year NBA career, Wanzer made five All-Star appearances and was named to the All-NBA Second Team three times - making his way into the Hall of Fame in 1987. He was 94.

Tweetables:

• .@SetonHallMBB ranks 44th in the latest RPI rankings, with 3 wins over top-100 opponents. Pirates also boast 2nd-best SOS in the @BIGEAST
• .@SetonHallMBB’s Isaiah Whitehead has recorded 15+ pts and 5+ ast in 8 games this season, including each of the last 3
• In all but 1 game this season (all 10 at home),@SetonHallMBB has shot at least 40% @StJohnsBBall has shot under 40% in 5 of 7 @BIGEAST games