Game notes

[Halldan1]

Georgia (2-1, 0-0 SEC) vs. Seton Hall (4-1, 0-0 BIG EAST)

Nov. 28 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 7:30 p.m.

TV: FS1 with Scott Graham & Donny Marshall

Radio: AM970 The Answer with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin

What to Know About The Hall:

• Sophomore Isaiah Whitehead delivered 17 points off the bench, including 12 in the final 10 minutes, to help The Hall erase a one-point halftime deficit and race past Ole Miss, 75-63, to close the Charleston Classic at 2-1. Despite being limited to 17 min in the win over Bradley, Whitehead scored or assisted on one-third of the Pirates field goals over three games at the tournament (26/79)
• Whitehead’s impact as the team’s primary point guard has been readily apparent as the sophomore standout has posted a team-best +58 rating over the first five games for a +16.4 rating per 40 minutes. The former McDonald’s All-American joins Kris Dunn of Providence as the only BIG EAST players who rank among the top-six in scoring (15.8 ppg, sixth) and assists (4.4 apg, fifth)
• Fellow sophomore Desi Rodriguez picked up the first BIG EAST weekly honor of his young career; making his way onto the Honor Roll after averaging 13.7 points and 5.3 rebounds during the trip to Charleston. In the victory over Bradley, he paced the Pirates with a new career-high 18 points
  
• Following the win over Ole Miss, the Pirates get a shot at defeating another SEC opponent when Georgia visits the prudential Center on Saturday. The Bulldogs are just the fifth Power 5 school to visit The Rock since it opened in 2007-08 and SHU has posted a 3-1 record against the previous four, including a 3-0 mark under Kevin Willard. The Pirates were clipped by NC State, 79-73, in its first season in Newark but Willard led The Hall to wins over Auburn (81-59) and Wake Forest (68-54) in 2011-12 and most recently guided Seton Hall to a dominant victory in the inaugural Garden State Hardwood Classic against Rutgers (81-54) last year.
• The victory over the Rebels also extended The Hall’s streak to six consecutive seasons - theentirety of Willard’s tenure - with at least one victory over a Power 5 opponent during the non- conference slate. Saturday’s contest presents a unique opportunity as another triumph would give Seton Hall its first pair of wins over Power 5 foes in consecutive non-conference games since downing Tennessee and UCLA as part of the 1992 Preseason NIT. SHU went on to finish that year as BIG EAST regular season and tournament champions
• Defense may be the key to victory for The Hall against the Bulldogs as a UGA offense that has recorded 56 ppg over its last two outings will go up against a Seton Hall unit that ranks second to Villanova (56.0) among BIG EAST teams in scoring defense; allowing just 65.6 ppg. The Pirates have yielded just 62.0 ppg in their four victories and have finished with an average scoring margin of +11.8 in those games
• The sophomore tandem of Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo has really jelled in the early going, anchoring that stout defense while providing efficient options on the offensive end. Delgado and Sanogo’s 86 combined rebounds trail only Marquette’s Henry Ellenson and Luke Fischer (87 reb) among BIG EAST duos while the two are shooting a combined 30-of-53 (.566) from the field.

Tweetables:

• .@SetonHallMBB’s Isaiah Whitehead and PC’s Kris Dunn are the only 2 players who rank in the top-6 of the @BIGEAST in scoring and assists
• HC @KevinWillard and @SetonHallMBB have posted a 30-4 mark against non-conference foes at the @PruCenter over the last 6 seasons #HALLin
• .@IsaiahW_15 & @kcarrington11 recorded 5 assists each in same game for the 1st time for @SetonHallMBB vs. Ole Miss #HALLin