by JP Pelzman
JACKSONVILLE – As the final seconds ticked away, both Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight had their heads buried under towels. But there was nowhere to hide for them and their Seton Hall teammates, no way to escape the three-point onslaught by Wofford that caved in the Pirates’ season.
For the third time in the last four years, the Pirates went one-and-done in the NCAA tournament. But this time, it wasn’t against a brand name such as Gonzaga or a fellow high-major such as Arkansas. It was to a very, VERY good mid-major.
The final score of Wofford’s first NCAA tournament victory in five tries was 84-68, but it was much closer than that until three consecutive treys gave the Terriers a 10-point lead with three minutes to go.
Some takeaways on what happened Thursday night and what may lie ahead in 2019-20:
Powell almost made it happen.
After a 2-for-9, four-point first half, Myles Powell heated up quickly in the second half. He scored 17 points in the first 9:10 of the half, and his deep trey put the Pirates ahead, 54-53. But fatigue eventually set in because Powell got very little help, as the Pirates’ next highest scorer was Jared Rhoden with nine points. Nobody stepped up to help significantly on offense, and that was a problem down the stretch of the season, with the Senior Day win over Villanova being a noticeable exception.
Give Wofford credit for making Powell work very hard for his shots and thus wearing him down. This dynamic has to change going forward if The Hall is to fulfill its NCAA tournament potential next year.
Some Cheese to go?
Probably not. Powell said in a quiet locker room, “I’ll consider my options. I know coach (Kevin) Willard knows what’s best for me. My career is in his hands. Coach Willard got me here, so I know if it was time for me to go or to do anything else, he would let me know. I don’t plan on leaving. I love these guys and if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
He later said in the interview room that departing postgrad big Mike Nzei will be a lifelong friend and that “we’re still going to talk. He’s still going to help me lead this team from afar.”
The Big East didn’t prepare Seton Hall for this tournament.
All season long, Willard and other Big East coaches praised the conference’s top-to-bottom strength and noted how there were no more gimmes, that any team could beat anybody. They had a point--DePaul swept both St. John’s and Seton Hall during the regular season--but it also meant the overall strength of the conference wasn’t what it has been in some of the post-breakup years. That fact was brought home in the first three days of the tournament, with The Hall, Red Storm and Marquette all losing by double figures.
Myles Cale admitted of Wofford, “We didn’t really know them coming into the game. They kind of surprised us. Even with a hand in their face, they were still making crazy shots.”
Fletcher Magee was as advertised.
The Wofford senior sharpshooter was 7-for-12 from three-point range in setting the NCAA career record for treys. His three from the left corner with 3:12 to go was a dagger, capping a nine-point run in 1:07 that put the Terriers ahead 76-66. It was reminiscent of Jeremy Hazell (or Powell this year) in that he wasn’t even squared up before he launched it. Three other Terriers scored in double figures, so Magee had the help that Powell so often did not get.
“We hit them a couple of times and they didn’t step back once,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. Magee is an amazing shooter. They’re real good and I hope they go far in the tournament.”
Next year could be special.
With Powell almost assuredly returning, there will be higher expectations next season after this year’s team overachieved. The only major loss will be Nzei, who is poised for a successful career in the financial world after interning on Wall Street last summer. But Florida State transfer Ike Obiagu has impressed in practice this season and could blend in seamlessly in the frontcourt.
“We could be great,” said point guard Quincy McKnight. “With the guys we have coming back, we’ll be a team that everyone will be talking about come the preseason poll.”
And maybe next season it will be the opponents throwing in the NCAA towel. But that’s a long way off and it still will take a lot of hard work to get there.
COMMENTS?
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
JACKSONVILLE – As the final seconds ticked away, both Myles Powell and Quincy McKnight had their heads buried under towels. But there was nowhere to hide for them and their Seton Hall teammates, no way to escape the three-point onslaught by Wofford that caved in the Pirates’ season.
For the third time in the last four years, the Pirates went one-and-done in the NCAA tournament. But this time, it wasn’t against a brand name such as Gonzaga or a fellow high-major such as Arkansas. It was to a very, VERY good mid-major.
The final score of Wofford’s first NCAA tournament victory in five tries was 84-68, but it was much closer than that until three consecutive treys gave the Terriers a 10-point lead with three minutes to go.
Some takeaways on what happened Thursday night and what may lie ahead in 2019-20:
Powell almost made it happen.
After a 2-for-9, four-point first half, Myles Powell heated up quickly in the second half. He scored 17 points in the first 9:10 of the half, and his deep trey put the Pirates ahead, 54-53. But fatigue eventually set in because Powell got very little help, as the Pirates’ next highest scorer was Jared Rhoden with nine points. Nobody stepped up to help significantly on offense, and that was a problem down the stretch of the season, with the Senior Day win over Villanova being a noticeable exception.
Give Wofford credit for making Powell work very hard for his shots and thus wearing him down. This dynamic has to change going forward if The Hall is to fulfill its NCAA tournament potential next year.
Some Cheese to go?
Probably not. Powell said in a quiet locker room, “I’ll consider my options. I know coach (Kevin) Willard knows what’s best for me. My career is in his hands. Coach Willard got me here, so I know if it was time for me to go or to do anything else, he would let me know. I don’t plan on leaving. I love these guys and if I had to do it all over again, I’d do it in a heartbeat.”
He later said in the interview room that departing postgrad big Mike Nzei will be a lifelong friend and that “we’re still going to talk. He’s still going to help me lead this team from afar.”
The Big East didn’t prepare Seton Hall for this tournament.
All season long, Willard and other Big East coaches praised the conference’s top-to-bottom strength and noted how there were no more gimmes, that any team could beat anybody. They had a point--DePaul swept both St. John’s and Seton Hall during the regular season--but it also meant the overall strength of the conference wasn’t what it has been in some of the post-breakup years. That fact was brought home in the first three days of the tournament, with The Hall, Red Storm and Marquette all losing by double figures.
Myles Cale admitted of Wofford, “We didn’t really know them coming into the game. They kind of surprised us. Even with a hand in their face, they were still making crazy shots.”
Fletcher Magee was as advertised.
The Wofford senior sharpshooter was 7-for-12 from three-point range in setting the NCAA career record for treys. His three from the left corner with 3:12 to go was a dagger, capping a nine-point run in 1:07 that put the Terriers ahead 76-66. It was reminiscent of Jeremy Hazell (or Powell this year) in that he wasn’t even squared up before he launched it. Three other Terriers scored in double figures, so Magee had the help that Powell so often did not get.
“We hit them a couple of times and they didn’t step back once,” Sandro Mamukelashvili said. “I’ve got to give them a lot of credit. Magee is an amazing shooter. They’re real good and I hope they go far in the tournament.”
Next year could be special.
With Powell almost assuredly returning, there will be higher expectations next season after this year’s team overachieved. The only major loss will be Nzei, who is poised for a successful career in the financial world after interning on Wall Street last summer. But Florida State transfer Ike Obiagu has impressed in practice this season and could blend in seamlessly in the frontcourt.
“We could be great,” said point guard Quincy McKnight. “With the guys we have coming back, we’ll be a team that everyone will be talking about come the preseason poll.”
And maybe next season it will be the opponents throwing in the NCAA towel. But that’s a long way off and it still will take a lot of hard work to get there.
COMMENTS?
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
