Looking back at Seton Hall’s 69-55 win over Marquette and ahead to a Wednesday night showdown versus Butler at legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse that suddenly seems monumental, even in mid-January, to borrow from the vocabulary of ex-Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez.
Willard over Wojo
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski had a solid game plan, working inside-out and using the three-ball as opposed to challenging Seton Hall’s shot-blockers down low. But when Willard extended the perimeter D to take away those long-distance shots, and the Pirate defenders themselves became much crisper with their rotations and closeouts, Wojo never adjusted. The Golden Eagles took only nine two-point attempts in the second half and shot a horrific 19.2 percent overall in that stanza because of The Hall’s defense and a stubborn refusal to abandon a failing strategy.
Also give Willard kudos for inserting backup point guard Anthony Nelson, Sharvar Reynolds and several other reserves into the action with the game hanging in the balance. Nelson’s play in the 11-0 spurt with the score tied at 45 put the Pirates over the hump.
Blessing in disguise
Please do not get me wrong; you do not ever want to see anyone injured, and especially suffer something as potentially damaging and life-changing as a concussion. But even Myles Powell himself has spoken about how his teammates had to learn to play without him for two games last month, and perhaps nobody benefited more than Nelson. Against Maryland and Prairie View A&M, Nelson played with the confidence of someone who knew he wasn’t getting benched for one minor mistake. And although that is not quite the case anymore, Nelson still is playing with that mindset of controlled aggression, exemplified by the 11-0 run he sparked with two baskets and two assists.
Mamu back soon?
Willard said after the game he didn’t think power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (fractured wrist) would be back until at least February. Well, keep in mind Seton Hall does host Xavier on the first day of that month. Also bear in mind that Willard is notoriously pessimistic about injuries. (See Powell, Myles last month.) Mamukelashvili seems to be progressing well and DePaul on Jan. 29 or Xavier appear to be legitimate possibilities for his re-entry into the festivities. “We’ll have a definite timeline on Wednesday” after an MRI, Willard said.
It’s still January
As tempting as it may be to flip the calendar ahead a couple of months, a lot of basketball remains to be played. Obviously, Seton Hall’s prospects look a lot better than say, four weeks ago, when two consecutive defeats and the injuries to Powell and Mamukelashvili made it appear the Pirates were on the express train to Dayton for the play-in round, at best. Now it’s fair to dream of an opening weekend in Albany and a lot more, but again, much more roundball remains. The Hall needs to avoid the slumps that have plagued it even in these last four NCAA tourney years. (0-4 stretches in each of the last two seasons, a 1-5 skid in 2016-17 and a 1-4 bump in the road in 2015-16.) Also, Myles Powell is only 8-for-35 from three-point range since returning. That does not figure to continue for such a hard-working and gifted shooter.
Scouting Butler
Then again, Butler might not be the best opponent for Powell to rediscover his three-point stroke against. The fact the Bulldogs allow only 54.4 points per game has a lot to do with their slow pace, but their amazing 26.2 defensive three-point percentage is all about effort and making the opponent struggle for any semblance of an open look. Senior guard Kamar Baldwin (14.3 points) leads the epitome of a balanced offense for a Butler team that plays the same patient style under coach LaVall Jordan that it employed under predecessors Chris Holtmann and Brad Stevens. Seton Hall lost a nailbiter here last season with both head coaches miked up for sound on FOX, and the winner of this one will be in position to make some noise of a different kind in the Big East.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
Willard over Wojo
Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski had a solid game plan, working inside-out and using the three-ball as opposed to challenging Seton Hall’s shot-blockers down low. But when Willard extended the perimeter D to take away those long-distance shots, and the Pirate defenders themselves became much crisper with their rotations and closeouts, Wojo never adjusted. The Golden Eagles took only nine two-point attempts in the second half and shot a horrific 19.2 percent overall in that stanza because of The Hall’s defense and a stubborn refusal to abandon a failing strategy.
Also give Willard kudos for inserting backup point guard Anthony Nelson, Sharvar Reynolds and several other reserves into the action with the game hanging in the balance. Nelson’s play in the 11-0 spurt with the score tied at 45 put the Pirates over the hump.
Blessing in disguise
Please do not get me wrong; you do not ever want to see anyone injured, and especially suffer something as potentially damaging and life-changing as a concussion. But even Myles Powell himself has spoken about how his teammates had to learn to play without him for two games last month, and perhaps nobody benefited more than Nelson. Against Maryland and Prairie View A&M, Nelson played with the confidence of someone who knew he wasn’t getting benched for one minor mistake. And although that is not quite the case anymore, Nelson still is playing with that mindset of controlled aggression, exemplified by the 11-0 run he sparked with two baskets and two assists.
Mamu back soon?
Willard said after the game he didn’t think power forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (fractured wrist) would be back until at least February. Well, keep in mind Seton Hall does host Xavier on the first day of that month. Also bear in mind that Willard is notoriously pessimistic about injuries. (See Powell, Myles last month.) Mamukelashvili seems to be progressing well and DePaul on Jan. 29 or Xavier appear to be legitimate possibilities for his re-entry into the festivities. “We’ll have a definite timeline on Wednesday” after an MRI, Willard said.
It’s still January
As tempting as it may be to flip the calendar ahead a couple of months, a lot of basketball remains to be played. Obviously, Seton Hall’s prospects look a lot better than say, four weeks ago, when two consecutive defeats and the injuries to Powell and Mamukelashvili made it appear the Pirates were on the express train to Dayton for the play-in round, at best. Now it’s fair to dream of an opening weekend in Albany and a lot more, but again, much more roundball remains. The Hall needs to avoid the slumps that have plagued it even in these last four NCAA tourney years. (0-4 stretches in each of the last two seasons, a 1-5 skid in 2016-17 and a 1-4 bump in the road in 2015-16.) Also, Myles Powell is only 8-for-35 from three-point range since returning. That does not figure to continue for such a hard-working and gifted shooter.
Scouting Butler
Then again, Butler might not be the best opponent for Powell to rediscover his three-point stroke against. The fact the Bulldogs allow only 54.4 points per game has a lot to do with their slow pace, but their amazing 26.2 defensive three-point percentage is all about effort and making the opponent struggle for any semblance of an open look. Senior guard Kamar Baldwin (14.3 points) leads the epitome of a balanced offense for a Butler team that plays the same patient style under coach LaVall Jordan that it employed under predecessors Chris Holtmann and Brad Stevens. Seton Hall lost a nailbiter here last season with both head coaches miked up for sound on FOX, and the winner of this one will be in position to make some noise of a different kind in the Big East.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
