Might be his best article of the year. Loved the Cheese melt. 
It’s amazing what one incredible run can do for a team’s season. Seton Hall was in danger of tumbling off the bracketology fence Wednesday night until a closing 18-0 spurt secured a vital upset of a talented but flawed Marquette team. Some thoughts on that game (including a bonus sixth takeaway) plus a look ahead to Villanova on Saturday.
Powell took over--again. It’s easy to run out of superlatives to describe the performances of Myles Powell. But what stood out to me most Wednesday night was not one of the many plays he made, but how he looked with 11:42 left. With Marquette’s Ed Morrow at the foul line trying to finish an and-one, Powell looked gassed. No, he wasn’t bent over with his hands on his knees in the telltale pose of exhaustion, but he still looked tired, having played all but 1:39 of the game.
He stayed in the rest of the way, playing the entire second half, yet somehow summoned the energy to take over and spark the game-ending run. If Seton Hall makes the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive time, we all will remember this performance.
Willard out coached Wojo. Yes, Kevin Willard has his flaws, as does any coach. But he drew up a good original game plan Wednesday night. It was not his fault the Pirates couldn’t make shots for the first 28 minutes. And down the stretch, he brought Quincy McKnight back in just at the point where his defense again could frustrate Markus Howard and the Marquette offense. Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski didn’t call a timeout while a 13-point lead steadily was dwindling, not stopping the action until 3:19 remained and the Golden Eagles led 64-62. It was a classic case of waiting for the media timeout that didn’t come fast enough.
It also was curious how Marquette chose not to attack the rim and thus didn’t get to the line in the final 11 minutes.
Nzei shows some emotion. Quiet dignity usually describes the steadying influence of post-grad forward Mike Nzei, but he picked up a second foul early in the game when he was part of a double technical because of some extracurricular activity after he had fouled Marquette’s Theo John. That limited his playing time in the first half. Willard said he was “fine” with the technical because “it shows the team what it takes to win against a really good team.”
Nzei made four straight free throws in the final minute to ice the win despite entering the game shooting 64.3 percent from the stripe. And Powell, among others, has credited Nzei all season long for his leadership. His final home game Saturday will be special to him. “If you hear my story, you could just believe that anything is possible,” said Nzei, who came to the U.S. from Nigeria and interned on Wall Street last summer. “If you work hard, you’re going to get to your destination.”
Rhoden atones. Jared Rhoden’s two missed free throws in the second overtime at Georgetown on Saturday were crushing, but he made up for it by sinking two clutch foul shots after rebounding a missed Sam Hauser three with 58 seconds left to give the Pirates a 69-64 lead. The freshman had six points, four rebounds and two assists in the game.
Marquette melted down. Call it a Cheese melt, perhaps, as the Golden Eagles had no response to Powell’s heroics, especially with Howard unable to get back in rhythm after being frustrated by McKnight so much of the game. Sam Hauser, who played all 40 minutes, missed his last five attempts from long distance after being unconscious from beyond the arc for most of the game. And Marquette’s interior defense was soft, which allowed Powell to penetrate even when his long-range jumpers weren’t falling. The Golden Eagles are talented but not super-deep, and they must get mentally tougher late in games or they will be a prime candidate for a first-round upset. Marquette also has blown late leads against Villanova and Creighton recently.
Villanova has the bye. You know schedule-meister Willard is well aware that Villanova sat out the Big East’s midweek slate and hasn’t played since a blowout win over Butler on Senior Day. Willard jokingly said, “Thanks, Stu,” when reminded of that fact Wednesday, referring to Big East associate commissioner Stu Jackson. (Coincidentally, Jackson had just left the building after a confab with Willard before the coach's media session.)
The Wildcats blew out Seton Hall in late January, limiting Powell to three points and having their way on offense from beyond the arc in the second half. A win would make Seton Hall an NCAA at-large lock, but it will require a good 40 minutes, something The Hall has had trouble summoning lately. It’s hard to imagine closing a game with an 18-0 run against the likes of Phil Booth and Jay Wright.
COMMENTS?
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
It’s amazing what one incredible run can do for a team’s season. Seton Hall was in danger of tumbling off the bracketology fence Wednesday night until a closing 18-0 spurt secured a vital upset of a talented but flawed Marquette team. Some thoughts on that game (including a bonus sixth takeaway) plus a look ahead to Villanova on Saturday.
Powell took over--again. It’s easy to run out of superlatives to describe the performances of Myles Powell. But what stood out to me most Wednesday night was not one of the many plays he made, but how he looked with 11:42 left. With Marquette’s Ed Morrow at the foul line trying to finish an and-one, Powell looked gassed. No, he wasn’t bent over with his hands on his knees in the telltale pose of exhaustion, but he still looked tired, having played all but 1:39 of the game.
He stayed in the rest of the way, playing the entire second half, yet somehow summoned the energy to take over and spark the game-ending run. If Seton Hall makes the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive time, we all will remember this performance.
Willard out coached Wojo. Yes, Kevin Willard has his flaws, as does any coach. But he drew up a good original game plan Wednesday night. It was not his fault the Pirates couldn’t make shots for the first 28 minutes. And down the stretch, he brought Quincy McKnight back in just at the point where his defense again could frustrate Markus Howard and the Marquette offense. Marquette coach Steve Wojciechowski didn’t call a timeout while a 13-point lead steadily was dwindling, not stopping the action until 3:19 remained and the Golden Eagles led 64-62. It was a classic case of waiting for the media timeout that didn’t come fast enough.
It also was curious how Marquette chose not to attack the rim and thus didn’t get to the line in the final 11 minutes.
Nzei shows some emotion. Quiet dignity usually describes the steadying influence of post-grad forward Mike Nzei, but he picked up a second foul early in the game when he was part of a double technical because of some extracurricular activity after he had fouled Marquette’s Theo John. That limited his playing time in the first half. Willard said he was “fine” with the technical because “it shows the team what it takes to win against a really good team.”
Nzei made four straight free throws in the final minute to ice the win despite entering the game shooting 64.3 percent from the stripe. And Powell, among others, has credited Nzei all season long for his leadership. His final home game Saturday will be special to him. “If you hear my story, you could just believe that anything is possible,” said Nzei, who came to the U.S. from Nigeria and interned on Wall Street last summer. “If you work hard, you’re going to get to your destination.”
Rhoden atones. Jared Rhoden’s two missed free throws in the second overtime at Georgetown on Saturday were crushing, but he made up for it by sinking two clutch foul shots after rebounding a missed Sam Hauser three with 58 seconds left to give the Pirates a 69-64 lead. The freshman had six points, four rebounds and two assists in the game.
Marquette melted down. Call it a Cheese melt, perhaps, as the Golden Eagles had no response to Powell’s heroics, especially with Howard unable to get back in rhythm after being frustrated by McKnight so much of the game. Sam Hauser, who played all 40 minutes, missed his last five attempts from long distance after being unconscious from beyond the arc for most of the game. And Marquette’s interior defense was soft, which allowed Powell to penetrate even when his long-range jumpers weren’t falling. The Golden Eagles are talented but not super-deep, and they must get mentally tougher late in games or they will be a prime candidate for a first-round upset. Marquette also has blown late leads against Villanova and Creighton recently.
Villanova has the bye. You know schedule-meister Willard is well aware that Villanova sat out the Big East’s midweek slate and hasn’t played since a blowout win over Butler on Senior Day. Willard jokingly said, “Thanks, Stu,” when reminded of that fact Wednesday, referring to Big East associate commissioner Stu Jackson. (Coincidentally, Jackson had just left the building after a confab with Willard before the coach's media session.)
The Wildcats blew out Seton Hall in late January, limiting Powell to three points and having their way on offense from beyond the arc in the second half. A win would make Seton Hall an NCAA at-large lock, but it will require a good 40 minutes, something The Hall has had trouble summoning lately. It’s hard to imagine closing a game with an 18-0 run against the likes of Phil Booth and Jay Wright.
COMMENTS?
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
