The streak is over. But the bigger concern from Seton Hall’s 74-62 upset loss to visiting Xavier on Saturday is the status of point guard Quincy McKnight, who fell awkwardly after being fouled on a second-half drive by Xavier’s Tyrique Jones. Let's get into that and much more from this game.
McKnight injured
Senior point guard Quincy McKnight landed very awkwardly after being fouled by Xavier’s Tyrique Jones with 6:02 left. McKnight could not put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped off the court. But after the game, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard seemed cautiously optimistic, indicating that “most of the structural stuff” of McKnight’s left knee was good. McKnight will have an MRI on Monday. His status for road games against Georgetown and Villanova in the upcoming week is unclear.
Consider that backup Anthony Nelson has 15 assists and 17 turnovers in Big East play, and you’ll understand why it is of major importance that McKnight’s MRI comes back clean.
Powell's slump continues
This is not meant to be alarmist, but star Myles Powell’s struggles from long distance have gone beyond a minor slump. Halfway through Seton Hall’s Big East season, Powell is an unthinkable 19-for-75 (25.3 percent) from beyond the arc in conference play. Granted, opposing teams are double-teaming him, face-guarding him and basically doing everything possible to prevent Powell from getting a unobstructed look at the basket.
“Every once in a while you go through a stretch of not shooting the basketball well,” Willard said, while acknowledging all the special attention defenses are paying to his star player. Still, Powell and Seton Hall must figure this out, soon.
Gill comes up small
Romaro Gill had one of his least productive games, with two points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and four fouls. Neither he nor Ike Obiagu had an answer for Jones, who dominated inside with 19 points and 18 rebounds and used his quickness to repeatedly get both of Seton Hall’s big men out of position. “That’s the best I've seen him play,” Willard said of Jones, also noting that the Musketeers did a nice job of going underneath McKnight on pick-and-rolls, and that the bigs will have to adjust as other teams pick up on that.
Wakeup call?
The Pirates had made a living in their 8-0 Big East start on rallying from large deficits--see DePaul twice, Marquette, St. John’s--but this time they finally dug a hole that was too deep, letting Xavier open the game with a mind-boggling 28-4 run. “It definitely was a humbling experience,” said Jared Rhoden, who scored 13 points. Willard even talked about how the starting unit had “bad body language.” Maybe this loss will shake The Hall out of any potential complacency after a month in which the Pirates were almost universally patted on the back.
Mamu rounding into form
One bright spot was that forward Sandro Mamukelashvili looked much more comfortable in his second game back after missing more than a month because of a fractured right wrist. He had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in almost 17 minutes of action and seemed much more aggressive in going to the basket.
“I was excited about Sandro,” said Willard, saying he played him four more minutes than he had intended to. “He gave us good energy.” Willard indicated Mamukelashvili still isn’t at his usual stamina level, so the coach is not yet comfortable playing him for long stretches.
Mamukelashvili admitted even he does not feel he is fully back. “I feel like I've got to find the rhythm of the game and get back in my tempo again,” he said, but he believes he will get there soon.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
McKnight injured
Senior point guard Quincy McKnight landed very awkwardly after being fouled by Xavier’s Tyrique Jones with 6:02 left. McKnight could not put any weight on his left leg and had to be helped off the court. But after the game, Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard seemed cautiously optimistic, indicating that “most of the structural stuff” of McKnight’s left knee was good. McKnight will have an MRI on Monday. His status for road games against Georgetown and Villanova in the upcoming week is unclear.
Consider that backup Anthony Nelson has 15 assists and 17 turnovers in Big East play, and you’ll understand why it is of major importance that McKnight’s MRI comes back clean.
Powell's slump continues
This is not meant to be alarmist, but star Myles Powell’s struggles from long distance have gone beyond a minor slump. Halfway through Seton Hall’s Big East season, Powell is an unthinkable 19-for-75 (25.3 percent) from beyond the arc in conference play. Granted, opposing teams are double-teaming him, face-guarding him and basically doing everything possible to prevent Powell from getting a unobstructed look at the basket.
“Every once in a while you go through a stretch of not shooting the basketball well,” Willard said, while acknowledging all the special attention defenses are paying to his star player. Still, Powell and Seton Hall must figure this out, soon.
Gill comes up small
Romaro Gill had one of his least productive games, with two points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and four fouls. Neither he nor Ike Obiagu had an answer for Jones, who dominated inside with 19 points and 18 rebounds and used his quickness to repeatedly get both of Seton Hall’s big men out of position. “That’s the best I've seen him play,” Willard said of Jones, also noting that the Musketeers did a nice job of going underneath McKnight on pick-and-rolls, and that the bigs will have to adjust as other teams pick up on that.
Wakeup call?
The Pirates had made a living in their 8-0 Big East start on rallying from large deficits--see DePaul twice, Marquette, St. John’s--but this time they finally dug a hole that was too deep, letting Xavier open the game with a mind-boggling 28-4 run. “It definitely was a humbling experience,” said Jared Rhoden, who scored 13 points. Willard even talked about how the starting unit had “bad body language.” Maybe this loss will shake The Hall out of any potential complacency after a month in which the Pirates were almost universally patted on the back.
Mamu rounding into form
One bright spot was that forward Sandro Mamukelashvili looked much more comfortable in his second game back after missing more than a month because of a fractured right wrist. He had 10 points on 4-for-5 shooting in almost 17 minutes of action and seemed much more aggressive in going to the basket.
“I was excited about Sandro,” said Willard, saying he played him four more minutes than he had intended to. “He gave us good energy.” Willard indicated Mamukelashvili still isn’t at his usual stamina level, so the coach is not yet comfortable playing him for long stretches.
Mamukelashvili admitted even he does not feel he is fully back. “I feel like I've got to find the rhythm of the game and get back in my tempo again,” he said, but he believes he will get there soon.
https://setonhall.rivals.com/
