Pirates Look to Push Streak to Five Wednesday vs. Butler (FS1, 6:30)

[Halldan1]

Seton Hall, Butler square off for the first time this season as The Hall wraps up a three-game home stand

Feb. 9, 2016

Game 24 // BIG EAST Game 12 // Home Game 14
Seton Hall (17-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) vs. Butler (16-7, 5-6 BIG EAST)

Date Wednesday, Feb. 10 | 6:30 p.m. ET
Location Prudential Center | Newark, N.J.
Tickets BUY NOW! | Upcoming Home Games | Pre-Paid Parking
Tune in FS1 | FOX Sports GO | Sirius 145 XM 201
Links Live Stats | Seton Hall Radio (PSN) | @SetonHallMBB on Twitter | #HALLin
Notes Media Central | Seton Hall Notes | Butler Notes

The Tip

A three-game home stand comes to a close Wednesday when the streaking Seton Hall Pirates collide with the Butler Bulldogs at Prudential Center.

The Hall (17-6, 7-4 BIG EAST) has won four-straight conference games for the first time since 2011-12 and enters Wednesday in third place in the league standings. Sophomore Angel Delgado (Bajos De Haina, Dominican Republic) has recorded a double-double in all four games during the current unbeaten run and after being named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll Monday, he became the second Pirate in-a-row to be named Met Writers Player of the Week, joining classmate Isaiah Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who took home the honor last week.

The recent surge has helped the Pirates creep closer to cracking the AP Top-25 poll for the first time this year while Butler is a team that has spent much of the year in the rankings and boasts one of the top scoring offenses in the league.

At 16-7 overall and 5-6 in conference play, the Bulldogs are currently on the outside of the top-25 looking in but with senior stalwarts Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham alongside reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week Kelan Martin among others, Butler is capable of racking up points in a hurry and will provide a stiff test for a Pirates' defensive unit that ranks second in the conference with 66.3 points allowed per game for the year.

Seton Hall will hit the road for the next two after Wednesday, beginning a stretch of four road games over the final six regular season outings, but on Wednesday the Pirates get another chance to score a resume building victory in front of a home crowd at The Rock.

The Buzz

Tune In:Seton Hall basketball is back on FS1 as Scott Graham and Tarik Turner will be on hand to call the action for the live national broadcast. A stream of the contest will also be available online and through mobile devices via the FOX Sports GO app.
The Seton Hall radio team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin can be heard on AM970 The Answer (WNYM) with a simulcast available online at PirateSportsNet.tv as well as Sirius channel 145 and XM channel 201.

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For exclusive content and coverage throughout the season and especially on gameday, be sure to follow @SetonHallMBB on Twitter

Tickets
Tickets are available and can be purchased online through Ticketmaster, by calling the Seton Hall Athletics Ticket Office at (973) 275-HALL (4255) or visiting the Prudential Center Box Office on gameday.

 

[Halldan1]

Pirate Points
- A stout defensive effort combined with standout performances from sophomores Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead last time out helped lead Seton Hall past Georgetown, 69-61. Delgado (11) and Whitehead (12) combined for 23 of the team’s 39 second half points as Seton Hall improved to 25-22 at home against the Hoyas in what was the 100th meeting between the two original BIG EAST members.

- The win against Georgetown increased the Pirates’ winning streak to four - the second-longest active streak in the conference behind Xavier (5). Seton Hall has won four consecutive BIG EAST contests for the first time since 2011-12 and with another triumph Wednesday, the Pirates would boast five-straight conference wins for the first time since 2008-09

- Now in sole possession of third place in the BIG EAST standings, the Pirates are positioned to make a push for the program’s 10th all-time NCAA Tournament berth and its first since 2006. Heading into the matchup with Butler, Seton Hall ranks as one of the top-35 teams in the nation according to the latest RPI (35) and KenPom (31) ratings. For the season, The Hall owns wins over two RPI top-35 teams in Providence (34) and Wichita State (33) as well as five RPI Top-100 teams overall (Georgia-67, Georgetown-74, Ole Miss-84). SHU is 7-1 against the teams it leads in the BIG EAST standings and three of the squad’s’ four losses over the last nine weeks have come to teams among the top-seven in RPI (Villanova, 2x - 1 / Xavier - 7)

- Delgado recorded his fourth-straight double-double; finishing with totals of 19 points and 13 rebounds for the second consecutive game. The Dominican native now has 12 double-doubles on the season after rattling off a stretch of seven-straight from 12/5-1/2 and holds 22 double-doubles for his career - 13 of which have come in conference play.

- For his exploits, the big man was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and Monday and became the second-straight Pirate to be named Metropolitan Writers Player of the Week on Tuesday, following Whitehead who received the award on February 2. Delgado has been playing at an elite level while helping the Pirates follow a 1-4 stretch with the current run of four wins in-a-row. During the turnaround, the 6-foot-9 forward is averaging 16.5 ppg and 13.8 rpg while shooting 70.0 percent from the field (28-of-40). Delgado has been even hotter over the last two games at Prudential Center; knocking down a career-high eight shots in each and shooting 16-of-21 (.762) overall.

- Whitehead has been just as instrumental to the Pirates’ success from his point guard spot and has elevated his play since the start of the BIG EAST schedule. Following a 16-point, 5-rebound, 4-assist outing against the Hoyas, Whitehead is the ONLY player in the BIG EAST who ranks among the top-three in both scoring (17.7 ppg, 3rd) and assists (5.3 apg, 3rd) since the start of conference play. Playing at a first team All-Conference level, the Brooklyn native has also made 2.1 3-pointers per game in league play (t-6th) and is the top ranked guard with 1.1 blocks/game (8th). Against BIG EAST opposition, Whitehead has scored or assisted on 122 of the team’s 296 field goals (.412) - a total that is only 10 less than that of Providence’s Kris Dunn who has directly factored into 132 made shots (64 FG, 68 A) in the Friars first 11 conference games. Whitehead did not appear against Butler last season due to injury.

- Senior Derrick Gordon made a tremendous impact off the bench in the win over the Hoyas, recording 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals in 30 minutes. Gordon has now scored 25 points over the last two games and ranks fifth on the squad with 9.5 ppg in BIG EAST action. Against the Hoyas Saturday, Gordon played 30+ minutes for the fifth time this season and is now averaging 11.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.0 spg in those games

- Seton Hall took a narrow one-point edge into halftime against Georgetown but never trailed by more than two points in the second as the Pirates improved to 13-0 when in front at the break this season. Over the six seasons during the Kevin Willard era, SHU owns a 81-14 mark (.853) when leading after the opening half.

- The Pirates shot 37.1 percent from the floor (23-of-62) in the triumph last time out - prevailing for the first time this time this season when failing to shoot at least 40 percent for the game. The Hall has connected at a rate of 40 percent or better 21 times in 23 outings this season after totaling 19 such shooting efforts in 31 contests last season. On the defensive end, SHU limited Georgetown 19-of-56 shooting (.339) as the Hoyas became the 13th opponent to finish with a field goal percentage under 40.0 this year. The Hall is now 12-1 in those games

- The Hall finished with just eight turnovers in the win over Georgetown while forcing the Hoyas to commit 15. The effort matched SHU’s second-lowest amount of giveaways this season and marked the fifth time that the squad has recorded 10 turnovers or less this season - all of which have come at home (5-0 record). Last season, Seton Hall posted 10 turnovers or less nine times during the regular season, amassing a 6-3 record in those games. Two of the setbacks came against Butler as the Pirates recorded just nine turnovers in an overtime loss to the Bulldogs at home (79-75 OT, 1/13/15) before committing only seven turnovers during the trip to Hinkle (77-57, 1/25/15)

- In the first of two meetings with the Bulldogs this season, The Hall will be closing a three-game home stand that has also featured a win against Marquette that clinched a season sweep of the series for SHU. The subsequent victory over Georgetown marked Seton Hall’s 11th home win of the year - 10 of which have come at Prudential Center. Since the arena opened prior to the 2007-08 campaign, the Pirates have now recorded at least 10 wins at the Prudential Center five times and will enter Wednesday’s contest with a 92-49 (.652) record at The Rock all-time

- By virtue of a victory at Creighton during the current unbeaten run, the Pirates reached the 15-win plateau for the fifth consecutive season. This marks the first time since 1990-95 that The Hall has posted 15+ victories in five-straight years. SHU Athletics Hall of Famer PJ Carlesimo led the Pirates for the first four years of the stretch while George Blaney took over prior to the 1994-95 campaign. Sixth-year head coach Kevin Willard is the first Seton Hall coach to be at the helm for five consecutive 15+ win seasons in the BIG EAST era and is the first SHU head man to accomplish the feat since Bill Raftery did so in six-straight years from 1973-79. Including Raftery and Willard, eight different coaches have led SHU during that span.

- With the Pirates sitting at 17-6 for the season, Willard is now just one victory shy of becoming the sixth head coach every to record 100 wins at The Hall. No Seton Hall coach has reached the 100-win mark since SHU Athletics Hall of Famer PJ Carlesimo did so during a 31-win 1988-89 campaign that culminated in a national championship game appearance. With a win, Willard would join John “Honey” Russell (294 wins), Carlesimo (212), Frank Hill (178), Bill Raftery (154) and Richie Regan (112) in the exclusive group

- Seton Hall Athletics announced that in the fall, student-athlete academic performance reached a new all-time high for the 11th-straight semester. Head coach Kevin Willard’s squad boasts six Dean’s List honorees from the fall (Angel Delgado, Derrick Gordon, Michael Nzei, Desi Rodriguez, Veer Singh, Isaiah Whitehead) and increased its cumulative GPA to 3.18. The Willard-led Pirates earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award over the summer for posting a multiyear APR that ranks among the top-10 percent among all men’s basketball teams and are part of a collection of 14 varsity programs at The Hall that all own a cumulative GPA over 3.1.

Scouting Butler- Butler enters Wednesday’s contest having won consecutive BIG EAST games for the first time this year, most recently routing St. John’s, 89-56, on Saturday for their second road win since the start of conference play. Overall, Butler has won three of the last four after starting 2-5 in the league

- Four of Butler’s five conference wins have come against the Red Storm and DePaul as the Bulldogs’ win over the weekend completed the season sweep, The squad’s lone other BIG EAST victory came against Georgetown at home last week - an 87-76 win that was fueled by 35 points from Kelan Martin.

 

[Halldan1]

- The 35 points are the highest single game total by a BIG EAST player this season and after dropping a team-high 18 points in the win over St. John’s, Martin was rewarded by being named BIG EAST Player of the Week Monday. The sophomore ranks as the team’s second-leading scorer at 15.8 ppg - a figure that ranks seventh in the BIG EAST despite making just five starts. Martin has started four contests in-a-row and has averaged 22.0 ppg over the stretch

- Butler’s conference scoring average of 72.4 ppg is 9.1 points shy of its season pace of 81.5 ppg - the largest difference in the league. Prior to scoring 80+ points in its last two games, the Bulldogs had not reached the 80-point plateau in conference play after doing so eight times in 12 non-conference outings. BU is just 1-5 since the start of the BIG EAST slate when scoring less than 75 points.

- Known for being one of the most versatile players in the league, standout senior Roosevelt Jones is coming off a triple-double of 10 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over St. John’s. Jones is the only player in the conference who ranks in the top-12 overall in scoring (14.5 ppg, 11th), rebounds (7.0 rpg, 9th) and assists (4.9 apg, 3rd) and also stands second with 1.7 spg. The senior averaged 17.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg but recorded just three assists in two meetings with The Hall last season

- Jones, Kellen Dunham and Andrew Chrabascz combined for 99 of the team’s 156 points in the series with the Pirates last season or 63.5 percent of Butler’s scoring

- Ball security is one of the Bulldogs’ primary strengths despite the absence of a true point guard in their most recent starting lineup. Butler averages just 10.4 giveaways per game, the lowest total; in the BIG EAST, and only 14.8 percent of their possessions have ended in a turnover (11th in the nation)


Pirate Men's Basketball Home

http://www.shupirates.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/020916aac.html

 

[Proff Ed]

Am I reading this stat wrong but we only won 14 games in 2014 and less than that in 2013?

 

[Halldan1]

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/2550/seton-hall-pirates

 

[Halldan1]

To a man the players were really mentally worn down after the Georgetown game. It was a tough grind it out old fashion Big East game.

I'll be very interested to see how they come out tonight. Satisfied or hungry for more.

To win the Hall must give it their all in just about every game. Tonight will be one heck of a test with the way Butler plays and how desperate they are for a win.

 

[Save Continental]

I thought after the Gtown game, and taking Gordon's comments into account, that the team could use a break. Would be nice to get another one tonight and have a full week's rest to gear up for the stretch run.

 

[SHUHoopsFan]

I'm starting to think we need to get a 4th man into the guard rotation. At some point we need to be able to get 2 of our 3 guards a breather at the same time. Most likely scenario I would assume would be get Veer more minutes.

 

[Pirate Russ]

To a man the players were really mentally worn down after the Georgetown game. It was a tough grind it out old fashion Big East game.

I'll be very interested to see how they come out tonight. Satisfied or hungry for more.

To win the Hall must give it their all in just about every game. Tonight will be one heck of a test with the way Butler plays and how desperate they are for a win.

This is concerning. I would love to grab this one and then have week off. I think with week off, we have shot to win at G-town.

 

[Proff Ed]

I am glad I was wrong lol

 

[Halldan1]

 

[Halldan1]

Seton Hall MBB ‏@SetonHallMBB 22h22 hours ago South Orange, NJ

Pirates, Lobsters, Bucket Hats + BBall...Be @PruCenter Wed. for SHU vs. Butler (@FS1, 6:30) |http://bit.ly/1XgLbFF

 

[HallBall10]

What type of D do we expect Butler to throw at us tonight?

Is Jones quick enough to guard IW? Is Dunham quick enough to guard KC?