PIRATES SEEK ROAD WIN AT GEORGETOWN SATURDAY

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2017-18 BIG EAST Game
Seton Hall Pirates (17-7, 6-5 BIG EAST) at Georgetown Hoyas (13-10, 3-9 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location Saturday, February 10 | 4 p.m. | Capital One Arena (Washington, D.C.)
Television Broadcast CBS Sports Network
Radio Broadcast AM970 The Answer | Sirius 83 | XM 83 | Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes Seton Hall | Georgetown
Links Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Sell Out Senior Day SHUSeniorDay.com


The road can be treacherous, but sometimes it can also bring out the best in a team.

Throw it back to last season, Feb. 4, 2017. The Pirates were 3-6 in the BIG EAST heading into a road contest at Georgetown. The Hall hung tough despite its record, and on that day, it grinded out a 68-66 overtime win over the Hoyas in a tough road environment. The Pirates went on to win six of their last eight games, catapulting them into the NCAA Tournament.

This season, The Hall is in a much better position at 6-5, but with a current two-game losing streak, the Pirates are looking to snap back into the win column and it starts Saturday once again at Georgetown.

Saturday's game will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network with Andrew Catalon and Steve Lappas on the call and Jamie Erdahl sideline reporting. The soccer legend Steve McKee will produce the telecast. The game is scheduled to tip at 4 p.m. As always, the dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 83, XM 83 and the Pirate Sports Network.

Pirates Fans - we want to make Senior Day a blast for our guys, so let’s sell out @PruCenter on Saturday, March 3!!!! All the information is at http://SHUSeniorDay.com #HALLin #PiratePursuit


THINGS TO KNOW

• Seton Hall looks to make it a season sweep of the Hoyas when it visits Georgetown on Saturday in Washington, D.C.
• The Pirates are looking to get back on the right track after suffering an 88-85 setback at home against Marquette on Wednesday night. All five Pirates starters scored 11 or more points with Desi Rodriguez leading the way with 21 on 6-of-14 shooting. Myles Powell scored 18 points on the strength of four made three-pointers, while Khadeen Carrington added 15 points and a team-best five assists. Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo each finished with 11 points.
• Both teams shot the ball well from three-point range on Wednesday night, with Marquette going 12-of-19 (63.2 percent) and Seton Hall shooting 11-of-23 (47.8 percent). However, the Golden Eagles took advantage at the free throw line down the stretch, making all 16 attempts in the second half, while the Pirates shot 14-of-21 over the final 20 minutes.
• The core four offensive contributors for the Pirates - Delgado, Khadeen Carrington, Rodriguez and Powell - have scored 60.7 points per game - 79.5 percent of the team's total points during BIG EAST play.
• On the Road, Rodriguez is scoring a team-high 16.0 points per game, while Powell averages 15.0 points and is shooting 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from long range and 94.7 percent (18-of-19) at the free throw line.
• Saturday marks the 105th all-time meeting between Seton Hall and Georgetown. The Hoyas lead the all-time series, 56-48, but the Pirates have won each of the last five contests by an average of 6.8 points.
  • 02/06/16 - W, 69-61 (H)
  • 02/17/16 - W, 72-64 (A)
  • 02/04/17 - W, 68-66 OT (A)
  • 02/28/17 - W, 62-59 (H)
  • 01/13/18 - W, 74-61 (H)
• The last time the programs met was on Jan. 13 at Prudential Center in Newark. Seton Hall celebrated the 25th anniversary of the 1992-93 BIG EAST Championship team, and used a 23-5 run to end the first half to ultimately deliver a 74-61 victory over the Hoyas. The Pirates received a game-high 19 points from Myles Powell and Desi Rodriguez, while Khadeen Carrington led all players with six assists.
• The Pirates have won three of the last four meetings in D.C., and last year's contest on Georgetown's home floor was a classic in the historic series. Delgado exploded for 26 points and 17 rebounds, but the hero was Rodriguez, who drilled the game-winning basket with 1:06 remaining in overtime as the Pirates pulled out a 68-66 win.
• This year's senior class that includes Carrington, Delgado, Rodriguez and Sanogo, has scored a collective 5,019 career points.
• Head coach Kevin Willard is 8-4 all-time against Georgetown.

#PiratePursuit

Seton Hall has flourished in the program's previous two seasons to the likes of which the program has not seen in over 20 years, and they are in pursuit of a truly special 2017-18 campaign.

The Pirates concluded non-conference play with a handful of resume-boosting victories including four over teams currently in the KenPom Top-100. Seton Hall is also 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.


In the Polls

The Pirates head into Saturday afternoon receiving votes in both the AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll.

It is the third time this season the Pirates have not been ranked in either poll.

Earlier this season Seton Hall was No. 13 in the rankings, the highest since Jan. 2, 2001.

Seton Hall has been in the weekly national rankings 111 times in program history, and 11 times this season.


Building a Resume

The Pirates have already notched several key wins that will loom large down the road, including victories over nine teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 81 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 85 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 8 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 34 (W, 79-77)

Creighton - 23 (W, 90-84)

St. John's - 77 (W, 75-70)

Butler - 20 (W, 90-87)

Georgetown - 98 (W, 74-61)

Providence - 63 (W, 73-57)

 

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Down the Stretch We Go

There is no question that games this time of year simply mean more. In the past, there has been a direct correlation between Seton Hall's success in February and March, and reaching the NCAA Tournament. During these two months, the Pirates have an incredible 70-32 combined record in the 11 seasons the program reached the NCAA Tournament.

1987-88: 6-2

1988-89: 6-3

1990-91: 4-3

1991-92: 9-2

1992-93: 9-1

1993-94: 4-4

1999-00: 5-4

2003-04: 7-4

2005-06: 6-4

2015-16: 7-2

2016-17: 7-3



Not Intimidated

Seton Hall's senior class has had 11 true road wins with attendance over 8,500

01/10/15 at Creighton - 17,397

01/28/15 at Marquette - 14,917

12/30/15 at Marquette - 13,314

01/16/16 at Providence - 11,148

01/30/16 at Creighton - 17,924

02/21/16 at St. John's - 13,204

11/17/16 at Iowa - 10,391

02/04/17 at Georgetown - 10,142

03/04/17 at Butler - 9,100

12/03/17 at Louisville - 19,244

01/06/18 at Butler - 8,855


Experience Matters

Between Rodriguez, Carrington and Delgado, the Pirates have an incredible trio of experienced scorers - the three have a combined 4,648 career points.

All three are Top-25 all-time scorers in the history of the program, with Carrington leading the trio (11th), followed by Rodriguez (17th) and Delgado (21st).

No other class in program history has more than one player on the Top-25 all-time scoring list

Each also has significant experience scoring in double-figures:

Delgado - 81 times

Carrington - 79 times

Rodriguez - 74 times


Ice in their Veins

Shooting free throws on the road in a hostile environment is one of the toughest assignments in college basketball, but Powell and Carrington have been calm and collected so far this season.

In seven road games, Powell is 18-of-19 (94.7 percent) and Carrington is 24-of-29 (82.8 percent) at the charity stripe.


Sanogo Stepping Up

Although widely regarded as the team's top defender, Ismael Sanogo has shown the ability to step in and contribute on the offensive end and on the glass.

Over his last eight games, Sanogo has averaged 8.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. In his previous 15 games this season, he had averaged 3.7 points and 4.1 boards.

He has gone 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from three-point range over the last eight games. Entering the season, he was 1-for-6 in his career from long range. He also began the season 0-for-7 from deep.

Sanogo does an excellent job of filling out the box score and making effort plays. Over the last eight games he has nine blocks, seven steals and seven assists while averaging 25.1 minutes.

At Marquette on Jan. 9, he scored a career-high 14 points to go along with six boards and a pair of three-point buckets to spark the stretch of elevated play.


Delgado Can Swing It

Angel Delgado's ability to distribute the ball and find the open man has been one of the most important aspects of his game, and has allowed the Pirates offense to click.

He is averaging 3.0 assists per game this season, the most among any non-guard in the BIG EAST.

During league play, he has already had four games with five or more assists, and is tied for 12th in the BIG EAST with 3.4 per game.


A New King

Angel Delgado had already cemented his name in the BIG EAST record book entering the season. But at DePaul on Jan. 28, with his second rebound, BIG EAST career rebound No. 702, he broke Syracuse's Derrick Coleman's (1986-90) all-time BIG EAST career rebound record that had stood for 28 years.

The big man is also second on the BIG EAST's all-time rebounding average list (11.52) behind only Michael Smith (Providence, 1991-94, 11.66 rpg).

Delgado is comfortable putting up eye-popping rebounding numbers. In 2016-17, he recorded over 200 more rebounds than any other player in the BIG EAST, and set the conference's single-season conference-games only rebounding record (253). He also set the BIG EAST single season conference-games only record for rebounding average (14.1).

 

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#EliteDesi

Desi Rodriguez has been the most consistent offensive contributor, and an outright stud all season.

On Monday, Rodriguez was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season after averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists last week. He was 56.0 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from long range.

He is averaging a team-best 17.6 points per game, good for eighth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.3 percent (160-for-318) from the field and 37.8 percent (42-for-111) from long range.

The Pirates are 10-3 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 34-12 all-time when he scores at least 15 points.



Finish Strong

The Pirates pride themselves on defense, and have proven the ability to hold off late pushes by the opposition.

In fact, Seton Hall is 59-6 in its last 65 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding a lead of seven or more at any point in the contest.


Shooters Shoot

The Pirates have shot 50.0 percent or better in eight games and 40.0 percent or better in 23 of 24 games this season.

For the year, the Pirates have 389 assists and 322 turnovers (1.2 ratio).


Rebounding on Both Ends

Delgado's ability to rebound on both ends of the floor has earned him national attention.

This week he was named a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, as well as the Senior CLASS Award.

He was named to the 2018 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List after earning a spot on the 2018 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list two weeks ago.

Delgado's 4.2 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fourth in the country. Overall, Delgado's 11.8 rebounds per game are also fourth-best in the nation.

Against Vanderbilt earlier this season, Delgado was held without an offensive rebound, snapping a streak of 71 games with one or more offensive boards.

He has grabbed one or more offensive rebounds in 119 of 122 career games.


Bullies in the Backcourt

Against Providence on Jan. 31, Carrington and Powell held two of the best guards in the BIG EAST, Kyron Cartwright and Jalen Lindsey, SCORELESS on a combined 0-for-13 effort from the field.

Entering the game and during BIG EAST play, Cartwright was averaging 16.1 points, a league-best 7.5 assists, was shooting 51.8 from the floor, and had a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On top of being held without a point, Cartwright turned it over four times and dished out just two assists in 27 minutes.

Lindsey was averaging 12.7 points in conference games and shooting 47.8 percent from deep overall. He was shut out and limited to 0-for-4 from long range on Wednesday.


Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 28-4 over the last 32 games and 13-2 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.


Block You Like A Hurricane

As a team, the Pirates already have more blocks this season (95) than they did in all of 2016-17 (83).

Ismael Sanogo leads the way with 24 blocks, and has recorded three or more on four occasions.

Angel Delgado has blocked 22 shots so far, and finished with a career-best four against Xavier on Jan. 20.


Second-Half Heroics

On Dec. 28 the Pirates pulled off a 13-point second half comeback win over Creighton, and an 11-point second half comeback win at Butler on Jan. 6. Seton Hall also trailed Georgetown by 10 in the first half on Jan. 13, but won by 13 points. It has been stellar in the second half all season.

Over the final 20 minutes, Seton Hall is shooting 46.3 percent while holding opponents to 42.2 percent shooting from the field.

One of the main reasons the Pirates have been able to create separation during the second half this season has been their three-point field goal defense. Opponents are shooting just 33.9 percent (85-for-251) from long range over the final 20 minutes.


One of the All-Timers

Carrington has a natural scoring ability that ranks him among the all-time greats at The Hall.

Currently, Carrington is 11th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,652 career points. He also ranks 15th on the all-time assists leaderboard with 344.

The Brooklyn native has scored 20 or more points 22 times in his career.

Carrington has found his stroke at the free throw line, and is shooting 88.0 percent (44-of-50) during BIG EAST play, up from 79.2 percent in 11 non-conference games this year.

Carrington is 19 points away from breaking into the Top-10 on the all-time scoring list. He would be the first Pirate to crack the Top-10 scoring list since Jeremy Hazell (2007-11). Before Hazell, no one had broken into the Top-10 since 1988 (Mark Bryant).


Owning the Glass

It helps to have the best rebounder in the country, but rebounding is truly a team effort, and the Pirates have proven the ability to dominate.

The Pirates have had a positive margin in 21 of the last 29 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 36.6 points in the paint and allow just 29.2 per game.


Some Wine With That?

The man called "Cheese" - Myles Powell, has a smooth and savory stroke from long range, and is leading the Pirates in three-point buckets, shooting 64-for-155 (41.3 percent).

He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 29 after scoring a team-high 21 points at DePaul.

Against Georgetown on Jan. 13, Cheese filled the box score with a game-high 19 points, five rebounds, and a career-high six steals.

Earlier this season against Texas Tech, Powell also took control when it mattered most. With 2:05 to go in the game, Cheese banged a three to push the lead to nine. He later made an acrobatic layup, then stole the ball on the ensuing possession and converted a layup while being fouled with 1:20 left. In all, he finished with eight of the team's final 10 points.

When Cheese gets hot, the Pirates feed off his energy and seem to play better as a collective. In fact, they are 15-9 over the course of his career when he makes three or more treys. He has scored in double-figures in 21 of 24 games this year.


Sharing is Caring

Against St. John's on Dec. 31, the Pirates assisted on 19 of their 24 made field goals, the highest percentage of assists to field goals this season.

A total of four different Pirates have recorded five assists or more in a single game this season (Carrington, Delgado, Powell, Rodriguez).

The Pirates have won 17 of 20 games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 22 of the last 26.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 18 of 24 games this year.

Against Marquette on Wednesday, Seton Hall totaled 15 assists and had just four turnovers, the fewest number of giveaways in at least the last 10 years. In the last 10 years, Seton Hall has only had two other games in which it committed five or fewer turnovers:

5 vs. Saint Peter's (11/29/10 - W, 69-49)

5 vs. Connecticut (02/14/09 - L, 54-62)

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