Media Release
- Seton Hall will play four of its next five games on the road and it starts with a visit to No. 7 Creighton on Jan. 6 at 9 p.m.
- The Hall has won seven of its last eight games and received votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll this week.
- Seton Hall is 5-1 or better in the BIG EAST for only the fourth time in program history, joining the 2019-20, 1999-00 and 1992-93 teams. The only Pirates team to start league play 6-1 or better was last year’s squad that started 7-0 and ultimately started 8-0.
- The Pirates rank in the top five of the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (second, 74.3), scoring defense (fourth, 69.8 ppg) and field goal percentage (fifth, 46.3).
- The Pirates have won their last 14 BIG EAST conference games when holding their opponent under 70 points.
- The Pirates are now 9-2 in their last 11 BIG EAST road games.
- The Pirates have 25 wins vs. AP top-25 teams in Kevin Willard’s tenure.
- One week after classmate Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) was named BIG EAST Player of the Week, senior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) was awarded the league’s top weekly honor after averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in a 2-0 week for the Pirates.
- Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.), who’s been a key part of the Pirates’ success in this stretch, ranks in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring (10th, 15.8 ppg), rebounding (5th, 7.6), free-throw percentage (6th, 81.0) and minutes (5th, 34.5 mpg).
- Junior Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) ranks second in the country with 39 blocked shots and ranks seventh with 3.3 blocks per game.
- Seton Hall leads the series with Creighton, 14-8, though the Pirates’ record against the Bluejays since Creighton joined the league in 2013-14 is 8-7.
- Both teams have swept the season series over the last two seasons with the Pirates accomplishing it in 2018-19 and the Bluejays doing so last season.
- The all-time series dates back to 1949.
- Seton Hall and Creighton have finished with identical BIG EAST records in each of the last four seasons. 13-5, 9-9, 10-8, 10-8
- Through the first 12 games of his senior season, Sandro Mamukelashvili is living up to the preseason accolades and expectations bestowed upon him.
- “Mamu”, as he’s affectionately known, was named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST first team and watch lists for the Naismith Trophy and the Karl Malone Award in the preseason.
- The Georgian is one of only four players in the Power Six conferences to register multiple 30-point games this season, joining Illinois’ Ayo Dosunmu, Iowa’s Luke Garza and Minnesota’s Marcus Carr.
- Mamukelashvili and Providence’s David Duke are the only two players in the BIG EAST that are averaging at least 18 points, six rebounds and three assists per game.
- Mamukelashvili picked up BIG EAST Player of the Week honors, his fourth conference accolade of the season, on Jan. 4 after leading the Pirates with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals in the win at Xavier (Dec. 30) and had game highs of 24 points, nine rebounds and six assists in the win over Butler (Jan. 2).
- He was named to the BIG EAST’s Weekly Honor Roll for the third consecutive week on Dec. 21 after averaging 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists in two conference games.
- Mamukelashvili he’s been getting it done in the assist column this season as he dished out a career-high seven assists in the Pirates’ gritty 70-63 road victory at Marquette on Dec. 17 and six dimes against Providence.
- St. John’s didn’t have an answer for Mamukelashvili on Dec. 11 when he scored a career-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the floor and pulled down nine rebounds
- In the comeback win at Penn State on Dec. 6, Mamukelashvili dropped 30 points – 22 of which came in the second half – to go along with five rebounds and four assists.
- Mamukelashvili is Seton Hall’s first power forward/center to register multiple 30-point performances in a season since Arturas Karnisovas in 1993-94.
- While the narrative among outsiders has been that Seton Hall struggles with free throws, in fact the numbers show how the Pirates are improving in that area.
- They currently rank second in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting at 74.3 percent, and five of the team’s returners from last season are all shooting a higher percentage this season than their career average.
- Three Pirates rank in the top 15 in the conference in free throw shooting percentage; Shavar Reynolds, Jr. (1st, 89.3), Jared Rhoden (6th, 81.0) and Myles Cale (14th, 77.4).
- The Pirates are 31-for-34 from the charity stripe (96.7 pct.) over the last two games.
- Currently, the most marked improvement belongs to Myles Cale, who at 78.6 percent is shooting more than 20 percent better at the line than he did last season and more than 12 percent better than his career average.
- Big man Ike Obiagu is shooting at a 66.7 percent clip from the line after shooting just 31.6 percent from the stripe as a freshman at Florida State.
- After an up-and-down junior campaign, Myles Cale has become a more consistent performer and a team leader on and off the court for the Pirates.
- A starter in all 12 games this season, Cale was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 28 after dropping a career-high 30 points against Georgetown on Dec. 23.
- In conference games, he ranks 11th in the BIG EAST with 14 points per contest and 13th with a 46.7 three-point shooting percentage (14-for-30).
- Cale has scored in double figures in five of the last six games and has eight double figure scoring games this season, already two more than his final total from last year.
- Shavar Reynolds, Jr.’s Seton Hall career began as a scrappy role player. He has since turned himself into one of the BIG EAST’s top point guards and one of Seton Hall’s most important players.
- Reynolds, Jr. leads the BIG EAST in free throw shooting (89.3 pct.) and ranks second in three-point shooting (51.9), the only major conference player to rank in the top two of his league in those categories.
- He also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST in assists (3rd, 4.9 assists per game), steals (4th, 1.8 spg) and assist to turnover ratio (5th, 2.6).
- He’s also developed into a go-to shot maker in big spots for the Pirates.
- His propensity to hit big shots started with his game-winning three-pointer vs. St. John’s in 2018-19. It returned on Dec. 6 at Penn State when he hit a three with under 50 seconds left in overtime to put the Pirates ahead for good, 93-91.
- Reynolds, Jr. buried a go-ahead three-pointer for the second time this season at Marquette with 42.1 seconds left in The Hall’s 70-63 victory.
- In the win over Iona, Reynolds, Jr. dished out a career best eight assists to go along with five steals and five points.
- Reynolds, Jr. posted a career-high 17 points, shot 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and dished out eight assists against No. 21 Oregon.
- Reynolds, Jr.’s workmanlike nature can be credited to his upbringing – his mother, Teekemia, is a social worker and his father, Shavar, Sr., is a retired U.S. Navy Master at Arms who served for 21 years.
- Jared Rhoden is contributing in multiple areas for the Pirates this season and is picking up where he left off late last season.
- He currently ranks in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring (10th, 15.8 points per game), rebounding (5th, 7.6 rpg), free-throw percentage (6th, 81.0) and minutes (5th, 34.5 mpg).
- The Baldwin, N.Y. native also ranks second in the conference with 6.2 defensive rebounds per game.
- Rhoden was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 28 after posting his third double-double of the season and matching his career high with 26 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Georgetown on Dec. 23.
- Rhoden turned in an underrated performance in the win at Marquette on Dec. 17 when he posted 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 35 minutes.
- Rhoden registered his second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career with game-highs of 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory over Wagner on Dec. 8.
- He was two boards shy of a double-double in the comeback win at Penn State where he grabbed eight rebounds, put up 15 points and chipped in three assists and two steals.
- Rhoden erupted with a career-high 26 points to go along with 10 rebounds against the Gaels, his first double-double of the season.
- Through the first two months of the season, the grit and stick-to-itiveness of last year’s Pirates as the visiting team has worn off on this year’s squad.
- The Hall’s three true road wins this season are tied for the second-most in the country.
- Seton Hall is 9-2 in its last 11 BIG EAST road games dating back to last season and following a triumphant 85-68 victory at Xavier on Dec. 30.
- The Hall also picked up a big win at Penn State on Dec. 6 where they trailed by 19 points, scored 50 points in the second half and came back to defeat the Nittany Lions, 98-82.
- The Pirates were playing their fourth game in seven days.
- It was the largest deficit Seton Hall had overcome in a game since coming back from down 23 to beat Robert Morris on Nov. 18, 2007.
- It was the largest road comeback since at least 2007-08 when the Pirates pieced together a 15-point comeback at Providence on Jan. 24, 2008.
- It was The Hall’s first true road non-conference overtime victory since a 76-75 win over Stanford on Nov. 22 1985.
