Media Release
- Seton Hall ranks 49th in KenPom, has a NET ranking of 56 and has played six games against “Quad 1” opponents, which is tied for the most in the country.
- The Pirates’ three “Quad 1” wins are tied for third-most in the nation.
- The Pirates boast the 28th toughest schedule among Power Six programs so far, according to KenPom, and the second-most difficult in the BIG EAST behind Marquette.
- Seton Hall has played the most games in the BIG EAST so far (13) and challenged itself early with 10 games in the season’s first 27 days.
- Seton Hall continues its road swing through the Midwest on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest at DePaul.
- The Hall has won seven of its last nine games and received votes in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll this week.
- Among Seton Hall’s all-time seven-game starts to BIG EAST play, the Pirates’ 5-2 record this season is tied for second-best in program history alongside the 1988-89, 1992-93, 1998-99 and 1999-00 teams. Last season’s team had the best start at 7-0 (ultimately 8-0).
- The Pirates rank third in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage (third, 72.9) and are getting to the charity stripe more frequently (303 FT attempts) than any other conference opponent.
- Defensively, The Hall ranks in the top five of the conference in blocked shots (4th, 4.8 bpg) and steals (4th, 6.7 spg).
- The Pirates have won their last 14 BIG EAST conference games when holding their opponent under 70 points.
- The Pirates are 9-3 in their last 12 BIG EAST road games.
- 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 on Jan. 4 after averaging 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in a 2-0 week.
- Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.), who’s been a key part of the Pirates’ recent success, ranks in the top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring (10th, 15.4 ppg), rebounding (9th, 7.2), free-throw percentage (6th, 82.8) and minutes (7th, 34.1 mpg).
- Junior Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) leads the country with 41 total blocked shots and ranks seventh with 3.2 blocks per game.
- Seton Hall leads the all-time series with DePaul, 18-8, and has won eight of the last 10 meetings.
- The Hall has won four of its last five games in Chicago.
- In BIG EAST regular season games, the Pirates are 15-7 all-time against the Blue Demons.
- Each of the last six years has resulted in one team sweeping the regular season series (Seton Hall 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020 and DePaul 2015, 2019).
- Myles Cale is averaging 12.3 points in four career starts against DePaul.
- Through the first 13 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 five players in the Power Six conferences to register multiple 30-point games this season, joining Stanford’s Oscar da Silva, 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.
- He ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring (18.3 ppg), 12th in rebounds (6.8 rpg), 12th in assists (3.3 apg) and sixth in minutes (34.4 mpg).
- 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 third in the BIG EAST in free throw shooting at 72.9 percent, and five of the team’s returners from last season are all shooting a higher percentage this season than their career average.
- Two Pirates rank in the top 15 in the conference in free throw shooting percentage; Jared Rhoden (6th, 82.8) and Sandro Mamukelashvili (14th, 76.1).
- Currently, the most marked improvement belongs to Myles Cale, who at 77.4 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 13 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 16th in the BIG EAST with 13.3 points per contest and 13th with a 45.5 three-point shooting percentage (15-for-33).
- Cale has scored in double figures in five of the last seven 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.
- He also ranks in the top five in the BIG EAST in three-point shooting (48.3 pct.), assists (4th, 4.6 assists per game), steals (4th, 1.8 spg) and assist to turnover ratio (5th, 2.1).
- 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, 15.4 points per game), rebounding (9th, 7.2 rpg), free-throw percentage (6th, 82.8) and minutes (7th, 34.1 mpg).
- The Baldwin, N.Y. native also ranks third in the conference with 5.8 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.
- Seton Hall is 9-3 in its last 12 BIG EAST road games dating back to last season.
- 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.
