Seton Hall at St John's

Halldan1 · Mar 5, 2021

Media release

BIG EAST Tournament Seeding on the Line Saturday Night When Seton Hall Visits St. John’s

Seton Hall (13-11, 10-8 BIG EAST, NET 57, KenPom 49) at St. John’s (15-10, 9-9 BIG EAST NET 69, KenPom 69)

Saturday, March 6 • Carnesecca Arena (Queens, N.Y.) • 7 p.m.

TV: FS1 with Kevin Burkhardt & Jim Jackson

Radio: AM970 / XM 384 / Pirate Sports Network / TuneIn with Dave Popkin & Joe DeSantis

SETON HALL MEDIA CENTER

Seton Hall ranks 49th in KenPom, has a NET ranking of 57 and has played nine games against “Quad 1” opponents, second-most in the BIG EAST.
The Pirates’ 10 projected Q1 games are second-most in the conference.
The Hall’s 17 projected Q1 + Q2 games ranks third in the BIG EAST.
Seton Hall’s six Q1 + Q2 wins are tied for third-most conference.
The Pirates’ six true road wins are tied for seventh-most among power conference teams.
The Pirates boast the 27th toughest schedule in Div. I, according to KenPom, and the second-most difficult in the BIG EAST.
The Hall’s NET non-conference strength of schedule ranks 29th in the nation and ninth among major conference teams.

Seton Hall will look to end the regular season on a winning note as the Pirates travel to St. John’s for a 7 p.m. contest on FS1.
This is the first time in Seton Hall’s history that its first and last BIG EAST Conference game of the season are against the same team. The Pirates opened BIG EAST play with a 77-68 win over St. John’s on Dec. 11, 2020.
Over the last five seasons, the Pirates are 4-1 in their BIG EAST regular season finale.
Seton Hall stands in fourth place in the BIG EAST with a 10-8 record.
The Pirates have finished in the top four of the BIG EAST in each of the last five seasons, the longest streak in program history.
If the Pirates do finish in fourth place, they will join Villanova as the only two teams in the league with top-four finishes in each of the last six seasons, dating back to 2015-16.
The Hall has also registered 10 conference wins in five of the last six seasons.
Seton Hall is 12-6 in its last 18 BIG EAST road games dating back to last season.
Sandro Mamukelashvili ranks second in the conference in scoring (17.9 ppg), eighth in rebounding (7.2 rpg) and 14th in assists (3.1 apg).
Jared Rhoden ranks in the top 15 in the BIG EAST in scoring (9th, 14.6 ppg), rebounding (12th, 6.3) and free throw percentage (2nd, 84.9).
Junior Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) ranks fifth in the country with 66 total blocked shots and ranks 10th with 2.7 blocks per game.

Seton Hall trails the all-time series with St. John’s, 44-60, but the Pirates lead the all-time series in BIG EAST regular season games, 35-34.
The Pirates have won 10 of the last 13 games in the series dating back to 2014-15.
This is just Seton Hall’s third visit to Carnesecca Arena under head coach Kevin Willard and first since 2015. The Pirates’ last win at Carnesecca came on Feb. 17, 2010, a 59-50 victory.
Willard is 12-6 in his career against the Red Storm.
In four career starts against St. John’s, Sandro Mamukelashvili is averaging 17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists while making 59 percent of his field goal attempts (24-for-41).

Three possible BIG EAST Tournament seeds are in play and dependent upon tonight’s game as well as the Xavier-Marquette game that tips off after the Pirates and Red Storm.
If Seton Hall beats St. John’s, it will be the No. 4 seed and could face either St. John’s, Xavier or Georgetown in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
If the Pirates lose to St. John’s AND Marquette defeats Xavier, they will be the No. 5 seed. As a No. 5 seed, the Pirates can only face St. John’s in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals.
If the Pirates lose to St. John’s AND Xavier beats Marquette, the Pirates will be the No. 6 seed. Although Seton Hall will have played six more games than Xavier, will have won three more games than the Musketeers and will have had a 1-0 head-to-head advantage, Xavier’s would-be 7-6 record carries a slightly higher winning percentage (.538) than Seton Hall’s would-be 10-9 (.526). As the No. 6 seed, the Pirates can only play DePaul in the BIG EAST Tournament first round.

GETTING BACK TO DEFENSE

A point of emphasis entering the home stretch of the season for the Pirates has been getting back to the program’s roots of being a strong defensive team.
The Pirates have allowed opponents to average only 61.4 points per game over their last seven games.
Opponents have scored 60 points or less in four games this season, the most since 2012-13 when The Hall allowed less than 60 points also in four games.
The Pirates are 18-2 over their last 20 BIG EAST games when holding their opponent under 70 points.
It starts in the front court with Shavar Reynolds, Jr. whose aggressive on-ball defense produces 1.6 steals per game, which ranks third in the BIG EAST.
Jared Rhoden is tied for 11th in the conference in steals with 1.3 swipes per contest.
Myles Cale – a versatile, athletic and veteran 6-6 wing – is often assigned by head coach Kevin Willard to guard the opposing team’s best player.
The paint is enforced by Ike Obiagu, who in just two seasons has become one of 17 players in Seton Hall history to register 100 career blocks (102).

STLPirate12 · Mar 5, 2021