No. 4 Villanova (16-2, 6-0 BIG EAST) at Seton Hall (13-4, 3-2 BIG EAST)
Jan. 20 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 9 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz, Doug Gottlieb & Jamie Erdahl
Radio: AM970 The Answer with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
What to Know About The Hall:
Jan. 20 · Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) · 9 p.m.
TV: CBS Sports Network with Rich Waltz, Doug Gottlieb & Jamie Erdahl
Radio: AM970 The Answer with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
What to Know About The Hall:
- Sophomore Khadeen Carrington finished with a career-high 22 points, his 3rd 20-point game of the season, helping the Pirates score an 81-72 victory at No. 12 Providence on Saturday. Backcourt-mate Isaiah Whitehead finished with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds while fellow starters Derrick Gordon (15) and Desi Rodriguez (10) also scored in double-figures.
- The victory was the first for the Pirates over a ranked team this season and marked the program’s eighth win over an AP Top-25 team under head coach Kevin Willard. All eight of those wins have come against foes ranked inside the top-15 and six have come at home at Prudential Center where SHU will host Villanova on Wednesday. The Hall owns two victories over the Wildcats since the beginning of the 2013-14 campaign and is the lone BIG EAST team to beat Villanova in each of the last two years.
- While the upcoming schedule features a number of notable opponents, The Hall has built a strong postseason resume of its own over the first half of the season. At 41 in the latest rankings (1/18), the Pirates boast the fourth-best RPI in the BIG EAST behind only three teams it will face during the current three-game stretch in Villanova (2), Xavier (3), and Providence (31). The advanced analytics at KenPom.com also have Seton Hall rated among the top-50 squads in the nation (44) as does the ESPN Basketball Power Index (48).
- Through five BIG EAST outings, Khadeen Carrington has emerged as one of the most potent scorers in the league. Carrington’s 22-point showing at Providence included a 12-for-12 mark from the free throw line, matching the fourth-most single game total free throws made without a miss in program history. Now averaging 16.8 ppg against conference opposition, Carrington is tied for fifth in the league and the +2.3 ppg difference between his season and BIG EAST average is fourth-best among players in the top-10.
- 14 of Carrington’s points against the Friars came after halftime, continuing a trend that has seen the sophomore take over late in games. Over the last three contests, Carrington has totaled 36 points in the second half alone and for the season, the Brooklyn native has scored a team-best 8.3 ppg after intermission. In a 66-61 overtime win over Villanova at home last season, scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half and the extra period.
- Isaiah Whitehead continues to shine as the Pirates’ point guard and now has seven games with 5+ assists this year, pushing his career total to 16 such games in 36 career appearances. The Hall is 7-0 when he hands out five or more helpers this season and over SHU’s last four wins, the standout sophomore is averaging 8.3 assists per game. Whitehead has also scored in double figures in nine of the last 10 games and has done so a total of 14 times this year.
- Carrington and Whitehead have been arguably the most potent duo in the BIG EAST since the beginning of conference play. Both Brooklyn products have joined the 500 career point club this season and currently rank in the top-10 in scoring and assists, standing as the only pair of teammates in the conference who can make that claim. Through five conference games, Carrington and Whitehead of scored or assisted on 94 of the team’s 130 FGM (.723). The two have made a tremendous impact while keeping the rest of the Pirates involved as only seven of their 41 combined assists in league play have come on shots made by the other.
- Derrick Gordon has also elevated his game since the schedule turned to BIG EAST competition as the senior is coming off his finest performance in a Pirate uniform. Gordon has played at least 24 minutes in all five BIG EAST games after doing so just twice in the final eight non-conference games and has responded by ranking third on the team with 10.8 ppg. At 8.8 ppg for the season, Gordon ranks fourth among BIG EAST players that have started less than 33 percent of their team’s games.
- The Pirates grabbed 50 rebounds in the victory over the Friars, their second-highest total of the season behind a 53-rebound performance in a win over in-state rival Rutgers. Coincidentally, the 50 rebounds were also the most by a Seton Hall team in a BIG EAST game since SHU pulled down 56 in a 85-74 win over the Scarlet Knights on March 4, 2010.
- The Hall also improved to 9-0 when leading at halftime this season, moving to 23-2 over the last two seasons when ahead at the break. Over the last three years, the Pirates have won 38 of the 42 games in which they have taken an advantage into halftime.
- The victory over the Friars earned Seton Hall votes in Monday’s Coaches Top-25 poll, marking the second time this season that The Hall has received votes. SHU also received votes in the AP poll heading into the first matchup with the Wildcats after opening BIG EAST plays with wins at Marquette and vs. DePaul.
- A win on Wednesday would give The Hall a pair of victories over AP Top-25 opponents in consecutive games for the second time in as many seasons. Prior to beating then-No. 15 St. John’s and then-No. 6 Villanova to open BIG EAST play last season, SHU had not won two-straight games over AP Top-25 foes since 2005-06 when the Pirates downed No. 15 NC State and No. 25 Syracuse in consecutive road games. Seton Hall has beaten ranked BIG EAST opponents in consecutive games just one other time in its history, downing No. 22 Pittsburgh (83-73) and No. 18 Georgetown (63-50) as part of a 1990-91 season that included the program’s first-ever BIG EAST Tournament title.
- Isaiah Whitehead is averaging 8.3 assists in the last four @SetonHallMBB wins and the Pirates are 7-0 when he records 5+ assists this year
- .@SetonHallMBB’s dynamic backcourt duo of Carrington and Whitehead each rank among the top-10 in scoring and assists during @BIGEAST play
- Following the win at PC, @SetonHallMBB is 9-0 this season when leading at the half SHU is now 23-2 when up at halftime over the last 2 years
