Seton Hall/Providence game notes

[Halldan1]

Seton Hall (12-4, 2-2 BIG EAST) at No. 12 Providence (15-2, 3-1 BIG EAST)

Jan. 16 · Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, R.I.) · 4:30 p.m.

TV: FS1 with Justin Kutcher & Tarik Turner

Radio: AM970 The Answer with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin


What to Know About The Hall:

• Sophomore Khadeen Carrington scored a team-high 17 points and senior Derrick Gordon matched a season-high with 14 points off the bench but The Hall lost a home game for the first time this season last Saturday, dropping an 83-67 decision to Creighton at Prudential Center. SHU is now 8-1 at home on the year.
• The performance was the latest in a stretch that has seen Gordon ramp up his offensive output to go with his stout defensive presence as the senior’s previous season high in scoring came in the opener against Dartmouth. Over the last six games, Gordon has scored at least seven points in a reserve role each time and ranks fifth on the squad with 9.2 ppg during the stretch. For the season, Gordon’s 8.4 ppg are 4th-most among BIG EAST players who have started less than 33 percent of their team’s games, trailing Butler’s Kelan Martin (16 GP, 1 GS - 13.5 ppg), Marquette’s Duane Wilson (17 GP, 3 GS - 12.6 ppg) and Xavier’s James Farr (16 GP, 2 GS - 9.9 ppg).
• Carrington has been among the team’s most consistent sources of offense this season as well, scoring in double-figures a team-high 14 times in the first 16 games - including the last four - after doing so 13 total times in 31 appearances as a freshman. The Brooklyn native has also developed a knack for stepping up during closing time as 12 of his points against Creighton came in the second half. For the year, Carrington is averaging a team-best 7.9 ppg in the second half alone and 127 of his 225 points for the year (.564) have come in the final 20 minutes of regulation.
• Fellow backcourt standout Isaiah Whitehead has also scored in double-figures in each of the last four games after finishing with 10 against the Bluejays - running his total to 13 such efforts this season. On a layup with 11:41 remaining in the first half against Creighton, the BIG EAST All- Rookie honoree reached a milestone by becoming the 116th Pirate, and the only active one, to join the 500-point club. Through 16 outings this season, Whitehead has scored 20+ points four times, one more than he did in 19 GP as a freshman. His final 20-point effort of last season came at Providence as he knocked down four 3-pointers in a narrow 69-62 loss (2/14/15).
• Adding another scoring threat this season has been freshman Veer Singh who has quietly found his shooting stroke as BIG EAST play has gotten underway. Singh has now hit four of his last six 3-point attempts after going 2-for-4 against the Bluejays and is shooting 9-of-18 from deep over the last five games overall. The New York native has drained 2+ 3-pointers three times during the stretch after doing so once in 11 games prior and the hot shooting has helped him climb to 13th in the BIG EAST with a 38.5 3FG% for the year, third-best among the league’s freshmen.
• While Singh has added another perimeter option on the offensive end, The Hall has excelled at limiting its opponents’ opportunities from deep as well. Entering Saturday’s games, Seton Hall has allowed the fewest 3-pointers in the league (94) and ranks third in 3-point defense (.322). BIG EAST foes have shot just 30.8 percent from beyond the arc against the Pirates through four league games and for the year, SHU has held the opposition to a 30 percent mark or worse eight times.
• The Hall also ranks as one of the top rebounding teams in the conference and will head into Saturday’s contest with an average of 39.4 boards/game - the second-highest mark in the conference. Against the Bluejays, Seton Hall totaled 40 rebounds, marking the team’s fifth game with 40+ boards this season. The Pirates’ strength on the glass lies on the offensive end where Angel Delgado (2.9 off reb/game, 4th) and Ismael Sanogo (2.8 off reb/game, 6th) both rank among the league leaders and SHU is pulling down a BIG EAST-best 13.6 offensive rebounds per game. Winning the battle on the offensive boards could help SHU score its first win over a ranked opponent this season as Providence finished with a 29-to-19 advantage on the offensive glass over two meetings last year.
• Creating extra opportunities through aggressive defensive play has been The Hall’s forte as well as the Pirates are averaging 7.6 steals/game (2nd, BIG EAST) with four different players in Desi Rodriguez (1.7 spg, t-3rd), Khadeen Carrington (1.6 spg, 7th), Ismael Sanogo (1.5 spg, 9th), and Derrick Gordon (1.2 spg, t-15th) who rank among the top-15 individually. In its lone conference loss, Providence turned the ball over 16 times against Marquette, allowing 18 points off turnovers in a one-point loss (65-64, 1/5).
• The Pirates’ trip to Providence kicks-off a three-game stretch against teams currently ranked inside the top-12 of the AP poll as following the contest against the Friars, The Hall will wrap up the season series with No. 7 Villanova at home Wednesday (1/20) before visiting No. 8 Xavier on January 23. The stretch will mark the first time since 2012-13 that the Pirates have tangled with three consecutive opponents ranked in the AP Top-25 as SHU fell to No. 6 Syracuse, No. 17 Marquette and No. 10 Louisville in succession that season. The 2012-13 campaign stands as the lone time in the Kevin Willard era that the Pirates finished without a win over a top-25 team however as The Hall has recorded seven such victories since Willard took the helm in 2010-11.
• 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 59 in the latest rankings (1/14), the Pirates boast the fifth-best RPI in the BIG EAST behind only the four teams currently in the AP top-25 in Villanova (1), Xavier (3), Providence (18) and Butler (47). The advanced analytics at KenPom.com also have Seton Hall rated among the top-60 squads in the nation (54) as does the ESPN Basketball Power Index (54).

Tweetables:

• Isaiah Whitehead has 4 20-point efforts this season...dropped 20 pts as a freshman last time @SetonHallMBB visited @PCAthletics #HALLin
• Star Power: Sat’s @SetonHallMBB vs. @PCAthletics game features 2 of the 3 @BIGEAST players who rank in top-7 in pts, ast (Whitehead, Dunn)
• .@SetonHallMBB senior Derrick Gordon playing a huge role for a young team. His 8.4 ppg are 4th-most among all @BIGEAST reserves #HALLin