SHU/Xavier game notes

[Halldan1]

Seton Hall faces third straight ranked opponent, plays at Xavier Saturday

Seton Hall (13-5, 3-3 BIG EAST) at No. 5 Xavier (16-2, 4-2 BIG EAST)

Jan. 23 · Cintas Center (Cincinnati, Ohio) · 2 p.m.

TV: FOX Sports Networks (YES Network in NY market) with Steve Physioc & Dickey Simpkins

Radio: WMCA 570 AM with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin

List of TV Clearances



What to Know About The Hall:

• Isaiah Whitehead delivered his second 20-point performance in as many games against nationally-ranked Villanova, finishing with a game-high 21 points but the Pirates fell just short of stopping the No. 4 Wildcats’ BIG EAST winning streak as ‘Nova came away with a 72-71 victory Wednesday at Prudential Center. The loss followed a 72-63 decision in favor of the Wildcats when the Pirates visited the Pavilion (1/6) and Villanova has now won 22-straight games against conference opposition, the longest streak in the nation.
• Sophomore Khadeen Carrington added 17 points to lead the supporting cast as four Pirates scored in double-figures for the second consecutive game. The backcourt tandem of Brooklyn natives Whitehead and Carrington has emerged as one of the top pairs in the entire league as the two sophomores have combined for at least 27 points in all six BIG EAST games to this point; topping the 30-point mark five times. Carrington (16.8 ppg, 5th) and Whitehead (16.7 ppg, 8th) have been the second-highest scoring duo in conference play behind Providence’s Ben Bentil (20.2 ppg, 1st) and Kris Dunn (18.5 ppg, 3rd).
• Tasked with the majority of the ball-handling duties, Whitehead and Carrington also combined for eight assists with just two turnovers in 63 combined minutes. As a team, the Pirates turned in one of their most efficient offensive performances in recent memory, totaling a season-low six giveaways. It was the fewest number of turnovers that Seton Hall has recorded since finishing with six in a 92-81 win over LIU-Brooklyn on December 5, 2013 and was the first time that SHU posted six turnovers or less in a BIG EAST game since finishing with six en route to a 76-70 victory over in-state rival Rutgers on February 23, 2010.
• Desi Rodriguez had his shooting touch working against Villanova as well, knocking down a career-high three triples as part of a 14-point effort. After sinking just 1 of his 12 attempts from beyond the arc as a freshman, Rodriguez has blossomed into one of the top shooting forwards in the BIG EAST ranking seventh overall with a 40.8 3FG% for the season (20-of-49). The Bronx native has been a vital two-way presence for The Hall this year as well, recording a steal in all 18 games - including three last time out.
• While Rodriguez has excelled at generating turnovers, The Hall currently boasts two legitimate early contenders for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Sophomore Ismael Sanogo, a 6-foot-8 forward with the ability to guard all five positions, has developed from a reserve last season into a starter who currently stands as the only BIG EAST player to rank in the top-10 in rebounding, steals and blocks. On the perimeter, senior Derrick Gordon routinely draws the toughest individual assignment and has helped stymie some of the premier guards in the nation including Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet (33.0 FG%, 3 A/6 TO) and Kris Dunn of Providence (2 A/4 TO).
• The Hall has split time between its homecourt and the road over the first six league games, registering a 2-1 record on the road. Khadeen Carrington has averaged a team-best 17.7 ppg in the three conference road contests prior to Saturday (19-of-20 FT) and poured in a career-high 22 points to lead SHU past No. 12 Providence in the most recent away game. A win on Saturday would give the Pirates three victories in their first four BIG EAST road games for the first time since 1999-00.
• At 13-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play, The Hall boasts one of the best postseason resumes in the BIG EAST. SHU stands 45th overall and fourth among BIG EAST squads in the latest RPI rankings with four wins over RPI Top-100 opponents (Providence-24, Wichita State-34, Georgia-66, Ole Miss-91). Four of the Pirates’ five losses have come against RPI Top- 100 foes (Villanova (2x)-1, GW-35, Creighton-94) and the Pirates are rated as one of the top-50 teams in the nation by KenPom.com (43) and the ESPN Basketball Power Index (45) as well.
• Following the win over the No. 12 Friars last weekend, another win on Saturday would mark the first time in 104 seasons of Seton Hall basketball that the Pirates have defeated a pair of top-12 opponents in true road games during the same season. SHU has recorded two wins over teams ranked inside the top-12 away from home just one other time. During the 1999-00 season, a near triple-double from current associate head coach Shaheen Holloway led the Pirates past No. 4 Syracuse at the Carrier Dome during the regular season (69-67, 2/7/00); snapping ‘Cuse’s 19-game winning streak. Seeded 10th in the East Region, SHU went on to outlast second-seeded Temple (AP No. 5); advancing to the Sweet 16 with a 67-65 overtime win at a neutral site in Buffalo.
• A victory would also mark the sixth in program history for The Hall over an AP top-five opponent. The aforementioned win at Syracuse currently represents the lone time that one of those wins came in a true road setting. Head coach Kevin Willard guided the Pirates to a 64-63 win over No. 3 Villanova in the quarterfinal round of the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament and would be the second Seton Hall coach to record two victories over AP top-five foes while at the school, but the first to do so in two separate seasons.
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• PREVIOUS SETON HALL WINS OVER AP TOP-FIVE OPPONENTS
  • 3/3/14 - vs. No. 3 Villanova (MSG), 64-63 Head Coach: Kevin Willard
  • 2/9/04 - vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh (Meadowlands), 68-67 (2OT) Head Coach: Louis Orr
  • 3/19/00 - vs. No. 5 Temple (NCAA Tournament 2nd Rd), 67-65 (OT) Head Coach: Tommy Amaker
  • 2/7/00 - at No. 4 Syracuse (Carrier Dome), 69-67 Head Coach: Tommy Amaker
  • 1/3/89 - vs. No. 5 Georgetown (Meadowlands), 94-86 Head Coach: PJ Carlesimo
• Over Xavier’s first two seasons as a member of the BIG EAST, Willard has led The Hall to a 3-1 record against the Musketeers. The Pirates swept the season series in 2013-14, becoming the first BIG EAST team to win at the Cintas Center since XU joined the league (68-60, 2/1/14) and then posting a 71-62 win at home. Last year, Xavier topped a short-handed SHU team, 69-58, in Cincinnati (1/7/15) but Isaiah Whitehead returned to score 19 points and lead Seton Hall to a 90-82 victory at Prudential Center in the most recent meeting between the two squads (1/31/15). Prior to the start of conference play this year, The Hall (3-1) and Villanova (4-0) were the only BIG EAST teams to post as many as three regular season wins against the Musketeers over their first two years in the conference.

Tweetables:

• With a win at No. 5 Xavier Sat., @KevinWillard would be the first coach to lead @SetonHallMBB past AP Top-5 opponents in 2 different seasons
• .@SetonHallMBB’s Whitehead (16.7 ppg, 8th) and Carrington (16.8 ppg, 5th) are the second-highest scoring duo in the @BIGEAST in league play
• .@SetonHallMBB is looking to move to 3-1 in its first 4 @BIGEAST road games for the first time since 1999-00. SHU advanced to 2000 Sweet 16