JP Pelzman
Trove correspondent
JACKSONVILLE – For several minutes during Seton Hall’s open practice here at Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday, the scoreboard was showing the logo of the Belmont Bruins, the previous team to use the court. The Hall’s logo finally was posted after Seton Hall officials alerted NCAA and arena personnel to the mistake.
Perhaps that is indicative of the lack of respect Seton Hall has gotten this week.
Not only are the Pirates a 10th-seed despite an impressive non-conference resume and a run to the final of the Big East tournament, but were a three-point underdog as of early Thursday morning to mid-major powerhouse Wofford, which has won 20 consecutive games.
However, the Terriers, who are in the tournament for the first time since 2015, were 0-4 against NCAA tournament teams this season, losing by 11 to Oklahoma, North Carolina and Mississippi State and by 25 to Kansas. Other than the UNC contest, all of those were on the road, however. The Terriers did win by 20 points at South Carolina. To be fair, they were 3-0 against UNC-Greensboro, which was the first team out of the tourney and would have made it if not for Oregon winning the Pac-12 tournament.
By contrast, the Pirates were 6-6 vs. NCAA tournament teams. The winner likely gets a chance to face No. 2 Kentucky, which plays Southland champ Abilene Christian in the early night contest.
Here’s a look at the matchup:
When Wofford has the ball: Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard spent much of his media sessions this week talking up Wofford’s Fletcher Magee, and it wasn’t merely polite coach speak. Magee, a senior shooting guard, has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year the last two seasons, and needs three treys today to beat the Division 1 record for career threes of 504 by Oakland’s Travis Bader.
Magee isn’t a volume shooter, though, hitting 42.8 percent from beyond the arc. All indications are that Myles Cale will begin the game on Magee from a defensive standpoint, and while the may seem strange, look at it this way. Yes, defensive stopper Quincy McKnight repeatedly has shut down the likes of Big East POY Markus Howard of Marquette and Georgetown freshman James Akinjo. But they are much different players than Magee, an uncanny spot-up shooter who isn’t a major threat with the ball in his hands. Consider he has only 54 assists (and 46 turnovers) and 63 two-point field goals, while Akinjo finished with 153 assists and Howard has 131 dimes thus far.
McKnight is a superior on-the-ball defender, but that’s not the most important thing against Magee. Finding him through Wofford’s maze of screens is, and let’s face it, McKnight likely will wind up with him on some switches anyway.
The Pirates also must stop complementary players such as forward Cameron Jackson (14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds) and guard Nathan Hoover (84 threes, 45.7 percent). Also consider that point guard Storm Murphy has only 47 three-pointers, but is shooting a remarkable 48.5 percent from long distance. Slowing down the barrage of threes will be the first order of business for The Hall.
When Seton Hall has the ball: Everyone knows the drill by now. Get the ball to Myles Powell and get out of the way. OK, so maybe it isn’t that simple, but there is no question that Powell makes the Pirates go. When he has had lulls, so have the Pirates, but he has been hot lately, averaging 27.8 points in the last six games. When asked about him Wednesday, Wofford coach Mike Young praised Powell for “making the right play” in passing the ball to teammates when he isn’t open, and of course, praised his scoring ability.
It will be interesting to see how Young plays it--will he allow Powell to “get his” and shut down the rest of the Pirates as completely as possible on offense, or will the Terriers try to shut down Powell and make somebody else beat them?
Consider that Wofford limited Francis Alonso, UNCG’s leading scorer, to 10-for-40 shooting in three games. It seems likely the Terriers will try to make someone else other than Powell beat them.
Benches: Neither team relies that much on its bench for scoring. Taurean Thompson actually leads The Hall by averaging 4.8 points off the bench, but he has had seven DNPs and has ceased to be any kind of a factor recently. Jared Rhoden came on down the stretch and could contribute meaningful minutes, and 7-2 Romaro Gill is a terrific shot-blocker and intimidator in the paint.
Guard Tray Hollowell and center Matthew Pegram each average 5.1 points off the bench for the Terriers, but neither was a major factor for Wofford in the Southern Conference tournament.
Coaching: Kevin Willard may have done the best job of his nine years at Seton Hall by molding a young team into a near-Big East tournament champion. The chemistry is excellent, and unlike last year, when seniors took turns being the go-to guy, everybody knows Powell is the man.
Young is taking the Terriers to the NCAAs for the fifth time, and it’s clear he knows what he’s doing. This is a big-time team that already has garnered national recognition and likely won’t be awed by the big stage. Young has a lot to do with that.
Intangibles: Being from Spartanburg, S.C., Wofford figures to have a good following here given the proximity. But Kentucky blue figures to dwarf the rest of the crowd in this nighttime session. Certainly higher-seeded Wofford has something to prove, but so does a Seton Hall team that has felt underappreciated all season by the national college basketball media.
The pick: Seton Hall 77, Wofford 73
Wofford definitely belongs here, and as noted, doesn’t figure to be awed. But not one Terrier has played in an NCAA tournament game, as opposed to Seton Hall post-grad big Mike Nzei, who basically has lived his entire college career in the tourney. Losing the Big East final will serve as motivation for The Hall, which is talented enough to make a statement here.
COMMENTS?
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Trove correspondent
JACKSONVILLE – For several minutes during Seton Hall’s open practice here at Veterans Memorial Coliseum Wednesday, the scoreboard was showing the logo of the Belmont Bruins, the previous team to use the court. The Hall’s logo finally was posted after Seton Hall officials alerted NCAA and arena personnel to the mistake.
Perhaps that is indicative of the lack of respect Seton Hall has gotten this week.
Not only are the Pirates a 10th-seed despite an impressive non-conference resume and a run to the final of the Big East tournament, but were a three-point underdog as of early Thursday morning to mid-major powerhouse Wofford, which has won 20 consecutive games.
However, the Terriers, who are in the tournament for the first time since 2015, were 0-4 against NCAA tournament teams this season, losing by 11 to Oklahoma, North Carolina and Mississippi State and by 25 to Kansas. Other than the UNC contest, all of those were on the road, however. The Terriers did win by 20 points at South Carolina. To be fair, they were 3-0 against UNC-Greensboro, which was the first team out of the tourney and would have made it if not for Oregon winning the Pac-12 tournament.
By contrast, the Pirates were 6-6 vs. NCAA tournament teams. The winner likely gets a chance to face No. 2 Kentucky, which plays Southland champ Abilene Christian in the early night contest.
Here’s a look at the matchup:
When Wofford has the ball: Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard spent much of his media sessions this week talking up Wofford’s Fletcher Magee, and it wasn’t merely polite coach speak. Magee, a senior shooting guard, has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year the last two seasons, and needs three treys today to beat the Division 1 record for career threes of 504 by Oakland’s Travis Bader.
Magee isn’t a volume shooter, though, hitting 42.8 percent from beyond the arc. All indications are that Myles Cale will begin the game on Magee from a defensive standpoint, and while the may seem strange, look at it this way. Yes, defensive stopper Quincy McKnight repeatedly has shut down the likes of Big East POY Markus Howard of Marquette and Georgetown freshman James Akinjo. But they are much different players than Magee, an uncanny spot-up shooter who isn’t a major threat with the ball in his hands. Consider he has only 54 assists (and 46 turnovers) and 63 two-point field goals, while Akinjo finished with 153 assists and Howard has 131 dimes thus far.
McKnight is a superior on-the-ball defender, but that’s not the most important thing against Magee. Finding him through Wofford’s maze of screens is, and let’s face it, McKnight likely will wind up with him on some switches anyway.
The Pirates also must stop complementary players such as forward Cameron Jackson (14.6 points, 7.5 rebounds) and guard Nathan Hoover (84 threes, 45.7 percent). Also consider that point guard Storm Murphy has only 47 three-pointers, but is shooting a remarkable 48.5 percent from long distance. Slowing down the barrage of threes will be the first order of business for The Hall.
When Seton Hall has the ball: Everyone knows the drill by now. Get the ball to Myles Powell and get out of the way. OK, so maybe it isn’t that simple, but there is no question that Powell makes the Pirates go. When he has had lulls, so have the Pirates, but he has been hot lately, averaging 27.8 points in the last six games. When asked about him Wednesday, Wofford coach Mike Young praised Powell for “making the right play” in passing the ball to teammates when he isn’t open, and of course, praised his scoring ability.
It will be interesting to see how Young plays it--will he allow Powell to “get his” and shut down the rest of the Pirates as completely as possible on offense, or will the Terriers try to shut down Powell and make somebody else beat them?
Consider that Wofford limited Francis Alonso, UNCG’s leading scorer, to 10-for-40 shooting in three games. It seems likely the Terriers will try to make someone else other than Powell beat them.
Benches: Neither team relies that much on its bench for scoring. Taurean Thompson actually leads The Hall by averaging 4.8 points off the bench, but he has had seven DNPs and has ceased to be any kind of a factor recently. Jared Rhoden came on down the stretch and could contribute meaningful minutes, and 7-2 Romaro Gill is a terrific shot-blocker and intimidator in the paint.
Guard Tray Hollowell and center Matthew Pegram each average 5.1 points off the bench for the Terriers, but neither was a major factor for Wofford in the Southern Conference tournament.
Coaching: Kevin Willard may have done the best job of his nine years at Seton Hall by molding a young team into a near-Big East tournament champion. The chemistry is excellent, and unlike last year, when seniors took turns being the go-to guy, everybody knows Powell is the man.
Young is taking the Terriers to the NCAAs for the fifth time, and it’s clear he knows what he’s doing. This is a big-time team that already has garnered national recognition and likely won’t be awed by the big stage. Young has a lot to do with that.
Intangibles: Being from Spartanburg, S.C., Wofford figures to have a good following here given the proximity. But Kentucky blue figures to dwarf the rest of the crowd in this nighttime session. Certainly higher-seeded Wofford has something to prove, but so does a Seton Hall team that has felt underappreciated all season by the national college basketball media.
The pick: Seton Hall 77, Wofford 73
Wofford definitely belongs here, and as noted, doesn’t figure to be awed. But not one Terrier has played in an NCAA tournament game, as opposed to Seton Hall post-grad big Mike Nzei, who basically has lived his entire college career in the tourney. Losing the Big East final will serve as motivation for The Hall, which is talented enough to make a statement here.
COMMENTS?
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