Media release
- Seton Hall ranks 53rd in KenPom, has a NET ranking of 58 and has played nine games against “Quad 1” opponents, the second-most in the BIG EAST.
- The Pirates finished the regular season with 10 Quad 1 games played, the most in the BIG EAST.
- The Hall’s 17 Q1 + Q2 games played during the regular season ranked third in the BIG EAST.
- The Pirates’ six true road wins are tied for seventh-most among power conference teams.
- The Pirates boast the 24th toughest schedule in Div. I, according to KenPom, and the most difficult in the BIG EAST.
- The Hall’s NET non-conference strength of schedule ranks 10th among major conference teams.
- Seton Hall returns to Madison Square Garden this week for its first BIG EAST Tournament game since 2019 as the fifth-seeded Pirates will face the No. 4 seed St. John’s in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal matchup on FS1.
- This is the sixth consecutive season and the 12th time in program history that The Hall has been seeded fifth or higher at the BIG EAST Tournament.
- The Pirates’ last appearance at the BIG EAST Tournament came in the 2019 championship game, its second appearance in four years, where they fell in a tight contest to top-seeded Villanova, 74-72.
- Under head coach Kevin Willard, the Pirates are 16-11 at Madison Square Garden, including 14-7 since 2013-14.
- In that span, Seton Hall has reached the BIG EAST semifinals four times and the BIG EAST final twice.
- The current senior group of Myles Cale, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Shavar Reynolds Jr. are 6-3 at MSG.
- Seton Hall’s 10-9 BIG EAST record earned the Pirates their sixth consecutive top-four finish in the league. Prior to 2015-16, the Pirates had only had six top-four BIG EAST finishes in its program history. Seton Hall’s six top-four finishes is tied for second-most in the conference, alongside Creighton and Providence.
- Top-Four Finishes in BIG EAST Since 2013-14 (Including Ties)
- Villanova – 8
- Seton Hall – 6
- Creighton – 6
- Providence – 6
- Xavier – 4
- Butler – 3
- Georgetown – 2
- Marquette – 2
- St. John’s – 2
- DePaul – 0
- Top-Four Finishes in BIG EAST Since 2013-14 (Including Ties)
- The Hall has also registered 10 conference wins in five of the last six seasons.
- Senior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) was named a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST first team on March 7.
- Mamukelashvili is one of only two players in the BIG EAST Conference to rank in the league’s top in scoring (17.8), rebounding (7.3) and assists (3.1).
- Seton Hall also had two players win BIG EAST statistical titles.
- Junior Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) became just the third Pirate to lead the conference in free throw shooting, joining Rimas Kaukenas in 1998-99 and Dan Callandrillo in 1981-82.
- In 19 conference games, Rhoden made 90.8 percent of his shots at the line.
- Junior Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) became just the fourth Pirate to lead the conference in blocked shots, joining former teammate Romaro Gill, who led the league last year, Eddie Griffin in 2000-01 and Samuel Dalembert in 1999-00.
- In 19 conference games, Obiagu averaged 2.7 blocks per game.
- The Pirates are 31-36 all-time at the BIG EAST Tournament with championships in 1991, 1993 and 2016.
- Thursday’s quarterfinal against St. John’s represents the fifth time in program history that Seton Hall’s first BIG EAST Tournament game is against the same team it closed the regular season against. The Pirates are 3-1 in the tournament rematches.
- 2018: Butler, W 77-70; L 75-74 in BIG EAST Tour.
- 2014: Butler, L 71-54; W 51-50 in BIG EAST Tour.
- 2010: Providence, W 102-98; W 109-106 in BIG EAST Tour.
- 1988: Georgetown, L 102-98; W 61-58 in BIG EAST Tour.
- The Pirates are 4-1 in BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal games under head coach Kevin Willard.
- This is Seton Hall’s third BIG EAST Tournament as the No. 5 seed, joining the 1999-00 and 2016-17 teams. On both occasions, the Pirates won their first tournament game.
- In 2000, The Hall topped No. 12 seed Providence in the BIG EAST first round. In 2017, the Pirates defeated No. 4 seed Marquette in the quarterfinals. The win over Marquette also marks the program’s lone win against a BIG EAST No. 4 seed.
