PirateCrew: Seton Hall Pirates Football & Basketball Recruiting
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By JP Pelzman
Thoughts and observations from Seton Hall’s monumental 67-65 victory over Michigan:
Doesn’t erase the ghosts, but...
It has hard not to think déjà vu seeing the foul on Jared Rhoden. Yes, it was a foul, but I've seen contact like that inside of a second not called a foul. We all have. It would have been crushing for Seton Hall if the game has gone to overtime and the Pirates had come up short. Maybe karma was at work. Who knows? But it worked out for the Pirates despite some precarious moments.
Triple-word score.
Assuming the Wolverines have the type of season everyone expects, then this will be a tremendous win for The Hall to have in its pocket come Selection Sunday. It's a win on the road against a ranked team in a raucous non-conference setting. The committee has made it clear these games count a lot.
And with Ohio State up next in Fort Myers and Texas at home next month, there will be more chances. “I don’t know who put this schedule together,” coach Kevin Willard quipped during the postgame on FoxSports1.
Depth made the difference.
As did Willard’s utilization of that depth. Not only did every Pirate play at least 12 minutes, nobody played more than 28. Willard was able to rotate everyone and keep fresh defenders on the floor. That enabled him to turn up the defensive heat on Michigan and his players executed, wiping out an 11-point second-half deficit. Quality depth is a “luxury” in college basketball, as Willard said earlier this season, and he is learning quickly how best to use it.
Tray magnifique.
Tray Jackson was quite impressive, with 13 points and six rebounds in 24 minutes. He also shot 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, something I know I wasn’t necessarily expecting from him.
“He’s got an unbelievable stroke” from deep, said Willard in his post-game interview with Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin on 970 AM.
Willard also marveled at the fact the Missouri transfer maintained his poise despite playing approximately 40 miles from his hometown of Detroit.“
A lot of times when guys play so close to home,” Willard said, “they lay an egg.” Not this time.
The Aiken everyone expected.
This was the Bryce Aiken that many teams, including Michigan, which 'settled' for Columbia's Mike Smith, were salivating over in the spring of 2020.
His ability to start and stop on a dime, change direction and generally create havoc for his opponent made a huge difference. Seton Hall was a completely different team with him on the floor.
A moment of catharsis.
Willard said to Cohen and Popkin how difficult not only the COVID season of last year was, but also, The Tournament That Never Was.
He said, “I thought I had a national championship team,” in 2019-20, and even over the radio, one could hear the longing of someone who will be haunted by that unfinished business and unfulfilled dream forever.
No, this victory doesn’t erase that, just as it doesn’t wipe out the memory of John Clougherty’s whistle and Rumeal Robinson’s free throws that never should’ve happened. But it is something. Something big to build on.
