Seton Hall MBB

Inside the Enemy Ship: Marquette Golden Eagles, Home Edition

Father Wild Celebration Night at the Bradley Center

Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside the Enemy Ship”, once again featuring the Marquette Golden Eagles and insight from our good friend, Jack Goods! With the Pirates looking for their third straight Big East win, the Golden Eagles can play a huge role in deciding which side of the NCAA Tournament bubble they end up on. Check out the interview below for a fantastic preview of the upcoming game!

BBA: Since their loss to Seton Hall, the Golden Eagles have gone 5-4. How accurately does their record reflect how the team has played?
GOODS: It’s been very up and down, as any slate would be when you beat Providence and Butler and lose to DePaul. Marquette shows flashes, but also plays down to opponents like they did against Stetson last week.

BBA: This is a huge game for both teams, who are both trying to end up on the right side of the NCAA bubble. Ultimately, do you think Marquette will make the NCAA tournament?
GOODS: It will be a very tough hill to climb for Marquette to make it into the tournament, especially after losing to DePaul. They’ll need to beat Seton Hall, DePaul and Creighton twice and steal one or two from the Villanova, Providence and Butler. I don’t think this team is consistent enough to do that.

BBA: Now that almost 10 games have passed, do you think Henry Ellenson is closer or further away from winning Big East POTY?
GOODS: I don’t think Henry has much of a chance to win BIG EAST Player of the Year because the incredible talent at the top. There’s no way the conference is passing on Kris Dunn or Ben Bentil to give Ellenson the award. BIG EAST Rookie of the Year is definitely a possibility though.

BBA: What will Marquette have to do differently to beat Seton Hall this time around?
GOODS: Marquette can’t let all of Seton Hall’s scorers be successful. The Pirates were able to get double digit points from Desi Rodriguez (19), Khadeen Carrington (17) and Isaiah Whitehead (16). Marquette would do well in shutting down at least one of the three.

BBA: In this match-up, where Marquette looks to learn from the previous game, who do you think Seton Hall should be most worried about meeting in the court?
GOODS: Henry Ellenson is coming off his best performance of the year, scoring 32 points, grabbing 10 boards and blocking six shots. He wasn’t much of a factor the first go-around. If he plays anything like he did against Butler, Marquette should win this game.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?
GOODS: 78-74 MU

As always, a huge thank you goes out to Jack Goods (@GoodsOnSports) for taking the time to share his knowledge and talk with us. With #11 Providence falling to DePaul last night, the Pirates have a chance to claim the #3 spot in the Big East with a win against Marquette tonight. Tip-off at the Prudential Center is at 8:30, and if you can’t make it, it will be broadcast live on FS1. Before we can turn our heads towards Selection Sunday, lets hope the Pirates win today. As always, Hazard Zet Forward my friends.

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Bracketology Update

The updated NCAA Tournament bracket projections are out, and the Pirates are in the field in nearly all of them. In the USA Today bracket projection, the Pirates are currently a 12 seed and would play Cincinnati in a play-in game for the right to face Purdue. In the most recent ESPN bracket from Joe Lunardi, the Pirates are an 11 seed and would play in the play-in game against California for the right to face Wichita State. The Pirates knocked off the Shockers in December. Jerry Palm of CBS Sports has the Pirates as an 8 seed and they would take on the Indiana Hoosiers.

The Pirates are back in action on Wednesday as they take on Marquette at the Prudential Center. We will have the preview of the game up in the next few days and will also have full coverage and a recap. Also, congratulations to Isaiah Whitehead who was named Big East player of the week. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

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Pirates Get Revenge

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today as they took on the Creighton Bluejays. The Pirates were looking to avenge an 82-67 loss back on January 9. The Pirates would come into Omaha and knock out the Bluejays 75-65. Before the game we spoke to Anthony Robinson who can be found on twitter @ARobinson_. He is a great journalist and is well worth a follow! He gave us some great insight on the game which can be seen in our previous post.

Both teams started slowly to begin the game. The first five minutes were defined by great defense and poor offensive execution. Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo both came out strong in the first few minutes for the Pirates. With 15:53 remaining in the first half, Isaiah Zierded knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 6. The Pirates would then take the lead and never relinquish it for the remainder of the game. The two teams remained very close throughout much of the first half before the Pirates pulled away late. The Pirates would go into halftime leading 40-27.

The Bluejays were led by James Milliken with 9 points. Maurice Watson Jr. added 6 points for the Bluejays. Isaiah Zierden led Creighton in the first half with 3 rebounds, and Watson Jr. led the team with 4 assists. The Bluejays shot just 23.1% from beyond the arc and had no offensive rebounds in the first half.

The Pirates were led in the first half by Angel Delgado with 11 points and 5 rebounds. Desi Rodriguez tied Delgado for the lead in rebounds with 5, and he added 7 points. Isaiah Whitehead led the Pirates with 4 assists in the first half.

The Pirates came out red hot to start the second half. Creighton would score the first two points of the second half, but then the Pirates would score the next 7 points to open up an 18 point lead. With 16:50 to go in the second half, a Desi Rodriguez three pointer would give the Pirates a 22 point lead. The Bluejays were resilient though, and would grind the Seton Hall lead down to 10 points. However, Isaiah Whitehead would answer with a three pointer and help stabilize the Pirates lead. The lead would never drop below 10 points, and the Pirates would come away with a 75-65 win over Creighton.

The Bluejays were led overall by James Milliken with 21 points. The only other player to score in double figures was Maurice Watson Jr. who scored 14 for Creighton. Watson Jr. led the Bluejays with 6 assists. Zach Hanson led Creighton on the boards with 6 rebounds. In the previous meeting, Geoffrey Groselle put up 20 points on the Pirates. He was injured during this game and the Pirates took advantage. The Pirates demolished the Bluejays on the boards. The Pirates grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to just 6 for the Bluejays.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who led the Pirates in points and assists with 22 and 6, respectively. Angel Delgado posted a double double with 13 points and a team high 12 boards. Desi Rodriguez also posted a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Ismael Sanogo chipped in 12 points and 8 rebounds.

With the loss the Bluejays fall to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in Big East play. With the victory the Pirates improve to 15-6 overall and 5-4 in Big East play. Creighton will now head to Philadelphia to take on the Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday. The Pirates will return home to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday.

We would again like to give a huge thank you to Anthony Robinson. He is a great friend of the site and is a tremendous journalist. Check out the PPI chart to see which Pirates did the best today. We will have full coverage of the Marquette game on Wednesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Creighton (2)

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Inside The Enemy Ship: Creighton Bluejays, Away Edition

creighton_vs_bradley-897

Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside the Enemy Ship”, once again featuring the Creighton Bluejays! Fresh off a 19 point win at home against St. John’s, the Seton Hall Pirates took to avenge their crucial loss to Creighton earlier in the season. For previewing tonight’s game, we’re more than happy to welcome back Anthony Robinson, a senior at Creighton! Check below for this thoughts on the game!

BBA: Since their last meeting, Creighton has gone 2-2 overall, and 1-1 against ranked opponents. How accurately does it reflect the team overall?
ROBINSON: The Bluejays could be 4-0 over its past four games, but lost two games by a combined three points. Kris Dunn received a lucky roll at the buzzer and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera hit a pair of clutch free throws to cap a 15-3 run. Creighton’s defense has been impressive over the last few games, holding Providence and Butler to low percentages during the two home games during the stretch. The Jays have also continued to play with the same type of pace they did against Seton Hall, which is vital to their offensive success.

BBA: This game is an must win for Seton Hall to have any reasonable chance at an at-large bid. How big is this game for Creighton?
ROBINSON: If it’s a must-win Seton Hall, then it’s a must-win game for both squads. Creighton plays three of its next four at home before only two games at the CenturyLink over the final three weeks of the season. As the conference schedule continues it’s very important to protect home-court. The Bluejays also need to put the Georgetown loss in the rear-view mirror and move on because every night is going to be a fight.

BBA: At the end of the season, do you see the Bluejays making the NCAA tournament?
ROBINSON: If the Jays can get to the 20-win plateau with at least one win against Villanova, Xavier or Providence then I think they have a good shot at an at-large bid. Creighton also is among seven or even eight teams that have the ability to win three or four games at MSG to secure the automatic bid.

BBA: After a big win against #18 Butler, how bad was the loss against Georgetown the following game?
ROBINSON: Many of the players have stressed all season long that losing always hurts, but the way Creighton let an 11-point lead slip away in the final two minutes definitely sits the same way many of the losses from last season did. The way the Bluejays bounce back could be a sign for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t say the loss at Georgetown was a bad loss, but the Jays can’t let it hinder their path to success.

BBA: What do you think Seton Hall has to do differently to make for their embarrassing loss at home?
ROBINSON: Seton Hall needs to do a better job of controlling the inside game. Creighton’s Geoffrey Groselle and Zach Hanson combined for 30 points and missed only two shots in 15 attempts, while Angel Delgado and Ismael Sanogo had only nine points combined. Overall the Pirates held a 40-39 advantage in rebounds, but they did not defend well on the interior.

BBA: What players should Seton Hall be most worried about meeting on the court this time around?
ROBINSON: Last time I said Isaiah Zierden and I still think Seton Hall needs to pay special attention to him as he leads the Big East in 3-pointers made (56) and made eight at DePaul on Jan. 17. I also believe the Pirates need to worry about Zach Hanson. Hanson went for 10 points and six rebounds in Newark and is averaging 9.0 points and 3.6 rebounds over the past five games, including the last meeting between the Bluejays and Pirates.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?
ROBINSON: 79-68 Creighton

Once again, we’d like to thank Anthony to taking his time to talk to us, whose input was extremely insightful and got us more excited for tonight’s game. Tip-off is in Omaha at 8 PM, and will be broadcast on MSG+. As always, Hazard Zet Forward, especially as the Pirates’ tournament hopes try to become closer to reality.

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