Seton Hall MBB

Pirates Breeze Past Bulls

Photo Provided Courtesy Of Madeline Wilson

The Seton Hall Pirates hosted the South Florida Bulls in the final game of their non-conference schedule. The Pirates easily dispatched the Bulls en route to a 66-49 win. With the win the Pirates improved to 10-2 and the Bulls fell to 3-10 on the season. We caught up with Chris Lemus before the game. Chris covers USF sports and he was kind enough to take some time to talk about the Bulls and how they would fare against the Pirates. He believed Jaleel Cousins and Jahmal McMurray with both have a big impact on the game. He also said that the Bulls needed to be disciplined to have a chance at winning this game. He was definitely right on that point.

The first half was dominated by the Pirates. The Hall scored the first 14 points of the game. Khadeen Carrington highlighted this outburst with a great individual sequence. After hitting a three pointer, he stole the ball in the back court and finished with a layup to give him five points in 15 seconds. The Bulls didn’t get on the board until there was 9:59 to go in the first half. The Bulls cut the lead down to seven, but the Pirates increased the lead to 14 to end the first half. The Pirates led 33-19 after the first half. The Pirates were led by Angel Delgado who had 8 points and 6 rebounds. USF was led by Angel Nunez with 9 points.

The second half saw more of the same from the Pirates. The Pirates never allowed the lead to be cut to single digits in the second half. Our friend Chris Lemus said that the Bulls needed to be disciplined to win this game and he was definitely right. The Bulls were not disciplined in this game. They committed 15 turnovers on the night. Chris also mentioned that the Bulls were not a very good three point shooting team. He said that at one point the Bulls were ranked 346th in the nation in three point shooting. On the game the Bulls shot just 20% from beyond the arc.

It was a very balanced attack from the Pirates. There were many contributors for Seton Hall. The Pirates led wire to wire en route to a 66-49 win. The Pirates were led by Angel Delgado who put up 14 points and 11 rebounds. Veer Singh had his best game as a Pirate with 12 points, and Isaiah Whitehead dropped 10 assists for the Hall. South Florida was led by Angel Nunez who posted 19 points and 8 rebounds. Jahmal McMurray added 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists.

With the win the Pirates improve to 10-2 on the season as well as 7-0 at home. The Bulls fall to 3-10 and 0-3 on the road this year. Chris Lemus told us that he expects the Bulls to fare better in conference play. He feels that the team will get more accustomed to Orlando Antigua’s Kentucky style offense. Orlando Antigua is a disciple of John Calipari and runs a similar offense. It will be interesting to see how USF does this year in the AAC. The Bulls are currently without Roddy Peters, their big time transfer from Maryland. Chris seems to think the future is bright for USF. With the talent and continued coaching of Orlando Antigua the future appears to be bright in South Florida.

South Florida will now enter conference play in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls will host Houston on December 30 in their AAC opener. The Pirates will begin Big East Conference play on December 30 when they travel to Marquette. The Pirates took home their 5th straight win and will look to carry that momentum into conference play.

We would like to thank Chris Lemus again for his great knowledge and information on USF basketball. Chris is a great journalist and you can find him on twitter @ChrisJLemus. We will have full coverage of the Big East opener against Marquette on December 30. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs South Florida

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Inside the Enemy Ship: USF Bulls

USF - Rocky The Bull!

Welcome to another edition of “Inside the Enemy Ship”! Today, we are turning our eyes to the University of South Florida Bulls, the Pirate’s next opponent! This time, we had the pleasure of getting two USF Students, Chris (who is on Twitter @ChrisJLemus) and Andrew to get their thoughts on the upcoming game!

BBA: When the season started, where did you see the Bulls season going?
ANDREW: I thought the Bulls were going to be in rebuild mode, building off of last year and making progress
CHRIS: This is the first season where even more of the pieces added to the program would be Antigua’s, which would feature a summer offseason where he can condition the guys to play that uptempo, Kentucky-style offense he’s influenced by from his days with John Caliperi. The loss of Anthony Collins hurts, but Texas A&M fits his half-court, floor general style. Antigua, though, went out and got players like Jahmal Mcmurray, and then, Maryland transfer Roddy Peters became eligible. That being said, I expected the growth to be an increment instead of a spurt. This team is still very much fun to watch, despite the rebuilding period, because there’s an emphasis on athleticism, full court attacking, and extra touches for the post players down low if the lanes collapse after the screen is set.

BBA: What do you think of the the Bulls being in the American Athletic Conference? Is it a good fit?
ANDREW: I think the American is a good fit for the Bulls. The old Big East was an amazing opportunity, but the American affords multiple opportunities as well including guaranteed games against our bitter rival UCF. The development of SMU shows that the American is a conference to be reckoned with.
CHRIS: The American Athletic Conference offers a good challenge for USF, which keeps them aspiring for more. The AAC is good enough to be mentioned with the other power leagues such as the ACC, the B1G, and the SEC. The Bulls’ last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2012, during a time when the Big East had Louisville, Syracuse, Marquette, and UConn. The AAC still deserves to be mentioned in the same wind as the “power” conferences. They sent a team to the national championship two out of the past three years, and sent a couple teams last year dancing. USF recruits competitively like a “power” conference. Antigua got Jaleel Cousins after previously coaching his older NBA all-star brother, and got a 5-star Maryland Terrapin in Roddy Peters to transfer after sending Rod Strickland to recruit him. All that’s left is the team competitiveness, and being in a conference like this helps.

BBA: Which player should the Seton Hall Pirates be the most worried about meeting on the court? Why?
ANDREW: Seton Hall should be most worried about the front court pair of Chris Perry and Jaleel Cousins. Both are dominate big men who have major shot blocking abilities on the defensive end while having explosive dunks on the offensive
CHRIS: Seton Hall does some good things with their guards and field goal shooting that I like to compensate for the lack of size, which has gotten them to where they are now. USF started out the year playing some great shooting teams in Boston University and NJIT, so that’s where they struggle, but they do offer size down low that has been improving exponentially. The biggest piece is Jaleel Cousins. He dropped 20 pounds over the off-season by committing to doing cardiovascular activities he didn’t like, but it paid off with his improved production this year. His basketball IQ also improved. He’s not afraid to take charges, which surprised me this year when I saw him start to put his hands down.

BBA: What do you think of the Bulls (as of time of writing) 3-8 record? How accurately does it portray your team?
ANDREW: I think it is a little bit inaccurate; at times USF has played like an 8-3 team but down the stretch they lose that composure and are unable to complete the game for a win. USF is definitely better than the 3-8 record would imply
CHRIS: The 3-8 record, on paper, looks disappointing, but the turning point isn’t expected to hit a 180 degree rotation this season or in the first 11 games. This rebuilding period is still very much a journey versus a destination. Considering this team had a 14-point lead versus Troy at home before losing and a 15-point lead versus NJIT at home before losing, it should’ve been a better start. But the 3-8 record will one day be a small reflection of the past in the overall bigger picture of success.

BBA: What do you think of current HC Orlando Antigua? Steve Masiello originally agreed to be the next HC before it was discovered he lied on his resume. Does that affect your opinion of Antigua as a “second choice”?
ANDREW: I think Orlando Antigua is a great coach. He so far has been great in recruiting and developing the talent he brings in; evidence of that is in freshman Jahmal McMurray.

To me, Antigua is not a ‘second choice’. He has experience under Calipari and has Hispanic roots, a major bonus in Tampa.
CHIRS:Masiello would’ve been a good addition, but as Orlando Antigua told the Tampa Bay Times, ‘I think I was my wife’s second choice too.’ I’ve seen him enter press conferences and take accountability after losses, and he does a good job of keeping everyone focused on the vision for a polished product while going through the motions of rebuilding a program. I like his leadership, his interaction with the local community, and his recruiting.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?
ANDREW: Seton Hall 87, USF 81
CHRIS: Seton Hall 72 USF 66

There you have it! We’d like to thank both of our friends in the Sunshine State for taking their time to talk to us!

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Pirates Shock the Shockers

Photo Provided Courtesy Of Madeline Wilson

The Seton Hall Pirates took on the Wichita State Shockers in a huge non-conference game at the Prudential Center today. This was the biggest non-conference home game of the Kevin Willard era. The Hall was looking to avenge a loss to Wichita State last season. The Hall came into Wichita and lost 77-68. Seton Hall battled back and won a tough game in overtime today 80-76.

Before today’s game we connected with Evan Pflugradt of Wichita State’s student newspaper, The Sunflower. He gave us some great insight, which you can read about in our previous article. He told us to watch out for Markis McDuffie, who Evan said was due for a breakout game. We told Evan that Seton Hall would try and establish Angel Delgado early and often. Both of our predictions came true in a sense.

The first half was dominated by Wichita State. Surprisingly, the biggest player early on was Shaq Morris. Morris scored 6 of Wichita State’s first 8 points. Those 6 points would be the only points Morris would score all game. The Pirates never led in the first half of this game. The Shockers led by as much as 13 points after a Ron Baker layup gave them a 33-20 lead with 6:34 to go in the first half.

The Pirates did not lead in the first half but did cut the lead to single digits by the end of the half. At the end of the first half the Pirates trailed Wichita State 40-32. The Pirates were led in the first half by Isaiah Whitehead with 12 points. Khadeen Carrington added 10 points and Angel Delgado chipped in 6 rebounds. The Shockers were led by Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet who each posted 11 points.

Markis McDuffie had a very solid first half for the Shockers. He had 3 points, a pair of rebounds, and also a beautiful assist. It was a homecoming for McDuffie who is a Jersey City native. When we spoke to Evan Pflugradt at halftime, he spoke about the turnovers that were a problem for Wichita State. The Shockers committed some sloppy turnovers, a trend that would continue in the second half. The turnovers were overshadowed by the great shooting of Wichita State. The Shockers shot 51.7% from the floor and 55.6% from beyond the arc.

The second half was a very chippy affair. There were many fouls and turnovers on both sides. The Pirates chipped away at the Wichita State until they finally took the lead with 7:51 left in the game on a Derrick Gordon layup. Conner Frankamp scored the next 8 points and Wichita State took a 7 point lead. The Pirates would again battle back and held a 67-65 lead with 34 seconds left. Fred VanVleet would tie the game with a pair of free throws and send the game to overtime.

In overtime the Pirates quickly fell behind after a VanVleet three pointer. However, the Pirates would take the lead with 3:10 remaining in overtime and would never surrender the lead. Ultimately, the Pirates would come out with an 80-76 victory over Wichita State.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez with 18 points. Isaiah Whitehead added 17 points and 5 rebounds. Angel Delgado posted another double double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Wichita State was led by Fred VanVleet with 19 points. Ron Baker added 16 points and 7 assists. Conner Frankamp chipped in 13 points. Wichita State was killed by turnovers. They committed 21 turnovers on the day.

The Pirates got a huge win and improved to 9-2 on the season as well as 6-0 at home. The Shockers fall to 5-5 with the loss and drop to 1-2 on the road this season. Wichita State will head home to take on Nevada on Tuesday night. The Pirates will take on South Florida on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center.

Check out the PPI to see which Pirates stood out against Wichita State. A big thank you again to Evan Pflugradt, a great journalist who has a wealth of college basketball knowledge. You can follow him on twitter @EvPflu.

We will have full coverage of the South Florida game on Tuesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Wichita State

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Inside The Enemy Ship: Wichita State Shockers

BakerCatch

Welcome to the first edition of our new segment, “Inside The Enemy’s Ship”! This is a new type of article that we are planning on (hopefully) doing every week for the remainder of the season. Essentially, we are talking to members of the opposing school to get a better idea of what they think about our school and our upcoming match-up! We couldn’t think of a better school to start of this segment then Wichita State, which is likely Seton Hall’s most notable non-conference home game during Kevin Willard’s tenure. After last years beating 77-68 beating that Seton Hall suffered in Wichita.

We had the pleasure of talking to Evan Pflugradt, one of the sports writers for The Sunflower, Wichita State’s Student newspaper. He was kind enough to take some time during finals week to talk to us. While I wasn’t able to record the whole phone interview (which was undeniably some of the most fun that we’ve had here at BlueBeardArmy in quite some time), below is a rough transcript of what transpired.

BBA: When the season started, where did you see the Shockers season going?

PFLUGRADT: Expectations were to win the MVC regular season champions. Whether or not they win the MVC Conference tournament is a true test, the Shockers have struggled with it in the past because of limited rest between games. They have a standing recognition of winning with amazing scouting reports. Executing those scouting reports is a challenge when you are limited on time between games. Plus, there is usually always a surprise in the Valley.

BBA: What was your reaction to the first loss of the season?

PFLUGRADT: I actually predicted the first loss of the season to Tulsa. Tulsa is the most veteran team in the nation. They returned all five starters. They are made up of nine seniors, five juniors and two freshman. That’s tough to beat a veteran team like that, especially when you’re on the road without your All-American point guard not 100 percent when we didn’t realize it, and continued to play him. Playing VanVleet handicapped us more in that loss.

BBA: Did you ever imagine a situation where WSU was not ranked this season?

PFLUGRADT: In the preseason I actually thought WSU was better than a couple of the teams in the AP Top 10. Yet, the had not done anything yet to show they were worthy of that ranking. They held a streak of 42 weeks, the third longest active in the NCAA, before they fell out after Orlando.

What you have to realize is not only did VanVleet go out, but stand out freshman Landry Shamet, a combo-guard was slated as the backup for VanVleet when he would sit out. Shamet did not make the trip to Orlando with an injury to his left foot, he would have surgery the day before the trip.

With Conner Frankamp still ineligible at the time the Shockers had little to nothing left.

Baker was running the point and Ty Taylor was in at SG. Baker playing out of position was awful, he’s proven he can run the point, but he’s better as an off-guard.

Taylor put up some awful, awful shooting percentage numbers in Orlando, and on the season as a whole he has struggled. Coach said he is deserving of 6-8 minutes per game. In Orlando he posted over 30 and it is not a winning formula.

If I look at the team without three of their four leading scorers (VanVleet, Grady and Shamet) I don’t think it matters if it is Wichita State or anybody in the AP Top 25. I think you take away that much from any team and they fall out of the Top 25 when you’re playing that kind of competition.

So no, initially I didn’t foresee this a possibility, but given the circumstances I think it makes sense.

BBA: Before this game appeared on your schedule, have you ever heard of Seton Hall University?

PFLUGRADT: I have attended a majority of KU games in Lawrence, I believe Seton Hall has traveled to play there a few times in the last few seasons. I don’t recall much about them.

BBA: Which player should the Seton Hall Pirates be the most worried about meeting on the court? Why?

PFLUGRADT: Two players for two reasons. Conner Frankamp.

Frankamp was rated the No. 50 player in the class when he was recruited.
Frankamp made his debut on Wednesday waiting out a transfer eligibility requirement. In his first game he was 0-5 shooting and scored two points. On Saturday he struggled once again, yet he hit his first field goal with 54 seconds left against Utah hitting a two-point jump shot over a 6’6 defender just beating the shot-clock buzzer. He followed it up on the very next possession with a cross-over resulting in a three-point basket. Frankamp can score and is the best shooter on the team, hands down. His release is quicker than ever. He scored the last five points of the game against Utah and he’s finally built some confidence against quality competition for the first time since 2014. When he’s confident he won’t miss much at all. He’s do for a breakout game at any point in time. He will get good minutes. Will probably play 15 minutes, more if he is hitting shots.

The second (is) Markis McDuffie

McDuffie was benched in the loss versus Tulsa. In the games since he has been fired up. One of the most skilled players this team has ever seen. He’s consistent and he’s been amazing himself recently with some shots. Pure athleticism and natural shooter. The best kept secret for the Shockers.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?

PFLUGRADT: 71-53 Wichita State wins

There you have it! A big thanks to Evan, a truly gifted journalist, for taking the time to talk to us! He can be found on Twitter @EvPflu. The Seton Hall Pirates take on the Shockers at the Prudential Center tomorrow at noon. As always, Hazard Zet Forward, and let’s go Pirates!

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