Pirates Finish Strong

The Seton Hall Pirates wrapped up the regular season today as they faced the DePaul Blue Demons in Chicago, Illinois. The Pirates were coming off of a loss to Butler and were looking to end the regular season on a winning note. The Pirates would defeat DePaul 80-66.

The Pirates would never trail in the first half. With 11:11 remaining in the first half, Khadeen Carrington would hit a three pointer to give Seton Hall a 10 point lead. The Blue Demons would fight back and cut the lead down. With 6:55 to go in the first half, Myke Henry would hit a three pointer to cut the lead to 24-20. The Pirates would again build the lead back up to 9 points after an Angel Delgado jumper. However, two free throws from Eli Cain cut the Pirates lead to 4 as the teams went to the locker room. At halftime the Pirates led DePaul 36-32.

The Blue Demons were led by Myke Henry who had 9 points and 3 rebounds in the first half. Rashaun Stimage added 4 points and led DePaul with 5 rebounds. Billy Garrett and Eli Cain each had 5 points in the first half. The Blue Demons shot 46.2% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez who had 9 points and 3 assists in the first half. Khadeen Carrington also had 9 points in the first half. Isaiah Whitehead added 8 points and 3 assists in the first half. Angel Delgado led the Hall with 5 rebounds, and Ismael Sanogo had 4 rebounds. The Pirates shot 51.9% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates took some time to find their rhythm in the second half. A quick bucket from Rashaun Stimage cut the Pirate lead to 2. The Pirates would increase the lead back up to 9 only to see it brought back down again. Billy Garrett would hit a three pointer with 10:08 to go that would cut the lead to 3. From there the Pirates would dominate. A three pointer from Isaiah Whitehead would give the Pirates a 15 point lead. The Pirates would lead by as much as 18 points in the second half. Isaiah Whitehead was absolutely on fire in the second half. The Pirates would go on to win by a score of 80-66.

The Blue Demons were led by Billy Garrett who had 18 points. Myke Henry added 15 points and 4 rebounds. Rashaun Stimage chipped in 7 points and 7 boards. Aaron Simpson led DePaul with 4 assists. The Blue Demons shot 43.4% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who had a career high 33 points. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. Khadeen Carrington added 17 points and 4 assists. Angel Delgado led the Pirates with 10 rebounds. Desi Rodriguez added 11 points and Ismael Sanogo grabbed 9 rebounds. The Pirates shot 55.1% from the field and 48% from beyond the arc.

With the loss the Blue Demons fall to 9-21 on the season and 3-15 in Big East play. With the win the Pirates improve to 22-8 on the season and 12-6 in Big East play. Both teams now go on to the Big East Tournament. The Pirates will play on Thursday night at 9:30 p.m., the opponent is still being determined.

Check out the PPI below to see which players excelled. We will have a huge Big East Tournament preview as well as coverage of the Pirates first round match up. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs DePaul (2)

Too Little, Too Late

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action yesterday as they took on the Butler Bulldogs in Indianapolis, Indiana. Before the game we had the pleasure of talking to Marisa Miller of the Butler Collegian. She is a tremendous journalist and we thank her for her insight. Her responses can be found in our preview. The Pirates were coming off of a big win over #5 Xavier on Sunday. Butler was looking to get a win and try and lift themselves from the NCAA bubble. Ultimately, Butler would come away with the victory 85-78.

The Pirates would never lead in this one. Butler would score the first basket of the game, and although the Pirates would tie the score once, Butler would never trail. The Bulldogs would build a large lead in the first half. Taking advantage of sloppy offense from the Pirates, the Bulldogs would lead by 17 with 3:12 remaining in the first half. The Pirates would cut the lead down a bit, but the Bulldogs would not go away. Going into halftime, the Bulldogs led the Pirates 43-28.

The Bulldogs were led in the first half by Kellen Dunham who had 16 points and 2 assists. Kelan Martin added 11 points and led the team with 8 rebounds. Roosevelt Jones led Butler with 3 assists in the first half. Tyler Wideman chipped in 6 points and 5 rebounds in the first half. The Bulldogs shot 48.1% from the field and 58.3% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led in the first half by Desi Rodriguez who had 6 points and 3 rebounds. Angel Delgado led the Pirates with 4 rebounds in the first half. Isaiah Whitehead and Ismael Sanogo each had 5 points in the first half. Seton Hall shot 33.3% from the field and 12.5% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates made a run in the second half. Butler would open the scoring in the second half with a layup from Andrew Chrabascz to increase the lead to 17. The Pirates would then go on a 12-0 run. After two free throws from Desi Rodriguez the Pirates would trail by just 5 with 13:42 remaining. Butler would come back and after a Roosevelt Jones layup they would lead by 9. The Pirates would not go away, and after an Isaiah Whitehead free throw they trailed by just 4. An Isaiah Whitehead three pointer with 2:22 remaining would cut the deficit to just 2. The Pirates would get the lead down to 2 a few more times, but would never get any closer. Butler would go on to defeat the Hall 85-78.

The Bulldogs were led by Kellen Dunham who had 22 points and 2 assists. Roosevelt Jones had a great game with 20 points, 5 assists, and 5 rebounds. Kelan Martin added 13 points and 9 rebounds. Butler shot 51% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who had 27 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Khadeen Carrington had a solid game with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists. Desi Rodriguez had 12 points for Seton Hall. Ismael Sanogo grabbed 8 rebounds and Angel Delgado grabbed 7 boards. The Pirates shot 41.8% from the field and 31.6% from beyond the arc.

With the win the Bulldogs improve to 20-9 on the season and 9-8 in Big East play. With the loss the Pirates fall to 21-8 on the season and 11-6 in Big East play. The Bulldogs will remain at home for Senior Day as they take on the Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday. The Pirates will head to Chicago, Illinois to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday.

We would again like to thank Marisa Miller for her terrific insight. She can be found on twitter @marisanmiller. Give her a follow, she is a fantastic journalist. Check out the PPI below to see which players shined in this one. We will have full coverage of the DePaul game on Saturday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Butler (2)

Inside the Enemy Ship: Butler Bulldogs

Welcome to another edition of Inside the Enemy Ship! We spoke to our friend Marisa Miller who is the men’s basketball beat write for the Butler Collegian. We appreciate her tremendous insight. She is a great journalist! Here are her responses:

BBA: Butler is currently a team on the bubble. Do you think they wind up on the right side of it?

Miller: I believe that if Butler pulls off these next two wins against Seton Hall and Marquette, they have a very good chance on ending up on the right side of the bubble. If Butler splits these last two games, a deeper Big East Tournament run would be the key to getting into the NCAA Tournament.

BBA: Isaiah Whitehead has been on fire for Seton Hall of late. What do you think Butler does to slow him down?

Miller: In order to slow down Isaiah Whitehead, Butler needs to do a better job of guarding the three-point arc, especially after Whitehead put up 23 points on 7-7 from three in the first half the last time these two team’s matched up.

BBA: Is this a must win game for the Bulldogs?

Miller: This is absolutely a must-win game for Butler in order to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive.

BBA: How big of a home court advantage does Hinkle Fieldhouse provide?

Miller: Hinkle Fieldhouse definitely provides a big home court advantage based on the atmospheres and large crowds it provides every game.

BBA: Which player should the Pirates be most concerned about facing?

Miller: Seton Hall should be most concerned about facing Kelan Martin based on his range and ability on all parts of the floor. He will drive to the basket and shoot the three on a consistent basis during every game. The senior duo of Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones are also causes for concern. With Dunham’s three point range and Jones’s ability to drive the paint, Seton Hall should definitely be worried about them as well.

BBA: What do you expect the Pirates to do differently against Butler this time around?

Miller: I expect Seton Hall to defend the paint a little bit better during this game as opposed to the last one. I also expect them to guard Butler’s Big 3 a little more closely and not allow them to put up the points they did during the last game.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?

Miller: Butler 78 Seton Hall 72

We would again like to thank Marisa Miller for providing us with some insight ahead of the game tonight. You can follow her on twitter @marisanmiller. Give here a follow! You can catch the Pirates as they look to take on the Bulldogs tonight on FS1. Game time is 8:30 p.m. in Indianapolis. We will have full coverage of the game tonight. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

Put On Your Dancing Shoes

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action at the Prudential Center today as they took on the #5 Xavier Musketeers. Before the game we spoke with Shannon Russell of The Cincinnati Enquirer. She is a great journalist and everyone should go check out her work! Her responses to our questions can be found in our previous post. The Pirates firmly entrenched themselves in the NCAA tournament field by dispatching Xavier by a score of 90-81.

The Pirates scored the first basket of the game on a layup from Desi Rodriguez. This is significant because the Pirates would lead from this point forward. It was a wire to wire win for the Hall. The Pirates would score the first 9 points in the game. The Musketeers would come back and cut the lead to 3 with 16:16 remaining on a James Farr layup. The Pirates would trade baskets for a few minutes with Xavier. Then, the Pirates made a big run and after two Ismael Sanogo free throws, the Pirates would lead by 19. At halftime, the Pirates led 45-26.

The Musketeers were led by James Farr in the first half with 11 points and 4 rebounds. Trevon Bluiett added 5 points and 2 assists. Edmond Sumner had 2 assists and Larry Austin Jr. had 3 rebounds. Xavier shot 27% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez with 12 points and 7 rebounds. Angel Delgado led the team in points with 13 in the first half. Derrick Gordon added 8 points and 4 rebounds. Ismael Sanogo chipped in 5 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Isaiah Whitehead posted 7 points and dished out 3 assists. Seton Hall shot 53.3% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc in the first half.

Xavier came out with some energy to start the second half. Trevon Bluiett cut the lead to 14 with 15:47 to go. The Pirates would answer though and increase the lead to 20 on a Michael Nzei layup with 10:10 to go in the second half. The Musketeers would not go away and a Jalen Reynolds free throw would get Xavier within 11 with 3:24 remaining. The two teams would trade baskets and Xavier would eventually cut the lead down to 9 with 21 seconds remaining. The Pirates would go on to win by a score of 90-81. The Pirates earned a victory over a top 5 team for the first time since 2004.

The Musketeers were led by James Farr with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Trevon Bluiett added 17 points and 5 rebounds. Myles Davis chipped in 15 points and dished out 5 assists. The Musketeers shot 39% from the field and 37% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez who scored a career high 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Angel Delgado added 17 points and 8 rebounds. Isaiah Whitehead chipped in 22 points and dished out 5 assists. Ismael Sanogo was second on the team with 9 rebounds. Senior Derrick Gordon added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. The Pirates shot 50% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc.

With the loss the Musketeers fall to 25-4 on the season and 13-4 in Big East play. With the victory the Pirates improve to 21-7 overall and 11-5 in Big East play. Xavier will now head home to Cincinnati to take on the Creighton Blue Jays in the final game of their regular season on Saturday. The Pirates will head to Indianapolis on Wednesday to take on the Butler Bulldogs.

Before the Butler game we will chat with our friend Marisa Miller. Make sure to check out Shannon Russell on twitter @slrussell. We would like to give her a huge thank you! Check out the PPI below to see which players excelled. Get ready to go dancing Pirate fans, soak it up and enjoy it. We will have full coverage of the Butler game on Wednesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Xavier (2)