How Sweep It is

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today as they took on the Georgetown Hoyas in Washington, D.C. The Pirates were looking to complete the season sweep against the Hoyas. The first meeting was a 69-61 victory for the Hall back on February 6. Before the game we had the pleasure of speaking to Chris Haines from Georgetown’s SB Nation page. He provided some excellent insight which can be seen in our previous post. He predicted a Georgetown win, but the Pirates would ultimately prevail 72-64.

The first few minutes were back and forth until the Pirates took the lead with 15:59 remaining in the first half on an Angel Delgado layup. From there, the Pirates would lead the rest of the game. Desi Rodriguez jammed home several alley oops in the first half. The Pirates would lead by as much as 11 in the first half. With 1:22 remaining in the half, L.J. Peak would hit two free throws to cut the lead to 1. However, the Pirates would score 7 straight points to go into halftime with a 36-28 lead.

The Hoyas were led in the first half by Jessie Govan with 9 points. D’Vauntes Smith Rivera added 7 points for the Hoyas. L.J. Peak chipped in 6 points. Marcus Derrickson led Georgetown on the boards with 6 rebounds. Smith-Rivera led the Hoyas with 2 assists in the first half. The Hoyas shot 38.5% from the field and 14.3% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead with 11 points and 5 assists in the first half. Angel Delgado led the way on the boards with 7 rebounds in the first half. Khadeen Carrington chipped in 7 points, and Desi Rodriguez added 8 for the Pirates. The Pirates shot 43.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates led throughout the second half, but still had to fend off several Georgetown surges. With 13:33 remaining in the second half, Angel Delgado knocked down a free throw to give the Pirates a 16 point lead. This would be the largest lead of the night for the Hall. The Hoyas would trim the lead to 6 with 9:36 to go in the second half. The Pirates did not make a field goal for the final 14 minutes of the game, getting all of their points from free throws. The Pirates proved to be the more resilient team and wound up coming away with a 72-64 win.

The Hoyas were led by Jessie Govan who scored 27 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and blocked 2 shots. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera added 18 points, grabbed 7 rebounds, and dished out 4 assists. Marcus Derrickson also grabbed 7 rebounds for the Hoyas. L.J. Peak chipped in 10 points and Tre Campbell led the Hoyas with 5 assists. The Hoyas shot 37.7% from the field and 22.2% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who scored 22 points and dished out 6 assists. Khadeen Carrington added 18 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Desi Rodriguez chipped in 17 points and Angel Delgado grabbed 11 rebounds. The Pirates shot 38.5% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.

With the loss the Hoyas fall to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in the Big East. With the victory the Pirates improve to 18-7 overall and 8-5 in the Big East. The Hoyas will take on the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday. The Pirates will travel to Madison Square Garden on Sunday to take on the St. John’s Red Storm.

We would like to again thank Chris Haines for his insight on the Hoyas. He can be found on twitter @chrismchaines. Give him a follow, he is a fantastic journalist! Check out the PPI below to see which Pirates excelled today. We will have full coverage of the St. John’s game on Sunday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Georgetown (2)

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Inside the Enemy Ship: Georgetown Hoyas

Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside the Enemy Ship” as we take our first look at Georgetown Basketball! This week, we had the pleasure of talking to Chris Haines of SB Nation’s Casual Hoya! He let us pick his brain about the upcoming game; check below for his thoughts!

BBA: When the season started, where did you see the Hoyas going?
HAINES: I had very high expectations for the Hoyas this season. I imagined them competing for a Big East title and being a top 15-20 team nationally. I think most Hoyas fans hoped this might be the year they finally broke through the Sweet 16 ceiling.

BBA: Who does Georgetown consider it’s greatest basketball rivalry?
HAINES: Syracuse. No question.

BBA: Who would you consider Georgetown’s greatest Basketball alum? Why?
HAINES: Hard to argue much with Patrick Ewing. Brought the Hoyas their first and only National Championship and went on to a Hall of Fame NBA career.

BBA: Georgetown was 7-5 headed into Big East Conference play, and now is 14-12. How accurately does the record reflect the team this season?
HAINES: Perfectly I think. They’ve been extremely inconsistent and have earned their record. I think they have more talent than their record, but they’ve played to it perfectly.

BBA: When push comes to shove, do you think Georgetown will make the NCAA tournament?
HAINES: Nah. I still think this team is capable of going on a run, but I don’t think they actually will.

BBA: The last game against Seton Hall clearly didn’t go how Georgetown had hoped. What went wrong?
HAINES: Offensive stagnation (mixed with turnovers and a horrid shooting percentage) on one end and on the other too many fouls and offensive rebounds allowed. If the Hoyas protect the ball and hit their shots, they can hang. If they don’t, it has the tendency to get ugly. Fouls are a common theme with this group so we’re not really sure what’ll happen if they don’t foul too much.

BBA: Who should Seton Hall be most worried about meeting on the court this time around? Why?
HAINES: I’m going to go with Isaac Copeland. I went back and forth between him and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera. I was leaning towards DSR because he struggled mightily last time out against Providence, but Seton Hall clearly game-planned for him the first time around. Copeland had an awful January, but has found his shot in recent games and I’m hoping he’s still got it.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?
HAINES: I think the Hoyas find a way to build off of an excellent 2nd half against Providence and eke out a win at home, 74-68

Once again, we’d like to thank Chris for his expertise; he was a true gentleman and a scholar, who tweets from @chrismchaines. Tip-off is tomorrow, 9 PM from the Verizon Center in DC, or on your television on Fox Sports 1. As always, Hazard Zet Forward, as the Pirates look to strengthen their NCAA Tournament resume.

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Pirates Bitten by Bulldogs

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today as they took on the Butler Bulldogs. Before the game we spoke to Marisa Miller of the Butler Collegian. Marisa’s answers to our questions can be seen in our previous post. She told us to watch out for Kelan Martin and said that Butler would come away with a 73-68 victory. Marisa was not far off in her prediction as the Pirates did fall to Butler by a score of 81-75.

From the jump this game was an exciting one. The pace was quick and there was a lot of offense. The Bulldogs grabbed the lead early and would defend it for most of the half. The Pirates did a good job on limiting Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones in the first half. Kelan Martin stepped up to carry the Bulldogs. Isaiah Whitehead was red hot in the first half. The two teams would head into the locker room tied at 38.

The Bulldogs were led in the first half by Kelan Martin with 12 points and 3 rebounds. Tyler Wideman chipped in 7 points and 3 steals. Andrew Chrabascz led the team in assists with 3, and rebounds with 4 in the first half. Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham combined for 5 points in the first half. The Bulldogs shot 48.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by the red hot Isaiah Whitehead in the first half. The sophomore posted 23 points on 8-8 shooting, which included 7-7 from beyond the arc. Angel Delgado grabbed 4 rebounds to lead the Hall. Khadeen Carrington dished out 4 assists to lead the Pirates in the first half. Desi Rodriguez chipped in 7 points for the Pirates. Seton Hall shot 50% from the field and 63.6% from beyond the arc in the first half.

The second half was what sunk the Pirates. Khadeen Carrington hit a three pointer early in the half to give the Pirates a 1 point lead. Ismael Sanogo would give the Pirates a three point lead, but that was the only lead the Pirates would have in the second half. Butler would gain the lead, but the Pirates would never let them run away with it. With 8:03 remaining in the half the Pirates would cut the lead to 2. Kelan Martin would answer with a three pointer to put the lead back to 5. With 1:13 left in the game the Pirates would again cut the lead to 2. Butler would answer with a big basket from Roosevelt Jones. Ultimately, the Pirates would fall to Butler 81-75.

The Bulldogs were led by Kelan Martin who scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Kellen Dunham hit some big shots in the second half and totaled 18 points on the night. Andrew Chrabascz scored 11 points, dished out 6 assists, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Tyler Wideman chipped in 11 points, had 4 steals, and grabbed 5 rebounds. Roosevelt Jones added 10 points for the Bulldogs. Butler shot 55.8% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead with 26 points and 10 assists. Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington each chipped in 11 points. Desi Rodriguez posted 18 points and led the team with 7 rebounds. Derrick Gordon led the Pirates with 3 steals on the night. The Pirates shot 48.3% from the field and 44.4% from beyond the arc.

With the win the Bulldogs improve to 17-7 overall and 6-6 in Big East play. With the loss the Pirates fall to 17-7 overall and 7-5 in Big East play. The Bulldogs will head home to take on the Xavier Musketeers on Saturday. The Pirates will travel to Washington, D.C. to take on the Georgetown Hoyas on February 17.

We would again like to thank Marisa Miller for all of her help. She is a great journalist and can be found on twitter @marisanmiller. Give her a follow and check out her stuff! Check out the PPI below to see which Pirates players stood out tonight. We will have full coverage of the game next Wednesday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Butler

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Inside the Enemy Ship: Butler Bulldogs

Welcome to the latest edition of “Inside the Enemy Ship”! Looking for their fifth straight Big East win, the Seton Hall Pirates take on the Butler Bulldogs at the Prudential Center, with both teams trying to strengthen their NCAA tournament resume. We had the pleasure of talking to Marisa Miller, the Sports Co-Editor for The Butler Collegian! Check bellow to see her thoughts on the upcoming game!

BBA: When the season started, where did you see the Bulldogs going?
MILLER: I saw the Bulldogs being a very serious threat in the Big East and highly ranked throughout the entire season. With the senior duo of Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, I thought that was a very fair prediction. But the rest of the talent in the Big East finally caught up to them after their spectacular non-conference run.

BBA: How hard was the tragic loss of former Bulldog, Andrew Smith, on the Butler community?
MILLER: The loss of Andrew Smith was incredibly hard on the entire Butler community from the players to the students to the staff. His influence was so instrumental in everything that the Butler Way stands for. The campus and community are both still heavily grieving his passing.

BBA: Do you think the Big East is a good fit for Butler?
MILLER: I definitely believe the Big East is a good fit for Butler. I consider the Big East conference to be a conference full of teams that are considered underdogs and with something to prove to the rest of the NCAA. Being an underdog is a situation in which Butler thrives, and I believe the competition in the Big East is only getting higher and better.

BBA: Butler was 11-1* headed into Big East play, but have struggled with conference games, with an overall 5-6 record. What was the cause of the rapid decline?
MILLER: I think Butler underestimated how good their Big East opponents were looking this year. The hard-fought wins against Cincinnati and Purdue were good starting off points for Butler as an insight to what they would face in the Big East. The amount of tragedy the team has faced as well off the court since Big East play began cannot be overlooked either as a possible cause and distraction as well.

BBA: Do you think, when push comes to shove, that Butler will make the NCAA Tournament?
MILLER: I do still believe Butler has a shot of making the NCAA Tournament. If they finish the Big East season only losing 2-3 more games and making a deep Big East Tournament run, I believe the selection committee will have to consider them. I currently see them at a play-in game as an 11 seed. But anywhere from seeds 9 to 12 is probable.

BBA: Which players should Seton Hall be most worried about meeting in the court?
MILLER: Seton Hall should be most worried about Kelan Martin as they prepare for Wednesday’s game. He is a very difficult match-up for every team in the Big East based on his size and scoring abilities all over the floor. Dunham and Jones should not be overlooked either. With Dunham’s long range and Jones’ ability to drive the paint, those match-ups will be tough as well.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?
MILLER: 73-68 BU

Once again, a big thanks to Ms. Miller for taking the time to talk to us. Be sure to follow her on twitter @marisanmiller! Tip-off is tonight at 6:30 at the Rock! The Blue Beard Army staff will be there (just look for the retro New Jersey NETS jerseys), and we hope you will be too! As always, Hazard Zet Forward!

* Editor’s Note: The original question mistakenly listed Butler as 11-0 going into Big East play, before we were corrected by Ms. Miller about the loss to Miami FL in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off championship game, giving them an 11-1 record.

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