Inside The Enemy Ship: Butler Bulldogs – Home Edition

Welcome to the the latest edition of Inside the Enemy Ship, your exclusive look into the upcoming Seton Hall game through the lenses on the opponnet! This time, we have had the pleasure of talking to Grant Anschuetz! Check below for what he thinks about the upcoming game! [EDITOR’S NOTE: The following interview took place before #1 Villanova was upset by Marquette late last night, hence why they are referred to as undefeated in the interview]

BBA: What do you think of the team’s 17-3 record and #11 national ranking? Does it accurately reflect the team?
Anschuetz: Overall, I would say it does accurately reflect this team. Butler has proven time and time again this year they can win against solid opponents. They are 5-1 against ranked teams this year, including wins over Arizona and Villanova.

BBA: How did it feel going into overtime against DePaul after two straight wins?
Anschuetz: That game was the epitome of the saying that there are no off games in a conference like the Big East. The Bulldogs got off to such a poor start in the first half that I think there was a feeling of relief to make it to overtime and have a fresh five minutes after trailing for the majority of the game.

BBA: Who do you consider Butler’s biggest Big East rival?
Anschuetz: To me, Butler’s biggest Big East rival is Xavier. That answer is solely based off of how hostile the arena becomes whenever those two teams hit the floor, especially between fans.

BBA: Do you think the Big East has been a good home for Butler compared to the Horizon League?
Anschuetz: Yes. Although the change has led to tougher competition, the national exposure and ability to attract higher ranked recruits is a positive thing for the program.

BBA: How far do you now expect Butler to go into the NCAA Tournament?
Anschuetz: In this year’s NCAA Tournament, I believe Butler can realistically make it to the Elite Eight. With that being said, based on 2010-2011, a trip to the National Championship is not out of the question.

BBA: After last season’s early exit during the Big East tournament, what do you see the Bulldogs doing this year?
Anschuetz: I could see Butler making it at least one more round deeper into the Big East tournament. It is always hard to predict how hot a team is going to be down the stretch, but they should make it farther than last year.

BBA: Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham played huge roles in making sure that Butler was the only Big East team that Seton Hall didn’t beat last season. Who is going to fill their roles?
Anschuetz: Kelan Martin, Kamar Baldwin and Kethan Savage have all performed well for the Bulldogs as of late. Senior Andrew Chrabascz is a crafty player down low and is also a great facilitator.

BBA: Which player should the Seton Hall Pirates be the most worried about meeting on the court? Why?
Anschuetz: The Pirates should be most worried about Kamar Baldwin. Specifically, the guards for Seton Hall because Baldwin is known for making big steals in big moments. His defensive presence is just as strong as his offensive presence.

BBA: Who do you consider the biggest challenge to Nova in the Big East this season? How about nationally? Butler is still the only team to beat them so far!*
Anschuetz:The biggest challenge to Villanova before the injury to Maurice Watson was Creighton. Now, I have to go with Butler since they are the highest ranked Big East team who has beaten them.

BBA: Which teams from the Big East will ultimately end up making the NCAA tournament?
Anschuetz: From the Big East, I believe Villanova, Butler, Creighton are basically locks at this point. Marquette, Xavier and Seton Hall all have a realistic chance to make it.

BBA: Final Score Prediction for the upcoming game?
Anschuetz: Final Score Prediction = Butler 72 Seton Hall 65

Once again, thanks to our new friend Grant Anschuetz for taking the time to talk to us! He can be found on twitter @Granschuetz and on Slump Sports!

Tip-off is tonight at The Rock at 8:30 PM! If you can’t make it there in person, it will be broadcast nationally on FS1. Be sure to check by later for the game recap, and as always Go Pirates and Hazard Zet Forward!

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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)

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Pirates Survive The Red Storm

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today as they took on the St. John’s Red Storm at Madison Square Garden. Before the game we spoke with Carmine Carcieri of Rumble in the Garden. Carmine provided some great info and predicted that the Pirates would beat St. John’s 68-65. The Pirates struggled mightily in the second half and nearly blew this game that they had to win. The Pirates would ultimately defeat the Johnnies though 62-61.

The Pirates came out of the gate very fast to start this one. They scored the first 13 points of the game. Desi Rodriguez had 11 of the Pirates 13 points to start the game. With 7:10 remaining in the first half, Khadeen Carrington hit a three pointer to give the Hall a 19 point lead. The Johnnies would ultimately trim the lead down to 14 before the half. The Pirates ended up leading 36-22 at the half.

St. John’s was led in the first half by Felix Balamou with 7 points. Kassoum Yakwe added 5 points and 5 rebounds. Malik Ellison chipped in 4 points and 2 rebounds. The Johnnies shot 42.9% from the field and was 0-5 from beyond the arc in the first half.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez with 19 points. Khadeen Carrington added 5 points and 3 rebounds. Derrick Gordon chipped in 5 points and Michael Nzei led the Pirates with 4 rebounds in the first half. The Pirates shot 50% from the field and 54.5% from beyond the arc in the first half.

St. John’s came out hot to start the second half. Baskets from Durand Johnson and Amar Alibegovic cut the Pirates lead to 6 to start the half. The Pirates would increase the lead to 13 but the Red Storm would cut it down again. With 7:17 remaining in the second half, Ron Mvouika would hit a three pointer to cut the lead down to 1. A layup from Yankuba Sima would give the Red Storm a 1 point lead. Kassoum Yakwe would give the Johnnies a 3 point lead with 58 seconds remaining. Khadeen Carrington would hit a jumper to cut the lead to 1 and then Isaiah Whitehead would knock down a pair of free throws to give the Pirates a 1 point lead. The Pirates would hang on and beat the Red Storm 62-61.

The Red Storm were led by Kassoum Yakwe with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Felix Balamou and Durand Johnson each added 9 points. Ron Mvouika chipped in 6 points and 8 rebounds. Christian Jones posted 6 points and 4 rebounds for St. John’s. The Red Storm shot 44.2% from the field and 26.3% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Desi Rodriguez who scored a career high 24 points. Khadeen Carrington added 12 points and 4 rebounds. Isaiah Whitehead struggled but still managed to score 10 points and dish out 3 assists. Michael Nzei led the Hall with 8 rebounds. The Pirates shot 36.5% from the floor and 40% from beyond the arc.

With the loss the Red Storm fall to 8-20 on the season and 1-14 in the Big East. With the win the Pirates improve to 19-7 overall and 9-5 in the Big East. The Johnnies will now head to Chicago on Thursday to take on the DePaul Blue Demons. The Pirates head home to take on the Providence Friars on Thursday.

We would again like to thank Carmine Carcieri for his insight. He is a great journalist and can be found on twitter @carminecsju. Check out the PPI below to see who excelled today for the Pirates. We will have full coverage of the Providence game on Thursday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs St. John's (2)

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Pirates Overcome Slow Start, Take Down Troy

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today against the Troy Trojans. The Pirates ended up coming out with a 78-69 victory. The Pirates improved to 7-2 on the season. With the loss the Trojans fell to 4-5 on the season. The Pirates also improved to 4-o on the year at the home.

The Pirates came out hot to start the game. Seton Hall jumped out to an early 11-2 lead on the strength of a Khadeen Carrington three pointer and the play making ability of Isaiah Whitehead. However, Troy would respond with a run of their own. With the Pirates offense slowing to a crawl, the Trojans built a lead that grew to as much as 8 points with 7:13 to go in the 1st half. From there the Pirates started to reassert themselves. By the end of the first half, the Pirates would hold a 36-30 lead.

In the 1st half the Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who had 10 points. Desi Rodriguez has 9 points and 5 rebounds, and Michael Nzei chipped in 8 points and 4 boards. The Trojans were led by Jordon Varnado who had 12 points and 6 rebounds. Wesley Person chipped in 9 points, and John Walton III had 5 rebounds.

In the second half the Pirates started to find their groove offensively. Khadeen Carrington kicked off the scoring in the half with a three pointer and the Pirates would never look back. The Pirates never trailed in the second half and built a lead that was as large as 15 at one point. The biggest highlight of the second half came from Desi Rodriguez. With 7:56 to go in the game, Rodriguez flew threw the air to throw down a one handed alley oop from Khadeen Carrington. This fired up the crowd and was the highlight of the night. In the end the Pirates would come away with a 78-69 win.

Isaiah Whitehead put up 20 points for Seton Hall and added 7 assists. Angel Delgado posted his second straight double double. He had 12 points and 11 rebounds. The night belonged to Desi Rodriguez though. The sophomore put up 18 points and 11 rebounds. Khadeen Carrington was 3-4 from beyond the arc, and Ismael Sanogo added 6 rebounds. Michael Nzei also had another strong game with 1o points and 5 rebounds.

The Trojans were led by Jordon Varnado who put up 25 points and 11 rebounds. John Walton III had 8 rebounds, and Wesley Person added 14 points. B.J Miller reeled in 7 rebounds, and Jeremy Hollimon chipped in 12 points.

With the loss the Trojans fall to 4-5 on the season and 2-1 away from home. The Pirates improved to 7-2 with the victory and 4-0 at home on the season. The Trojans will now return home to face Paine College on December 17. Meanwhile, the Pirates will be back in action on Sunday at 2:30 against St. Peter’s University.

Check out the PPI chart below to see how each Pirate performed during the game against Troy. We will have full coverage of the game on Sunday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

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