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)

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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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Inside the Enemy Ship: Xavier Musketeers

Welcome to another edition of Inside the Enemy Ship! We spoke to Shannon Russell of the Cincinnati Enquirer who is a tremendous journalist. Give her a follow on twitter @slrussell. Here are her responses to our questions:

BBA: Xavier is coming off of a big win over the Villanova, do you think there is a chance of a letdown in this game?

Russell: Perhaps, but it’s doubtful. Xavier players have been pretty unflappable this season, meaning they haven’t been swayed by their highest highs or lowest lows. They approach each game in a very business-like manner, and they know how big of a challenge Seton Hall is.

BBA: Xavier has an impressive resume. Do you believe they will be a #1 seed when all is said and done?

Russell: I think Xavier would have to win out the Big East tournament for the No. 1 seed. They took a step forward with Wednesday’s defeat of Villanova. If they met and defeated the Wildcats in the conference tournament final, then I think they would land a top seed.

BBA: Do you believe Isaiah Whitehead deserves some attention for Big East player of the year?

Russell: Isaiah Whitehead certainly is one of the best players in the league and in my opinion a contender. His play in the last five to six games, plus his importance to the Pirates, makes him immensely valuable. That said, the player of the year likely will come from a league-leading team and I wouldn’t count out Kris Dunn of Providence, either.

BBA: Is Xavier at its best when it is in its 1-3-1 zone?

Russell: Xavier is at its best when it plays man-to-man defense. That’s its bread and butter. The 1-3-1 is a curveball the Musketeers use and it has been immensely effective in spurts. But the 1-3-1 at times wears out its welcome and teams facing XU a second time in league play tend to find seams against it.

BBA: What player should Seton Hall be most concerned about facing on Sunday?

Russell: Xavier’s balance makes it difficult to pinpoint one person. Trevon Bluiett leads the team in scoring but Edmond Sumner, J.P. Macura and Jalen Reynolds have been playing very well lately. James Farr had 24 points and 15 rebounds last time out against Seton Hall, so he perhaps is a focal point heading into the rematch.

BBA: What do you think is Xavier’s ceiling, final four, elite eight?

Russell: Hard to say. The ultimate goal is a Final Four but if this team keeps playing as well as it has been lately, there’s no ceiling.

BBA: Final Score Prediction?

Russell: Xavier, 78-68

We would again like to extend a big thank you to Shannon Russell. She is a must follow on twitter and provide a vast amount of information. We will have full coverage of the Xavier game tomorrow. Game time is 12:30 p.m and can be found on FS1. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

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Pirates Take Down Friars

The Seton Hall Pirates were back in action today at the Prudential Center as they took on the Providence College Friars. The Pirates were looking to get to the 20 win mark and solidify their place in the NCAA tournament field. The Pirates were coming off of a tight win over St. John’s and the Pirates were coming off of a loss to Xavier. The Pirates ultimately blew out the Friars in a 72-50 victory.

The Friars got on the board first on a Kris Dunn layup. The 2-0 lead was the only lead Providence would have in this game. A layup from Angel Delgado gave the Hall a 4-2 lead and they would never relinquish it. The Pirates never stretched the lead to double digits in the first half. A Ben Bentil layup cut the Seton Hall lead to 3 with 3:14 remaining in the first half. The Pirates increased the lead to 6, but the Friars would again cut the lead down to 4. However, with the clock winding down in the half, Isaiah Whitehead hit a three pointer to give the Pirates a 30-23 lead heading into halftime.

The Friars were led in the first half by Ben Bentil who had 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Kyron Cartwright added 5 points and 2 rebounds. Jalen Lindsey chipped in 2 points and led Providence with 6 rebounds. Kris Dunn was held to 4 points on 2-7 shooting while committing 3 turnovers. The Friars shot 27.% from the floor and did not make a 3 pointer.

The Pirates were led in the first half by Isaiah Whitehead with 16 points and 3 assists. Khadeen Carrington had 5 points and 2 rebounds. Angel Delgado and Michael Nzei each had 4 rebounds in the first half. Desi Rodriguez led the Pirates with 6 rebounds in the first half. The Pirates shot 37.9% from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates came out red hot to start the second half. Khadeen Carrington scored the first 5 points of the half to increase the lead to 12. Isaiah Whitehead would hit a three pointer a few minutes later to give the Pirates a 19 point lead. The Friars would go on a 6-0 run to cut the Pirates lead to 13. The Pirates would respond with a run of their own. With 11:16 to go in the half an Isaiah Whitehead free throw would give the Pirates a 53-32 lead. The Friars would storm back to cut the deficit to 7 with 4:56 remaining in the game. However, Ben Bentil would pick up a flagrant 2 and get ejected from the game. The Pirates would ultimately increase the lead and win 70-52.

The Friars were led in this one by Ben Bentil. He scored a game high 31 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Kris Dunn added 8 points and 4 rebounds. Kyron Cartwright had a solid game with 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Ryan Fazekas chipped in 4 rebounds for the Friars while Jalen Lindsey grabbed 7 boards. Providence shot 28.4% from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.

The Pirates were led by Isaiah Whitehead who scored 25 points, grabbed 6 rebounds, and dished out 9 assists. He also added 4 blocks and a steal. Angel Delgado added a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Khadeen Carrington chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds. Desi Rodriguez also scored in double figures with 11 points and 8 rebounds. Seton Hall shot 45.6% from the field and 38.9% from beyond the arc.

With the loss the Friars fall to 19-9 overall and 7-8 in the Big East. With the victory the Pirates improve to 20-7 and 10-5 in Big East play. The Friars will now head home to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday. The Pirates will take on the Xavier Musketeers at the Prudential Center on Sunday.

We will talk to our friend Shannon Russell before the game on Sunday. The Musketeers are coming off of a huge win over #1 ranked Villanova. Check out the PPI below to see which players stood out in the big win. We will have full coverage of the Xavier game on Sunday. Until then, Hazard Zet Forward.

PPI vs Providence (2)

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