Men's Basketball Hosts Rutgers, Thursday at Prudential Center

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

RUTGERS (9-11, 0-7) at
SETON HALL (10-9, 1-6)
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Prudential Center - Newark, N.J.

9:00 p.m. ET

SETON HALL STATUS:

On a day when Seton Hall celebrated the 20th Anniversary of their 1989 Final Four team, the current Pirates upset #12 Georgetown, 65-60, to pick up their first BIG EAST victory of the season.  The victory snapped a six-game losing streak and helped earn Robert Mitchell a spot on the conference’s Weekly Honor Roll.

RUTGERS STATUS:

The Scarlet Knights have lost eight straight and are still seeking their first BIG EAST victory of the season.  Most recently, they lost at St. John’s, 70-59, on Saturday.  Freshman Mike Rosario is one of the top rookies in the league and leads Rutgers with 17.2 ppg.

THE MATCHUP:

Seton Hall and Rutgers will resume their fierce in-state rivalry on Thursday.  It is the 54th all-time meeting with the Pirates holding a slim 29-24 series lead.  Over the last seven meetings, neither team has won back-to-back games.  Last season, they split the season series with both teams winning on the road.

TV:

ESPN2

John Saunders & Len Elmore

RADIO:

WABC 770 AM

Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin

WSOU 89.5 FM

Tim Dooley, Greg Ahrens and Steve Faulks

WEB:

www.shupirates.com

Live Audio Stream

THIS WEEK IN THE FINAL FOUR SEASON OF 1988-89

(January 27, 1989 - February 2, 1989)

On Jan. 28, the ninth-ranked Pirates slammed Boston College, 103-79.  In what John Morton called, “the best half we’ve ever played,” Seton Hall shot 69.2% from the floor and had a 55-29 lead at the half.  Morton scored a career-high 30 points.  On Feb. 1, Seton Hall lost at Georgetown, 74-66, in their bid to take over first place in the BIG EAST.  Alonzo Mourning had 17 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks for the Hoyas.  Morton led the way with 15 points for the Pirates who fell to 18-3 overall and 5-3 in the BIG EAST.

This season Seton Hall is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of the 1988-89 team’s magical run to the Final Four. 

 

SCOUTING RUTGERS

Rutgers remains hungry for their first BIG EAST victory of the season.  They’re one of only two teams without a win (DePaul).  A feisty team with good young talent, the Scarlet Knights return all five starters from a squad that went 11-20 last season.  With 6-foot-11 Hamady N’Diaye and 6-foot-9 newcomer Greg Echenique, Rutgers leads the conference in blocks per game and has a formidable front court.  Freshman Mike Rosario is one of the main contenders for BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and is currently leading RU in scoring.

SETON HALL - RUTGERS SERIES

Seton Hall and Rutgers will meet for the 54th time in history on Thursday with Seton Hall holding a slim 29-24 all-time series lead.  A strong, New Jersey rivalry, neither team has won back-to-back games over the last seven match-ups.  Last season, the teams split with both winning on each other’s home floors.  The last three meetings included a buzzer-beating game-winner, an overtime game and a double-overtime game.

INSPIRED PIRATES SHOCK #12 GEORGETOWN, 65-60

On a day when Seton Hall’s 1989 Final Four team was honored, the current Pirates upset #12 Georgetown, 65-60, before a sell-out crowd at Prudential Center.  After trailing by one at the half, Seton Hall shot 46.2% from the floor in the second half and held on for the victory.  Showing stellar defense, the Pirates limited the Hoyas to only 32.7% from the floor for the game and forced 17 turnovers, while committing only nine.  The 60 points allowed are the lowest total for a BIG EAST Seton Hall opponent.

1989 FINAL FOUR REUNION

On Jan. 25, before a sell-out crowd, Seton Hall celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the men’s basketball team that made it to the Final Four in 1989.  The team lost by one point in the NCAA Championship Game to finish as national runners-up.  In a special halftime ceremony, several players and coaches from the 1989 team were paraded onto the court in a nostalgic look back at the magical run.  Team captain John Morton was the last player to be announced and carried the team’s national runner-up trophy.  Head coach P.J. Carlesimo spoke to the crowd and the team’s giant Final Four banner was unfurled. 

0-FOR-3-POINTERS STREAK SNAPPED

On Jan. 25, a Seton Hall streak was snapped that few thought would ever end.  Most surprisingly, the streak ended in a Seton Hall victory over #12 Georgetown.  For the first time since Dec. 7, 1991, a stretch spanning 504 games, the Pirates did not hit a three-point shot.  In 1991, Seton Hall was 0-for-11 vs. Iona.  Against Georgetown on Jan. 25, the Pirates were 0-for-13.  The Hoyas didn’t shoot much better, going 3-for-22.

SEEING 20/20

Against Georgetown, Jeremy Hazell had 23 points, while Robert Mitchell had 20.  It is the fifth time this season that both players have scored at least 20 points in the same game.  Seton Hall is 3-2 in games that both score 20 points.  To date, Hazell has reached the 20-point plateau 14 times this season.  Mitchell has reached the mark six times.

RIPPING THE RANKED

Seton Hall’s victory over #12 Georgetown is the second time the Pirates have beaten a ranked opponent this year.  On Nov. 20, Seton Hall defeated #19 USC, 63-61, as a part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off.  It is the first time since the 2005-06 season that Seton Hall has won two games against a ranked opponent in a single season.  All-time, the Pirates are 64-199 (.243) against the Associated Press Top-25.  Seton Hall is now 2-7 all-time against teams ranked #12. 

OFF THE SCHNEID

The Pirates upset victory over #12 Georgetown on Jan. 25 was their first BIG EAST victory of the season and pushed their overall record over .500 to 10-9.  The victory also snapped a four-game losing streak to Georgetown.

HONORS FOR MITCHELL

Junior transfer Robert Mitchell was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Jan. 26.  Over the week preceding, Mitchell averaged 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.  In Seton Hall’s upset of Georgetown, he had 20 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 40 minutes.

10 WINS

Seton Hall’s victory over Georgetown was their 10th overall victory of the season.  It marks the 25th straight year that the Pirates have won at least 10 games.  The last time Seton Hall didn’t make the mark was the 1983-84 season.

SCORING 30

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell hit the 30-point plateau in Thursday’s loss to Providence.  It is the fourth time this season, he has scored at least 30 points.  The last time a Pirate has had that many 30+ point games in a single-season was during the 1987-88 season when Mark Bryant hit the mark five times.  Hazell has also topped 20 points in 14-of-19 games.

AT HOME

Seton Hall will return home on Thursday, Jan. 22 for the first of four consecutive home games.  The Pirates will host Providence (1/22), Georgetown (1/25), Rutgers (1/29) and St. John’s (2/5) before heading back on the road.  The Pirates are 7-4 at Prudential Center this season and are 18-10 all-time in the building.  Furthermore, Seton Hall is 5-8 all-time at Prudential Center against BIG EAST opponents.

INSIDE THE STATS

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell and junior Robert Mitchell both topped 20 points in Seton Hall’s upset victory over Georgetown on Sunday.  Hazell’s scoring average held at 22.7 points per game, while Mitchell’s jumped to 15.9 ppg.  Mitchell added seven rebounds to keep his average at 8.4.  Junior Eugene Harvey only recorded two assists, which lowered his average to 4.7.  Paul Gause picked up two steals which didn’t affect his steals per game average. 

GAUSE CLIMBING THEFT CHART

Senior Paul Gause is currently in third place all-time on the career steals list with 220.  He trails the leader, Dan Callandrillo, by 40.  Due to two injuries that caused him to miss 16 games last season, Gause was only able to collect 45 steals in 2007-08.  But the prior year, 2006-07, he recorded a conference-leading 90 thefts which set a single-season record.  If Gause duplicates that effort this year, he’ll set the all-time career record.  Gause is also a member of the 500-Point Club.  He currently has 706 career points which ranks him third on the active list (Harvey 1,149, Hazell 841).

SELL-OUT

Seton Hall’s upset victory over #12 Georgetown was witnessed by a sell-out crowd at Prudential Center.  It was the first sell-out of the 2008-09 season and the sixth since the Pirates named “the Rock” their home last season.

PIRATES FALL TO FRIARS IN OT

Seton Hall dropped an overtime, nail-biter for the second time in four games, falling to Providence, 98-93, on Thursday.  Providence overcame a tremendous performance by Jeremy Hazell, who scored 30 points and Paul Gause, who had a season-high 19 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.  The Friars shot 16 free throws in the overtime session alone and converted on 12 of those attempts to win the game by five.

GAUSE WITH A CAUSE

Immersed in a shoot-out with Providence, Seton Hall needed scoring from all options and Paul Gause didn’t disappoint.  The senior scored a season-high 19 points on the strength of a career-high five made three-pointers in only six attempts.  Gause also grabbed six rebounds and dished out six assists.

SETON HALL IS MR. ROBINSON’S NEIGHBORHOOD

Seton Hall has announced that Jeff Robinson has transferred to the University.  Robinson played basketball for the last season and a half at the University of Memphis.  Due to NCAA transfer regulations, Robinson will sit out the remainder of the 2008-09 season and the first semester of the 2009-10 season, becoming eligible to play at the conclusion of the first semester next year.  The 6-foot-5, 232-pound Robinson played in five games for the Tigers this season and all 28 games last season as Memphis marched all the way to the NCAA Championship game.  At St. Patrick’s High School, Robinson was a consensus Top-50 recruit, rated #36 by Rivals.com and #38 by ESPN150.

ESPN’S CAMPUS CONNECTION

During ESPNU’s broadcast of the Seton Hall/Providence game on Thursday, the network continued their “Campus Connection Week.”  Featured during the broadcast was Seton Hall’s student radio station, WSOU FM, and their broadcasters Steve Faulks, Brian Wisowaty and Jeremiah Sullivan.

TOUGH STRETCH

Seton Hall has finally ended a very difficult stretch at the beginning of their BIG EAST schedule.  Three of their first five games were on the road and all five are currently ranked or receiving votes in the Associated Press Top-25.  The Pirates faced #8 Syracuse in the Dome, West Virginia (RV), #23 Villanova, #12 Notre Dame at the Joyce Center and #4 Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford.

HAZELL APPROACHING RARITY

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell needs to average only 13.3 points per game through the remaining 12 games of the year to eclipse the 1,000-point mark.  Should he do so, he’ll be only the fifth player in Seton Hall history to record 1,000 career points in only two seasons.  Terry Dehere, Nick Werkman, Ken House and Darius Lane are the other four.  So far, Hazell is averaging a BIG EAST second-best 22.7 points per game.

CLIMBING 3-POINTER CHARTS

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell is quickly moving up the career three-pointers made list.  Currently he ranks 11th all-time.

AGAINST THE NATION’S TOP-5

Seton Hall lost to #4 Connecticut on Jan. 18.  All-time, the Pirates are only 4-47 (.078) against teams from the Associated Press Top-5.  Seton Hall has never beaten a team ranked #1, #2 or #3 and has just two wins over #4 and #5 teams.  The Pirates’ last victory over a #4-ranked team came on Feb. 9, 2004, a 68-67 double-overtime victory against Pittsburgh at Continental Airlines Arena.  Overall, Seton Hall is 64-199 (.243) all-time against teams ranked in the AP Top-25.

HAZELL HONORED AGAIN

For the second time this season, sophomore Jeremy Hazell was honored by the BIG EAST.  The conference named him to their Weekly Honor Roll for his performances last week.  In Seton Hall’s victory over California Baptist, Hazell tied Eugene Harvey with a team-high 25 points.

REBOUNDING MACHINE

Junior transfer Robert Mitchell had 15 points and nine rebounds at Connecticut.  It was the eighth time in nine games that he has grabbed at least nine rebounds.  Currently, he leads the Pirates and is tied for 11th in the BIG EAST with 8.4 rebounds per game.

HAZELL DAZZLES

In Seton Hall’s comfortable victory over Fairleigh Dickinson, sophomore Jeremy Hazell scored a career-high 35 points on 15-for-26 shooting from the floor.  Hazell was 5-for-11 from three-point range and also grabbed six rebounds.  It is the third time this season he has topped the 30-point mark.  Hazell’s 35 points are the most scored by a Pirates since Terry Dehere scored 41 vs. St. John’s on Feb. 17, 1993.

HARVEY FLIRTS WITH TRIP-DUB

For the second straight game to start the season, a Pirate flirted with a triple-double.  Paul Gause game close on opening night, but against Columbia, Eugene Harvey came even closer to making history.  Harvey recorded 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.  The double-double, as it ended up, was the second of Harvey’s career.  It was the first time Harvey had reached double-figures in rebounds.  There has been only one triple-double all-time.

NATIONAL ATTENTION

On Nov. 24, Seton Hall earned two points in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll.  The Pirates caught the eyes of national writers with their victory over #19 USC on Nov. 20 and a win over ACC contender Virginia Tech on Nov. 23.  The BIG EAST was well-represented in the poll as the conference occupied #2 (Connecticut), #3 (Louisville), #4 (Pittsburgh), #8 Notre Dame, #15 Marquette, #20 Villanova and #21 Georgetown.  Syracuse and West Virginia joined Seton Hall in receiving votes. 

NEWEST MEMBER OF 500-POINT CLUB

Seton Hall’s newest member of the 500-Point Club is sophomore Jeremy Hazell.  The 6-foot-5 guard reached the milestone vs. Memphis on Nov. 21.  Currently, Hazell is 50th all-time in scoring with 841 points.

SETON HALL PLACES THIRD IN PUERTO RICO

With the Pirates’ victory over Virginia Tech, Seton Hall placed third amongst the eight teams in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off.  Facing steep competition, the Pirates went 2-1 with victories over #19 USC and Virginia Tech.  Their only setback was to #12 Memphis.  Xavier won the tournament, defeating runner-up Memphis in the championship game. 

HONORS FOR HAZELL:  BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK/ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on 11/24, which is the first of the conference awards for the 2008-09 season and takes into consideration all of the teams’ games up to this point.  Hazell was also named to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off All-Tournament Team.  Hazell averaged 23.3 points per game and hit the game-winning three-pointer in Seton Hall’s dramatic victory over #19 USC.  In the Pirates’ only loss, Hazell fired a career-high 32 points.  He completed his stellar tournament by leading Seton Hall with 23 points vs. Virginia Tech. 

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

Seton Hall was one of eight teams participating in the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nov. 20-23.  The Pirates played three games against some of the best competition in the country.  Other teams included Fairfield, Memphis, Missouri, USC, UT-Chattanooga, Virginia Tech and Xavier.  Seton Hall faced #19 USC, #12 Memphis and Virginia Tech and earned two victories.  All three games were televised nationally on ESPNU.

PLAYING IN PUERTO RICO

This is the second time the Seton Hall basketball program has played in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  During the 1984-85 season, the Pirates participated in the Copa Navidad Classic.  In two games, Seton Hall defeated North Carolina A&T, 73-67, and Tennessee State, 97-88.  Seton Hall is now 4-1 all-time in Puerto Rico.

PIRATES DROP OVERTIME HEARTBREAKER

Seton Hall rallied late to take the game into overtime, but Villanova pulled away in the extra session to send the Pirates to an 89-85 loss.  Sophomore Jeremy Hazell had another strong game with 26 points, but Villanova’s Scottie Reynolds scored a game-high 40 points to help the Wildcats to victory.  The Pirates committed a season-low nine turnovers and were an impressive 13-for-14 from the FT line.

PROTECTING THE BALL

Seton Hall has done an excellent job of protecting the ball this season.  To date, the Pirates rank third in the BIG EAST in turnover margin.  They’re averaging only 12.5 per game while forcing 15.5 turnovers per game.

HARVEY JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB

With his first basket of the second half against Cal-Baptist, junior Eugene Harvey became the 36th player in Seton Hall men’s basketball history to record 1,000 career points.  The 6-foot guard finished the game with 25 points.  Last season, Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter both eclipsed the milestone.  Most impressively, Harvey is only the 20th player to accomplish the feat in less than three seasons.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

At Syracuse, junior Robert Mitchell scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds for his second consecutive double-double and third of the season.  He is now tied with John Garcia for the season lead.  Garcia leads the team with eight career double-doubles.  Eugene Harvey also has one double-double so far in 2008-09.

COMEBACK KIDS

In three of Seton Hall’s nine victories, the Pirates trailed by at least 11 points at some point throughout the match-up.  They also trailed at the half in three victories.  Showing remarkable resilience, Seton Hall trailed #19 USC by 15 at the half, but ended up winning by two.  The Hall trailed Virginia Tech by 14, before eventually beating the Hokies by four.  Most recently, the Pirates trailed Delaware by as many as 11, before rallying and defeating the Fightin’ Blue Hens by five.  In Seton Hall’s loss at James Madison, were down 21 points in the first half before rallying and taking the lead. 

OVERTIME

Seton Hall’s victory over in Monmouth last season’s opener marked the first time they opened the season with an overtime game since they defeated Catholic, 69-67, to start the 1963-64 campaign.  The Pirates’ victory over RMU marked the first time in the history of the program that they’ve started the season with two straight overtime games.  In all, Seton Hall set a record with five overtime games last year.  Through 19 games this season, the Pirates have played in two overtime games, and lost both.

STIX FINALLY GETS HIS CHANCE

After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer regulations, Robert Mitchell has finally suited up for the Pirates.  In Seton Hall’s season-opener, Mitchell scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds.  In 2006-07 at Duquesne, Mitchell led the team in scoring with a 16.4 points per game average, which ranked ninth in the nation among Division I freshmen.  He made 18 starts and pulled down 5.4 rebounds per game.  Mitchell was named Atlantic-10 Rookie of the Week five times en route to being ultimately named Rookie of the Year by the conference.

LAING, NUTTER SIGN OVERSEAS

Former Seton Hall men’s basketball players Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter have signed professional contracts to play basketball in Europe this year.  Laing has signed with STB Le Havre of France, while Nutter signed with Bakken of Denmark.  Saint Thomas Basket Le Havre plays in France’s “A” league, which is considered the top French professional league.  Laing will be reunited with former BIG EAST foe Kentrell Gransberry.  STB Le Havre signed the former USF center earlier this summer.  Meanwhile, Nutter will attempt to lead his Bakken Bears to a third consecutive Danish League championship.

KAZIMIR, RHODES JOIN PIRATES’ STAFF

During the summer, head coach Bobby Gonzalez added two to his staff.  Dennis Kazimir was hired as Director of Basketball Operations, while Rodrick Rhodes was named Administrative Assistant.  A former assistant coach at Tiffin and Wright State, Kazimir replaces Stephen Sauers.  A five-year NBA veteran and UMass administrator, Rhodes replaces Elvis Valcarcel.

904 POINTS IN TWO SEASONS

Harvey’s 904 points is the eighth highest total in a players’ first two seasons all-time at Seton Hall.  This season, Harvey became the 36th player overall to record 1,000 career points.

GARY & DAVE RETURN

The broadcast team of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will be back for their sixth season covering Seton Hall on the Pirates’ radio flagship station, 77WABC.  For the second straight year, all Seton Hall broadcasts will be heard on 77WABC.  The 2008-09 season marks the 20th season for radio engineer Mike Infantino.

LIVE AUDIO STREAM

Go to www.shupirates.com to listen to all of Seton Hall’s home and away games as a part of the Hall Pass.  Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring you all the action.  Get the HALL PASS Today!  

TV EXPOSURE

All 18 of the Pirates’ BIG EAST match-ups will be televised either nationally or regionally this season.  Additionally, all three Seton Hall games at the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off will be televised nationally on ESPNU or ESPN2.  Collectively, the Pirates will get the nation’s attention 10 times with at least three broadcasts on either ESPN or ESPN2 (vs. Rutgers on Jan. 29, vs. St. John’s on Feb. 5 and the BIG EAST Championship), six on ESPNU (three in Puerto Rico, vs. Providence on Jan. 22, at Rutgers on Feb. 8 and at DePaul on Feb. 10) and one on ESPN360 (at Cincinnati on March 7).  The remaining 12 conference games will be BIG EAST Network local telecasts with 11 being broadcasted on SNY and one be shown on MSG.  The Pirates’ game vs. Connecticut on February 14 is the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week.

CENTURY MARK

Seton Hall’s 100-76 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson marked the 60th time in school history and the second time this season, the Pirates have scored at least 100 points in a game.  Earlier this year, Seton Hall beat Monmouth, 101-78.  It’s also the fourth time in the Bobby Gonzalez era.  Last season, Seton Hall defeated Robert Morris, 111-107, and James Madison, 112-110.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP EXPANDS TO ALL 16

In 2009, the BIG EAST will invite all 16 teams to its men’s and women’s championship tournaments.  The men’s tournament begins Tuesday, March 10 and continues through the championship game, which will be played Saturday, March 14.  All games will be played at Madison Square Garden.  The top four teams will receive byes in the first two rounds of tournament play, while seeds 5-8 will receive byes in the first round.

BIG EAST PREDICTIONS

Seton Hall was predicted to finish 13th in the 16-team BIG EAST Conference for the second consecutive season.    Connecticut is the favorite to win the regular-season title in the 2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches’ Poll.  Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has been picked to repeat as Player of the Year.  Georgetown’s Greg Monroe and Louisville’s Samardo Samuels were selected BIG EAST Co-Rookies of the Year.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

MARINATTO TO BE NEXT BIG EAST COMMISH

John Marinatto, who has served as senior associate commissioner of The BIG EAST Conference since 2002, has been named Commissioner of the conference.  The appointment was made by a unanimous vote of the league’s Chancellors and Presidents.  Marinatto will succeed Mike Tranghese, who is stepping down as Commissioner in June 2009. Marinatto will assume Commissioner’s duties on July 1, 2009.

BIG EAST GOES 2-2 IN SEC/BIG EAST INVITATIONAL

Cincinnati and No. 9 Louisville claimed a pair of wins to earn a 2-2 split for the BIG EAST in the four-game SEC/BIG EAST Invitational on Thursday in Cincinnati, Ohio. Vanderbilt beat USF and No. 16 Tennessee beat No. 24 Marquette in Nashville, Tenn.

SNY - HOME OF THE BIG EAST

SNY, the television home of the New York Mets, Jets and BIG EAST Conference, in conjunction with ESPN Regional Television announced the network’s comprehensive, multi-platform coverage of the 2008-09 BIG EAST basketball season. Featuring more than 500 hours of BIG EAST basketball, SNY’s all-access conference pass will showcase more than 110 BIG EAST basketball games, including the BIG EAST “Game of the Week”. With seven of the BIG EAST schools ranked in the 2008 USA Today/ESPN top 25 preseason coaches’ poll, fans can tune to SNY for exclusive, in-depth game coverage as the network will produce inclusive pre-game, halftime and post-game shows surrounding all intra-conference primetime basketball match-ups. In addition to featuring every basketball team from the BIG EAST Conference, key match-ups that will air on SNY throughout the season include Syracuse vs. Louisville, Georgetown vs. Rutgers, Seton Hall vs. UConn, West Virginia vs. Notre Dame and Pittsburgh vs. St. John’s.

BIG EAST WELL-REPRESENTED IN PRESEASON POLL

The preseason excitement that has swirled around The BIG EAST Conference received a stamp of validation when the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 preseason coaches’ poll was released Oct. 30. It shows a record seven BIG EAST teams, including four among the top nine.  Connecticut is No. 2 with Louisville at No. 3. Pittsburgh is sixth and Notre Dame ninth. The BIG EAST has never had four teams in the top 10 in a national preseason poll.  Marquette was tabbed 17th with Georgetown 18th. Villanova placed 25th. Syracuse and West Virginia were among teams also receiving votes.

STEALS LEADER

For the third straight year, Seton Hall is towards the top of the BIG EAST Conference in steals per game average.  Through 19 games, the Pirates are averaging 8.8 steals per game which is second-best in the conference.  Seton Hall finished the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons as the BIG EAST steals leader.

OFF TO A HOT START

With eight wins in their first nine games, Seton Hall is off to their best start of the Bobby Gonzalez era and best overall start since they were 14-1 to begin the 1992-93 season.  That year, Seton Hall won the BIG EAST Tournament.  This season also marks the third consecutive campaign that Seton Hall has begun the year with six wins in their first seven games.  Under Gonzalez, the Pirates are 14-2 in November. 

PIRATES SHOCK #19 USC, 63-61

Seton Hall rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat #19 USC, 63-61, in their quarterfinal game of the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-off.  Seton Hall trailed 43-28 at the half, but outscored the Trojans 35-to-18 in the second frame.  USC shot 62.% from the floor in the first half compared to a paltry 24.1% in the second.  Three Pirates scored in double-figures and were led by Eugene Harvey who scored 18 points to go with five rebounds, five assists and three steals.

PIRATES SET FOR YEAR TWO IN PRUDENTIAL CENTER

Last season the Pirates opened their new home, Prudential Center, and the state-of-the-art facility drew raves from the scores of Seton Hall fans.  Seton Hall recorded five sellout crowds in the building’s inaugural season.  This year, Seton Hall has 16 home games including marquee match-ups against Georgetown and Pittsburgh as well as local rivals Rutgers, St. John’s and Connecticut. 

AIR JORDAN LANDS IN SOUTH ORANGE

Freshman guard Jordan Theodore is a key member of Bobby Gonzalez’s 2008-09 recruiting class.  Theodore averaged 16.9 points, 6.7 assists and 4.6 steals per game as a junior at Paterson Catholic.  He helped lead them to an 18-8 record and scored a career-high 31 points vs. DePaul in the county final.  Additionally, he was the point guard for the #1 rated summer AAU basketball team, the New York Gauchos.  Recently, Theodore was named a Preseason All-Freshman Team Honorable Mention by CollegeHoops.net.

LAWRENCE, POPE TRANSFER IN

Over the summer, head coach Bobby Gonzalez acquired two impact transfers, Keon Lawrence and Herb Pope.  Lawrence played basketball the last two seasons at the University of Missouri.  Last season, he played in all 32 games and averaged a team-high 29.2 minutes per game.  He led the team in field goal attempts and averaged 11.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while making 20 starts.    Pope played basketball last season at New Mexico State University.  Last season, he appeared in 16 games and made 12 starts.  A native of Aliquippa, Pa., he averaged 11.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.  Named to the 2008 All-WAC Newcomer Team, Pope’s two best performances came in the WAC Tournament.  As of today, both players will sit out the 2008-09 season due to NCAA transfer regulations.

ALL-TIME 1,000-POINT MILESTONES

With Laing and Nutter reaching the 1,000-point plateau last season, it marked the eighth time that two players reached the milestone in the same season.  Most recently, Donnell Williams and Levell Sanders reached it during the 1997-98 season.  In 1988-89, three players reached the mark, John Morton, Ramon Ramos and Darryl Walker.  This season, junior Eugene Harvey (1,149) and sophomore Jeremy Hazell (841) have a chance at joining this exclusive club. 

LOOKING AHEAD

 

ST. JOHN’S

Thursday, February 5, 2009

9:00 p.m. ET

Prudential Center

Newark, N.J.

 

TV:  ESPN/ESPN2

Live Audio Stream:  www.shupirates.com

Radio:  WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

NOTEBOOK:  Seton Hall will resume its long series with local rival St. John’s on Thursday, February 5, in the Pirates final home game of this four-game homestand.  It will be the 84th meeting between the teams with St. John’s holding a 53-30 all-time lead.  Seton Hall, however, has faired well in the series lately.  Despite last year’s 65-62 loss at Carnesecca Arena, the Pirates have won five of the last seven match-ups.

St. John’s returns four starters from a team that went 11-19 last season.  Adding to the Red Storm misfortune was losing the team’s leading scorer, Anthony Mason, Jr., to a season-ending injury.  Despite only one win in their first seven BIG EAST games, St. John’s is a young and dangerous team.

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