Men's Basketball Travels to #13 Notre Dame, Saturday
1/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
COMPLETE GAME NOTES
SETON HALL (9-6, 0-3) at
#13 NOTRE DAME (11-3, 2-1)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Joyce Center - Notre Dame, Ind.
2:00 p.m. ET
SETON HALL STATUS:
The Pirates are coming off a heart-breaking overtime loss to Villanova on Tuesday to fall to 0-3 in BIG EAST play. Seton Hall fell, 89-85, despite strong performances by Jeremy Hazell and Eugene Harvey. The Pirates will now take to the road for two more games against teams ranked among the nation’s Top-15, Notre Dame and
NOTRE DAME STATUS:
The Fighting Irish are coming off an impressive 73-67 victory over
THE MATCHUP:
Seton Hall and Notre Dame will meet for the 22nd time on Saturday with the Fighting Irish holding a 14-7 lead in the series. Notre Dame has won the last five meetings in the series including a 95-69 victory last season at
TV:
MSG
Anthony Calhoun & Ron Perry
RADIO:
WABC 770 AM
Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
WSOU 89.5 FM
Jeremiah Sullivan & Shawn Skipper
WEB:
www.shupirates.com
Live Audio Stream
THIS WEEK IN THE FINAL FOUR SEASON OF 1988-89
(January 6, 1989 - January 12, 1989)
On Jan. 7, Seton Hall suffered their first loss of the season, a 90-66 drubbing by #2-ranked
This season Seton Hall is celebrating its 20th Anniversary of the 1988-89 team’s magical run to the Final Four.
SCOUTING NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish return four starters from a team that went 24-7 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. One of the returnees is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year, Luke Harangody. The 6-foot-8 forward is again leading the conference in scoring and rebounding with 24.1 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. One of the premier offensive teams in the BIG EAST, Notre Dame leads the conference in points and assists per game. They commit only 9.7 turnovers per game and are a dangerous three-point shooting team. Four player are currently averaging in double-figures in scoring. Senior Kyle McAlarney is also having a strong season with 16.4 ppg.
SETON HALL - NOTRE DAME SERIES
Seton Hall and Notre Dame will meet for the 22nd time with the Fighting Irish holding a 14-7 series lead. Last season, Notre Dame won at the Prudential Center, 95-69. The Pirates are only 1-8 all-time at the
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.
HIGH SCORERS
The Seton Hall/Notre Dame game on Saturday will feature the BIG EAST’s top two scorers. The Irish’s Luke Harangody is currently leading the conference with 24.1 points per game, while the Pirates’ Jeremy Hazell is second with 23.1 points per game. Last season, Harangody scored 22 points in a 95-69 Notre Dame victory. Hazell had a game-high 26 points.
HOUSE OF HORRORS
On Saturday, Seton Hall will play Notre Dame at the
TOUGH STRETCH
Seton Hall is amidst a very difficult stretch at the beginning of their BIG EAST schedule. Three of their first five games are on the road and all five are currently ranked in the Associated Press Top-25. The Pirates already played #11
REBOUNDING MACHINE
Junior transfer Robert Mitchell had 13 points and nine rebounds vs. Villanova. It’s the seventh straight game that he has grabbed at least nine rebounds. Currently, he leads the Pirates and is ranked sixth in the BIG EAST with 8.8 rebounds per game.
HAZELL APPROACHING RARITY
Sophomore Jeremy Hazell needs to average only 15.3 points per game through the remaining 16 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
AGAINST THE RANKED
Seton Hall’s loss to #18 Villanova dropped the Pirates to 1-3 this season against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25. They defeated #19 USC on Nov. 20, lost to #12
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.
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,
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.
INSIDE THE STATS
Sophomore Jeremy Hazell scored a team-high 26 points to top the 20-point mark for the 11th time this season and push his average over the 23 points per game mark. Junior Robert Mitchell had 13 points and nine rebounds to maintain the team lead in rebounding. Junior Eugene Harvey had a strong all-around game with 19 points, nine assists and only one turnover. Senior Paul Gause recorded four more steals to get him back to a BIG EAST-leading 3.0 steals per game. Playing extended minutes, John Garcia grabbed 12 rebounds.
GAUSE CLIMBING THEFT CHART
Senior Paul Gause is currently in third place all-time on the career steals list with 216. He trails the leader, Dan Callandrillo, by 44. 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 668 career points which ranks him third on the active list (Harvey 1,103, Hazell 756).
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.
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.
SETON HALL PLACES THIRD IN
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
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
Seton Hall was one of eight teams participating in the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off in
PLAYING IN
This is the second time the Seton Hall basketball program has played in
PIRATES FALL AFTER RALLY
Seton Hall rallied from a 21-point first half deficit to take the lead, but alas could not hold on and fell at James Madison, 70-64. Four Pirates scored in double-figures. The Pirates out-shot James Madison, 40.7%-to-39.6% and forced more turnovers, 15-to-10, but were out-rebounded, 41-to-28.
TALE OF TWO HALVES
The James Madison game may have featured Seton Hall’s worst half (first) and best half (second) of the season. In the first half, the Pirates were only 6-for-28 for 28.6% from the floor, were only 3-for-13 from three-point range and were outscored 40-to-22. In the second half, Seton Hall was 16-for-31 for 51.6% from the floor, was 5-for-13 from behind the three-point arc and outscored the Dukes, 42-to-30.
PRIME FROM THE LINE
As they have since the beginning of the Bobby Gonzalez era, the 2008-09 Pirates have shot remarkably well from the free throw line. Currently, they rank second in the conference with a .751 free throw percentage. Eugene Harvey and Robert Mitchell both rank within the BIG EAST’s Top-10 in individual free throw percentage.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
At
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 15 games this season, the Pirates have played in only one overtime game.
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
KAZIMIR,
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
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
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
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 15 games, the Pirates are averaging 9.9 steals per game which is best in the conference. Seton Hall finished the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons as the BIG EAST steals leader as well.
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.
RIPPING THE RANKED
The Pirates’ victory over #19 USC is Seton Hall’s second victory over a ranked team in the Bobby Gonzalez era. Last year, the Pirates defeated #23 Virginia to win the Philly Hoop Group Classic. All-time, the Pirates are 63-196 (.243) against the Associated Press Top-25. Seton Hall is 5-6 all-time against teams ranked #19. Seton Hall faced #12 Memphis on Nov. 21 and lost, 84-70. The Pirates are now only 1-7 all-time against a #12 team.
PIRATES SET FOR YEAR TWO IN PRUDENTIAL CENTER
Last season the Pirates opened their new home,
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 (1,103) and sophomore Jeremy Hazell (756) have a chance at joining this exclusive club.
LOOKING AHEAD
XL Center
TV: SNY
Live Audio Stream: www.shupirates.com
Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will remain on the road to face
Connecticut returns four starters from a team that went 24-9 and made it to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Huskies intimidating frontcourt includes the reigning BIG EAST Defensive Player of the year, 7-foot-3 Hasheem Thabeet and talented inside scorer and rebounder, Jeff Adrien.
