Men's Basketball Travels to Louisville to Take On #6 Cardinals, Wednesday

COMPLETE GAME NOTES

SETON HALL (15-13, 6-10) at
#6 LOUISVILLE (23-5, 14-2)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Freedom Hall - Louisville, Ky.
7:00 p.m. ET

SETON HALL STATUS:

Despite a strong effort, Seton Hall fell to their second #1-ranked team in two weeks last Saturday, losing to #1 Pittsburgh, 89-78, at Prudential Center.  The loss is the Pirates fourth in five games and closes out the home portion of the schedule.  Prior to the game, Seton Hall honored two managers and Paul Gause as part of Senior Day festivities.

LOUISVILLE STATUS:

The Cardinals enter Wednesday’s game riding a five-game win streak and fresh off a 62-58 victory on Sunday over #8 Marquette.  Both Earl Clark and Terrence Williams are averaging over 12 points and eight rebounds per game. 

THE MATCHUP:

Seton Hall and Louisville will meet for the 12th time in history on Wednesday with the Cardinals holding a 7-4 all-time series lead.  Last season, the Pirates shocked Louisville with a 92-82 victory at the Prudential Center.  Prior to the victory, Seton Hall had lost four straight in the series.  Seton Hall has never won at Freedom Hall.

TV:

SNY

Bob Picozzi & Mark Adams

RADIO:

WABC 770 AM

Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin

WSOU 89.5 FM

Pat McCabe & Steve Faulks

WEB:

www.shupirates.com

Live Audio Stream

 

THIS WEEK IN THE FINAL FOUR SEASON OF 1988-89

(March 3, 1989 - March 9, 1989)

In what could only be described as a tune-up for the upcoming BIG EAST Tournament, Seton Hall thumped Brooklyn College, 88-55, on Senior Night at Walsh Gym.  The Pirates set a school record with 11 made three-pointers, including five by John Morton.  Khyiem Long made the first start of his career and finished with a career-high eight points and five rebounds.  Seton Hall also learned this week that they would face Connecticut in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament.

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

SCOUTING LOUISVILLE

The Cardinals enter Wednesday’s match-up with Seton Hall as the #6-ranked team in the nation and sporting a sparkling 23-5 overall record and 14-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play.  Two Cardinals, Terrence Williams and Earl Clark are averaging at least 12 points and eight rebounds per game.  Freshman Samardo Samuels is a leading contender for BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.  The 6-foot-8 forward is averaging 12.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.  Head coach Rick Pitino is in his seventh year at the helm.

SETON HALL - LOUISVILLE SERIES

Seton Hall and Louisville will meet for only the 12th time in history on Wednesday with the Cardinals holding a 7-4 all-time series lead.  Last season, Seton Hall shocked the Cardinals with a 92-82 victory at the Prudential Center.  Prior to that win, the Pirates had lost four straight to Louisville.  In two all-time visits, Seton Hall has never won at Freedom Hall.  Meanwhile, Louisville is 15-2 at home this year.  Wednesday is Senior Night for the Cardinals.

 

PIRATES FALL SHORT VS #1 PITT

Seton Hall held the nation’s #1-ranked team in check for the first 20 minutes, trailing by only five at the half, but Pittsburgh pulled away in the second half on its way to an 89-78 victory.  Four Pirates scored in double-figures and Seton Hall shot an impressive 47.6% from the floor.  Pittsburgh, however, out-rebounded the Pirates, 44-to-21.  Seton Hall forced a season-high 23 turnovers and made 15 steals.

SENIORS HONORED

Prior to the Seton Hall/Pittsburgh game, the Pirates honored three of their graduating seniors.  Managers Danielle Borges and Colin Hampton were honored as well as the Pirates’ lone departing student-athlete, Paul Gause.  Borges kept the Seton Hall scorebook, Hampton worked closely with video production, while Gause is widely regarded as one of Seton Hall’s all-time defensive greats.

MEN OF STEAL

Seton Hall had 15 steals vs. Pittsburgh.  Junior Eugene Harvey tied a career-high with six steals, while steal specialist Paul Gause had five.  It is the second time in Harvey’s career that he’s recorded at least five steals in a single-game.  It’s Gause’s 17th time.

AGAINST #1

With Seton Hall’s 89-78 loss to Pittsburgh, the Pirates still have never beaten the nation’s #1-ranked team.  Seton Hall is 0-for-12 all-time.  The loss to Pittsburgh is the second loss to a #1-ranked team this season as they fell to Connecticut on Feb. 14, 62-54, at Prudential Center.  It is only the third time in school history that the Pirates have faced the #1-ranked team more than once in a single-season.  The closest Seton Hall ever game to beating a #1-ranked team was on Nov. 19, 2001 when they lost to #1 Duke, 80-79.

SWISHIN’ AND DISHIN’

With 1,252 career points and 413 career assists, junior Eugene Harvey recently became only the fifth member of Seton Hall’s 1,200-point/400-assist club.  The other members include Andre Barrett (1,861/662), Nick Galis (1,651/410), John Morton (1,621/452) and Shaheen Holloway (1,588/681).

PROTECTING HOME COURT

Seton Hall’s victory over USF was their 10th victory at Prudential Center this season.  It marks the fourth straight year that the Pirates have reached double-digits in home wins.  Seton Hall has 32 home victories in the Bobby Gonzalez era.

HAZELL REACHES 1,000 POINTS

With 22 points at St. John’s on Feb. 22, sophomore Jeremy Hazell became the 37th player in Seton Hall history to record 1,000 career points.  After a strong freshman year that landed him All-Rookie team honors, Hazell has burst onto the scene as a sophomore averaging 22.7 points per game.

RARE AIR

Jeremy Hazell reached the 1,000 career point mark as a sophomore.  He is only the fifth player in Seton Hall history to reach the plateau in only two seasons, joining Terry Dehere, Nick Werkman, Ken House and Darius Lane.  With 20 points against USF, he moved into third place behind only Dehere and Werkman, for most points in a Pirate’s first two seasons (1,045).

DAZZLING DUO

This season, junior Eugene Harvey and sophomore Jeremy Hazell became the 36th and 37th members of the 1,000 career points club at Seton Hall.  They’re only the ninth duo in school history to accomplish the feat in the same season.  Last year, Brian Laing and Jamar Nutter both reached 1,000 points.  During the magical 1988-89 season, a Seton Hall record three players, Ramon Ramos, Daryll Walker and John Morton, recorded their 1,000th points.

DAZZLING DUO PART II

Next season will mark only the second time in school history that Seton Hall has begun a season with two 1,000-point scorers on their roster.  This season, junior Eugene Harvey and sophomore Jeremy Hazell both eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau and both will return for the senior and junior years respectively next season.  The only other time Seton Hall has brought back two 1,000-point scorers was in the 1987-88 season when Mark Bryant and James Major returned for their senior years after scoring their 1,000th points during the 1986-87 season. 

INSIDE THE STATS

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell scored a team-high 25 points vs. #1-ranked Pittsburgh to bump his scoring average to 22.7 points per game.  Junior Robert Mitchell scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds which helped maintain both averages.  Junior Eugene Harvey had four assists to keep his assists average at 4.8 per game.  Harvey also tied a career-high with six steals.  Senior Paul Gause grabbed five steals to boost his BIG EAST-leading steals per game average to 2.6.

GAUSE CLIMBING THEFT CHART

Senior Paul Gause is currently in third place all-time on the career steals list with 244.  He trails the leader, Dan Callandrillo, by 16.  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 763 career points which ranks him third on the active list (Harvey 1,252, Hazell 1,045).

A BIG EAST FIRST

With Seton Hall’s victory at DePaul on Feb. 10, the Pirates became the first team in BIG EAST history to begin the conference slate 0-6 and have a five game win streak.

BLOCK PARTY

Senior John Garcia has been swatting everything in site lately.  In his first six games back after missing four earlier this year from a sore knee, Garcia collected only two blocks.  In the nine games since, he has blocked 30 shots.  To date, he’s averaging 2.0 blocks per game, which ranks him fourth in the BIG EAST Conference.

CAREER BLOCK PARTY

Garcia currently has 120 blocks for his career and has moved  past Luther Wright for eighth on Seton Hall’s career list.  Samuel Dalembert is the Pirates’ all-time leader with 167.

HAZELL’S STANDOUT SEASON CONTINUES

After leading Seton Hall to a 2-0 week with victories over St. John’s and Rutgers, sophomore Jeremy Hazell was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on 2/9 for the second straight week and third time this season.  Hazell averaged 26 points per game in the two victories.  In the Pirates’ victory over St. John’s on Thursday, Hazell scored 31 points.  In Seton Hall’s first victory over Rutgers (1/29), Hazell tied his career-high with 35 points.  It is the first time that a Seton Hall player has had back-to-back 30-point games since Mark Bryant accomplished the feat during the 1987-88 season.  

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. 

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.

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 21 times this season.  Mitchell has reached the mark six times.

GARCIA CLOSING IN

Senior John Garcia is closing in on the career 500-Point plateau.  Only 102 players have reached the plateau.  To date, he has 490 career points.

CLIMBING 3-POINTER CHARTS

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell is moving up the career three-pointers made list.  In less than two full seasons, he’s already ninth all-time.

AGAINST THE NATION’S TOP-5

Seton Hall lost to #4 Connecticut on Jan. 18.  All-time, the Pirates are only 4-49 (.075) 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 64-202 (.241) 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 eight points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Connecticut on Feb. 14.  It was the 11th time this season that he has grabbed at least nine rebounds.  Currently, he leads the team with 8.0 rebounds per game.

SCORING 30

Sophomore Jeremy Hazell hit the 30-point plateau again in Thursday’s victory over St. John’s.  It is the sixth time this season, he has scored at least 30 points and the third time in four games.  The last time a Pirate has had that many 30+ point games in a single-season was during the 1981-82 season when Dan Callandrillo hit the mark seven times.  Hazell has also topped 20 points in 21-of-28 games.

AGAINST THE RANKED

Seton Hall’s loss to #10 Marquette dropped the Pirates to 2-7 this season against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top-25.  They defeated #19 USC on Nov. 20, lost to #12 Memphis on Nov. 21, fell at #13 Syracuse on Dec. 30, lost to #18 Villanova on Jan. 6, lost to #13 Notre Dame on Jan. 10, lost at #4 UConn on Jan. 18 and defeated #12 Georgetown on Jan. 25 and lost to #1 UConn on Feb. 14.  All-time, Seton Hall is 64-202 (.241) against teams ranked in the AP Top-25.  The Pirates are now 4-13 all-time against teams ranked #10.

CAREER GAME FOR GARCIA

Senior John Garcia may have had the best game of his career vs. Connecticut on Feb. 14.  The 6-foot-9 center scored a career-high 22 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and tied his career-high with six blocks.  He was 10-for-13 from the floor and played 34 minutes. 

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.

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 12.2 per game while forcing 15.4 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

Against Connecticut on Feb. 14, Senior John Garcia scored a career-high 22 points and grabbed 13 rebounds.  He has now tied Robert Mitchell for the team lead with four double-doubles for the season.  Garcia leads the team with nine career double-doubles.  Eugene Harvey and Jeremy Hazell also have one double-double so far in 2008-09.

INSPIRED PIRATES SHOCK #12 GEORGETOWN

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.  P.J. Carlesimo spoke to the crowd and the team’s giant Final Four banner was unfurled.

SELL-OUT

The Pirates recorded their third sell-out of the Prudential Center vs. #1 Pittsburgh on Feb. 28.  Seton Hall’s game vs. #1 Connecticut on Feb. 14 and their upset victory over #12 Georgetown were also witnessed by a sell-out crowd.  Seton Hall has now sold-out the Prudential Center eight times since the building opened last year.

AT HOME

To date, the Pirates are 10-6 at Prudential Center this season and are 21-12 all-time in the building.  Furthermore, Seton Hall is 8-10 all-time at Prudential Center against BIG EAST opponents.

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.

PIRATES WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT; SWEEP RUTGERS

Seton Hall won their fourth straight BIG EAST game with a 65-60 victory over Rutgers on Feb. 8.  The victory marks the first season sweep of Rutgers since the 2003-04 season.  Each season series since had resulted in a split.  Jeremy Hazell scored a game-high 21 points.  Paul Gause and John Garcia also had strong days scoring 10 and 13 points respectively.  Garcia added eight rebounds and three blocks en route to being named the 2008-09 Joe Calabrese MVP.

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 ninth 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.

400/400 FOR BIG JOHN

Kudos to senior John Garcia who became a new member of the 400-point/400-rebound club at Seton Hall.  To date, John has 490 career points and 447 rebounds. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

IF THE SEASON WERE TO END TODAY

With a record of 6-10 in the BIG EAST, if the season were to end today, Seton Hall would earn the #11 seed in the BIG EAST Championship and play the #14 seed, USF, in the first round on Tuesday, March 10.  With two games to play, the highest seed Seton Hall can attain is the #9, while the furthest they can fall is the #13. 

STEALS LEADER

For the third straight year, Seton Hall is towards the top of the BIG EAST Conference in steals per game average.  Through 28 games, the Pirates are averaging 8.8 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.

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. 

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.

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

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 64-202 (.241) against the AP Top-25.  

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.

CINCINNATI

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Noon

Fifth Third Arena

Cincinnati, Ohio

 

TV:  ESPN360

Live Audio Stream:  www.shupirates.com

Radio:  WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

NOTEBOOK:  Seton Hall and Cincinnati will meet for the 10th time in the history of the series with the Bearcats holding a slim 5-4 all-time lead.  The teams have traded victories over the last eight meetings.  Most recently, Seton Hall defeated Cincinnati, 64-61, last season at Prudential Center.  This will be only Seton Hall’s second trip ever to Cincinnati.  Their prior visit resulted in a 70-67 overtime loss two seasons ago.

Cincinnati returns only two starters from a team that went 13-19 last season.  The Bearcats, however, have surprised many with their play this season.  Predicted to place 11th in the conference, Cincinnati already has eight BIG EAST victories and is considered a “bubble” team for a possible NCAA Tournament at-large bid.

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