Men's Basketball to Host Richmond, Sunday at Prudential Center
12/24/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL Game Notes - Richmond 12/26/10 (.pdf)
RICHMOND (9-3) vs. SETON HALL (6-5)
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Prudential Center - Newark, N.J.
Noon ET
SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall had its three-game win streak snapped by Dayton on Wednesday in a 69-65 loss at Prudential Center. Four Pirates scored in double-figures including senior Jeff Robinson, who scored a team-high 15 points. Freshman Fuquan Edwin was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Monday. The Pirates remain home for the fourth of five straight home games with Richmond on Sunday. Jordan Theodore leads the team with 12.3 points per game while Jeremy Hazell is out with a broken bone in his left wrist.
RICHMOND STATUS
The Spiders enter Sunday's game with a 9-3 record. They're coming off a 63-53 win at UNC Greensboro on Wednesday. Richmond returns three starters from a team that went 26-9 last year and lost to St. Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Among the Spiders' returnees is the defending Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, Kevin Anderson. The senior point guard is currently averaging 16.3 points per game. Justin Harper is a second Spider averaging in double-figures in scoring with 14.3 points per game. He had a team-high 17 against UNC-Greensboro.
TV: ESPN3.com - Dave Popkin & Rob Kennedy
RADIO: 77WABC AM - Gary Cohen
WSOU 89.5 FM - Zack Cziryak, Jeremy Dash & Chris Paizis
WEB: PIRATE SPORTS NETWORK - Live Audio Stream
www.SHUpirates.com
DAYTON RALLIES TO EDGE SHU, 69-65
Seton Hall dropped a 69-65 decision to Dayton on Dec. 22. The Pirates led by 14 at the intermission, but the Flyers used a 13-0 run in the second half to rally and edge Seton Hall for the four-point win. It what may be been Seton Hall's best first half of the year, the Pirates shot 50.0% and held Dayton to just 27.8%.
POLY-NICE!
Senior Eniel Polynice had his best all-around game in a Seton Hall uniform against Dayton on Dec. 22. The 6-foot-5 Mississippi transfer scored 13 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished out five assists. He also blocked a game-high four shots in 29 minutes off the bench.
TRIPLE NINE
For a third consecutive game freshman Fuquan Edwin grabbed nine rebounds. In that stretch, his rebounding average has gone from 2.4 per game to 4.2.
PIRATES DROP NJIT, 68-45
Seton Hall won its third straight game with a 68-45 victory over NJIT on Dec. 19. Freshman Fuquan Edwin led the Pirates in scoring for a second straight game with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and tied a career-high with nine rebounds. Seton Hall shot 50 percent from the field, while limiting NJIT to 30.4 percent and held a 21-7 edge in bench scoring.
EDWIN NAMED TOP ROOKIE
Freshman Fuquan Edwin was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Dec. 20 after helping Seton Hall to a pair of victories the prior week. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 15.5 points, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals vs. Longwood and NJIT. It is the first Rookie of the Week award for a Pirate since Jeremy Hazell earned the distinction on Jan. 21, 2008. Edwin has started eight of the team's first 10 games this season.
BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE
Junior Jordan Theodore dished out a career-high 10 assists in Seton Hall's victory over NJIT on Dec. 19. He notched his career-high in just 23 minutes and turned the ball over only twice. With a 5.1 assists per game average, Theodore currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST.
NEW JERSEY DOMINANCE
Seton Hall's victory over NJIT on Dec. 19 was its 11th straight win over a school from New Jersey. The Pirates last loss in-state was to Rutgers, 64-61, on March 9, 2008.
PIRATES SHUT DOWN LONGWOOD, 78-51
Seton Hall notched its second straight easy victory with a 78-51 victory over Longwood on Dec. 13. With the win, the Pirates improve to a perfect 3-0 at the Prudential Center this season. Three Pirates scored in double-figures, Fuquan Edwin, Jordan Theodore and Jeff Robinson, who scored 17, 17 and 15 points respectively.
THEODORE NAMED TO HONOR ROLL
Junior Jordan Theodore was named to the BIG EAST Conference Men's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 13. Theodore averaged 20.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in week that saw Seton Hall go 1-1. Theodore scored a game-high and career-high 24 points in a 71-62 loss to Arkansas last Wednesday. In the Pirates' 104-79 victory at UMass, Theodore again led the team with 17 points. He also tied a career-high with eight assists and was 5-for-6 from the free throw line in just 23 minutes of action.
NEW TO THE BENCH
A pair of Pirates were new to the Seton Hall bench on Dec. 13 vs. Longwood. Freshman Aaron Geramipoor, who has missed every game due to Mononucleosis, rejoined the team, and Pete Dill a new walk-on also made his Seton Hall debut.
EFFICIENT EDWIN
For a second straight game, freshman Fuquan Edwin notched a career-high in points vs. Longwood. After scoring a career-best 13 points at UMass, Edwin responded with 17 points and a career-high nine rebounds vs. Longwood on Dec. 13. Edwin also recorded three steals and played a career-best 34 minutes.
THEODORE RANKS FIFTH
Junior Jordan Theodore has proven to be more than competent from the free-throw line this year. Currently, the point guard ranks fifth in the BIG EAST having gone 32-for-37 for a percentage of 86.5%.
PIRATES ROUT UMASS
Seven players scored in double-figures as Seton Hall used a balanced offensive attack to rout Massachusetts, 104-79, in Amherst on Dec. 12. The Pirates led by 13 at the half and shot 73.1% from the floor in the second half to cruise to their first true road victory of the Kevin Willard era. Junior Jordan Theodore had his second straight strong performance with a team-leading 17 points and a career-high tying eight assists in just 23 minutes. Ferrakohn Hall, Fuquan Edwin and Patrik Auda all logged career-highs in scoring with 15, 13 and 10 points respectively.
HOT SHOTS
After struggling to find offense in the absence of leading-scorer Jeremy Hazell for its first four games without the All-America candidate, Seton Hall's offense broke out in a big way at UMass. The Pirates scored 104 points and nine players scored six or more points. As a team, Seton Hall shot 60.0% (36-for-60) from the floor for the game marking the first time since Nov. 27, 2000 that the Pirates shot 60% or better. Even more impressive was Seton Hall's 73.1% from the floor in the second half. The Pirates were also 21-for-25 from the free-throw line and 11-for-22 from behind the three-point arc.
SEVEN IN DOUBLE-FIGURES
Seton Hall had seven players score in double-figures vs. UMass. Additionally, Keon Lawrence fell one point shy of being the eighth player in the game to score in double-figures. In the 27 seasons that this statistic has been kept at Seton Hall, no Pirates' squad has ever had seven players score in double-figures in the same game.
FIRST DOUBLE-DOUBLE FOR POPE
Junior Herb Pope logged his first double-double of the 2010-11 season at UMass with 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also tied a career-high with five blocks. Pope entered the season as the BIG EAST active leader in double-doubles. He recorded a team-best 13 last season.
CZECH-MATE
Freshman Patrik Auda (Brno, Czech Republic) helped seal the Pirates victory at UMass with a pair of three-point plays in the span of 1:30 early in the second half. His second three-point play pushed the Seton Hall lead to 14 points. For the game, Auda scored a career-high 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, recorded two steals and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
NEON KEON
Senior Keon Lawrence had a strong all-around game at UMass on Dec. 11. The Newark, N.J. native scored nine points, and tied career-highs with six rebounds and five assists against just two turnovers.
HOME SWEET HOME
Seton Hall's game at UMass on Dec. 11 finished a stretch of games away from home in the team's first eight games this season. Not since the 1971-72 season have the Pirates played six of their first eight games away from home. That year, seven of the Pirates first nine games were played on the road, but two were at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates will play their next two games in the friendly confines of the Prudential Center. Seton Hall is 4-1 at home this year.
AIR JORDAN
Point guard Jordan Theodore had arguably his best career game vs. Arkansas. The 6-foot junior scored a career-high 24 points and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
ARKANSAS OUTLASTS PIRATES, 71-62
Junior Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 24 points, but he was the lone Seton Hall player in double-figures and the Pirates fell to Arkansas, 71-62, in the DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational. Five Arkansas players scored in double-figures including Julysses Nobles who scored a team-high 19 points. Seton Hall out-played the Razorbacks in the second half, but the 12-point halftime deficit was too much to overcome.
PIRATES POUND PEACOCKS, 69-49
The Pirates used a strong second-half effort to top Saint Peter's, 69-49, on Nov. 29 at Prudential Center. Seton Hall's bench was the story as it outscored the Peacocks' reserves 32-17, led by Jordan Theodore's 11 first-half points. Senior Keon Lawrence and freshman Patrik Auda each turned in their finest performances of the season. Lawrence scored five points and dished out five assists with no turnovers in 22 minutes of action. Auda grabbed five boards and was strong defensively with a steal and a blocked shot.
LESS THAN 50
Seton Hall turned in a strong defensive effort against Saint Peter's on Nov. 29 in a 69-49 victory. It marked the first time since the Pirates defeated Princeton, 79-41, on Jan. 29, 2007, that Seton Hall held its opponent to under 50 points scored. The Pirates also held the Peacocks to just 34.0% shooting from the floor and forced 15 turnovers. The Pirates achieved the milestone again vs. NJIT, giving up just 45 points on Dec. 19.
AUDA MAKES FIRST START
Freshman Patrik Auda made the first start of his collegiate career vs. Saint Peter's on Nov. 29. The 6-foot-9 forward played a season-high 22 minutes and scored three points, grabbed five rebounds and logged one block and one steal.
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
Seton Hall showed great poise with the basketball vs. Saint Peter's. After committing a season-high 20 turnovers vs. Clemson in the Paradise Jam finale, the Pirates turned the ball over a season-low five times against the Peacocks. As a team, Seton Hall had 16 assists and just the aforementioned five turnovers.
CLEMSON DEALS PIRATES OT LOSS, 64-58
The Pirates rallied from an eight-point second half deficit to force overtime, but could not take the lead in the extra session and lost to Clemson, 64-58, in the consolation game of the 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. Senior Jeff Robinson was the only Pirate to score in double-figures. He finished with team-highs of 16 points and eight rebounds. As a team, Seton Hall placed fifth in the eight-team field.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM FOR ROBINSON
Senior Jeff Robinson was named to the 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam All-Tournament Team. The 6-foot-6 forward averaged 15.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in Seton Hall's three tournament games.
SETON HALL FALLS TO XAVIER, 57-52
Xavier's Tu Holloway hit a fade-away three-pointer in the corner with just 17 second left as the Pirates fell to the Musketeers, 57-52, in the semifinals of the 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. Senior Jamel Jackson connected on a three-pointer to tie the score at 52, with just 50 seconds remaining setting up Holloway's dramatics on the ensuing possession. Senior Jeff Robinson led four Pirates in double-figures with 15 points. Junior Herb Pope had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
PIRATES SIGN THREE
Head coach Kevin Willard announced on Nov. 18 that Aaron Cosby (Louisville, Ky.), Haralds Karlis (Riga, Latvia), and Freddie Wilson (New Haven, Conn.) have signed national letters of intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Pirates starting the 2011-12 season. "I'm really excited about all three," Willard said. "Each of them brings something different to our team, but they are all great students-athletes and they can really shoot the basketball."
A FIRST IN 18 YEARS
The Pirates victory over Alabama marked their first victory over an SEC team since they defeated Tennessee on Nov. 21, 1992.
HAZELL BREAKS WRIST
Senior Jeremy Hazell poured in 27 points and his free throws with just three seconds remaining sealed the Pirates victory over Alabama, but in the win the All-America candidate broke the scaphoid bone in his left wrist. On Dec. 2, Hazell had surgery to repair the injury and he is expected to be out until mid-January.
PIRATES OUTLAST ALABAMA
Seton Hall trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but came back and outlasted the Crimson Tide for an 83-78 victory in the first round of the 2010 Paradise Jam. The Pirates received a game-high 27 points from senior Jeremy Hazell. Herb Pope, Jeff Robinson and Jordan Theodore also scored in double-figures for the Pirates. Seton Hall will now face Xavier in the semifinals on Sunday.
500 FOR THEODORE
With 10 points against Cornell on Nov. 14, junior Jordan Theodore became the 106th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. The 500-Point Club should have two additional members join Theodore this season. Herb Pope has 448 points, while senior Jeff Robinson has 424 career points.
PIRATES vs. ATLANTIC 10
Seton Hall has a sub.-500 record all-time against current teams from the Atlantic 10 Conference. In all, the Pirates are 93-103 against the 14 schools of the A-10. Richmond represents the final of five games against A-10 teams this season. The Pirates are 1-3 against the A-10 so far this year with losses to Temple, Xavier and Dayton and a victory at UMass.
HIGH PERCENTAGES
In Seton Hall's victory over Alabama, both teams shot incredibly well from the floor, and in particular, from three-point range. The Pirates shot 55.1% from the floor for the game and shot an astounding 60.0% in the second half. Alabama meanwhile shot 53.4% for the game. Combined, the teams were 20-for-27 from three-point range. Seton Hall was 10-for-13, while the Crimson Tide were 10-for-14.
PIRATES CRUSH CORNELL
New Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard needed to only wait until game two to pick up his first victory as the Pirates defeated Cornell, 92-68, on Nov. 14. The Pirates shot 43.1% from the floor and pulled down 46 rebounds in the win.
RAINING FROM THREE
Senior Jeremy Hazell is at the top of several lists for three-pointers. He is already Seton Hall's all-time leader in three-pointers attempted and currently ranks second behind only Terry Dehere with 292 three-pointers made. Furthermore, in terms of single-season records, Hazell ranks first, second and sixth on Seton Hall's all-time single-season three-pointers attempted list and first, fourth and 11th on its all-time made list.
EFFICIENT HAZELL
Senior Jeremy Hazell erupted for a game-high 28 points in Seton Hall's victory over Cornell on Nov. 14. Most impressive was his shooting percentage. Hazell was an efficient 8-for-11 from the field, 4-for-6 from three-point range and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
MR. ROBINSON'S NEIGHBORHOOD
Senior Jeff Robinson had a nice bounce-back game vs. Cornell on Nov. 14. The 6-foot-6 senior picked up the first double-double for the Pirates this season with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. It was Robinson's third career double-double and he did it in only 22 minutes of action.
ALL-AROUND AUDA
Freshman Patrik Auda had a fine all-around game in only his second in a Pirates' uniform vs. Cornell. Auda scored just one point, but grabbed five rebounds, blocked three shots and dished out two assists in 17 minutes of action. The 6-foot-9 forward from Brno, Czech Republic has already proven to be an asset.
NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE
On Nov. 14 vs. Cornell, Jordan Theodore scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out seven assists coming close to recording what would have been only the second triple-double in Seton Hall history. Eddie Griffin recorded the only triple-double on Dec. 4, 2000 vs. Norfolk State. Griffin had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.
HAZELL LEADS WAY IN OPENER
Senior Jeremy Hazell scored a game-high 17 points in the Pirates season-opener at #22 Temple. The All-America candidate was 6-for-15 from the floor including 2-for-5 from three-point range.
PIRATES FALL AT #22 TEMPLE
Despite a furious late-game rally, the Seton Hall men's basketball team fell to #22 Temple, 62-56, in their 2010-11 season-opener, Nov. 12. The Owls led as many as 16 points with just 4:16 remaining in regulation, but the Pirates finished the game with a 12-2 run that saw Temple's lead dwindle to just four at 60-56 with 20 seconds remaining. Senior Jeremy Hazell led Seton Hall with 17 points and was the only Pirate to finish in double-figures in scoring. Junior Herb Pope finished with five points and a team-high eight rebounds.
BENCH LIFT
Senior Jamel Jackson came off the bench to score eight points in only 11 minutes at Temple on Nov. 12. Proving his ability to supply instant offense, the long-distance sharp-shooter was 2-for-3 from three-point range including a late three-pointer during Seton Hall's rally.
CHARLESTON CLASSIC
The Pirates will be a part of the eight-team field at the 2011 Charleston Classic set to be held, Nov. 17-20, at Carolina First Arena in Charleston, S.C. In addition to the Pirates, participating schools include: Baylor, Georgia Tech, LSU, Saint Joseph's, Tulsa, Virginia Commonwealth and Western Kentucky. The 2011 Charleston Classic, a bracket-format tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format.
PIRATES SLAM WILLIAM PATERSON IN TUNE-UP
Seton Hall forced 20 turnovers and committed only five as the Pirates defeated William Paterson, 97-55, in exhibition action on Nov. 5. Junior Herb Pope scored 16 points and pulled down a game-high 20 rebounds. Freshman Fuquan Edwin also impressed in his debut in a Pirates uniform with 15 points, five rebounds and four steals. Jeremy Hazell (16 points), Ferrakohn Hall (13 points) and Jeff Robinson (11 points) also scored in double figures.
SECOND HALF HEROES
Despite a 6-4 record, Seton Hall has out-scored its opponent in the second half of all 10 games so far this season. Additionally, the Pirates have shot better in the second half than they have in the first half in nine of 10 contests.
HAZELL LANDS ON WOODEN TOP-50
Senior Jeremy Hazell was named to The John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 list as announced by The Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year's individual performance and team records, are the early frontrunners for college basketball's most prestigious honor. Only six other BIG EAST players were on the list.
HAZELL A CANDIDATE
Senior Jeremy Hazell was selected as a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
FIRST TEAM FOR HAZELL
Senior Jeremy Hazell was named to the 2010-11 Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team. A two-time All-BIG EAST honoree, Hazell is the conference's active leader in points, ppg, three-pointers made, steals and steals average.
HOLLOWAY RETURNS
Seton Hall legend Shaheen Holloway returns this year as the Pirates' Associate Head Coach for his third stint with the Seton Hall men's basketball team. A three-time All-BIG EAST performer, he's the Pirates' all-time leader in assists and captained the 2000 team to a birth in the NCAA Sweet-16 as a senior. After graduation, Holloway played professionally in Europe before returning to Seton Hall for one year in 2006 as a member the men's basketball staff. In 2007, he joined Kevin Willard's staff as an assistant coach at Iona College where he has remained for the last three seasons.
AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER
This season Seton Hall is 4-1 at Prudential Center. Last year the Pirates were 13-5 in the building. All-time, Seton Hall is 39-18. Furthermore, Seton Hall is 14-13 all-time at Prudential Center against BIG EAST opponents.
PIRATES HOST FOR 2011 NCAA REGIONAL
Seton Hall University has been named a host institution for the Regional Round of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship. In conjunction with Seton Hall serving as host, the Prudential Center will be the competition venue for two games of the regional semifinals on March 25, 2011 and the regional final on March 27, 2011. It will mark the first time the City of Newark has hosted the event. It is the first time Seton Hall has hosted a round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship since 1999.
WATCH THE PIRATES
Overall, at least 22 of the Pirates' 30 regular season games will be televised with nine games on national television. Seton Hall's games at the 2010 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam may be carried by Fox College Sports and Fox Sports Net. The Pirates' only two non-televised home games, Longwood (12/13) and NJIT (12/19), will be streamed live via the Pirates Sports Network at www.SHUpirates.com.
LISTEN TO THE PIRATES
For the eighth consecutive year, play- by-play voice Gary Cohen and color analyst Dave Popkin will team up to call all the Pirates' action. 77 WABC will serve as the flagship station for Pirates Basketball and will air all weekend games over their 50,000 watt clear channel signal. Weekday games will be aired throughout New York City and New Jersey on AM 1600 WWRL, Classic Oldies WMTR 1250 AM, 1160 WOBM-AM and WADB 1310 AM. Pirate fans outside of the radio market can tune in to hear Seton Hall basketball live on SHUpirates.com, the official website of Seton Hall University Athletics.
WILLARD'S STAFF
Shaheen Holloway and Dan McHale, who were assistant coaches under Willard at Iona, have joined him at Seton Hall. Holloway returns as the Pirates' new associate head coach, while McHale is an assistant coach. Chris Pompey, formerly an assistant coach at New Mexico State, is also an assistant at Seton Hall. Stephen Sauers, who was the Pirates' director of basketball operations from 2006-08, returns in that capacity for Seton Hall this season. Grant Billmeier and Casey Stanley are coordinators of basketball operations. Khyl Farrison follows Willard to Seton Hall from Iona as strength & conditioning coach, while Ryan Whalen was tabbed to serve as video assistant.
PRESEASON BIG EAST PREDICTIONS
Seton Hall is predicted to finish 11th in the 16-team BIG EAST Conference. Pittsburgh is the choice to win the 2010-11 BIG EAST men's basketball regular-season crown in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Panthers, who finished 25-9 overall and tied for second place in the conference at 13-5 last season, collected 12 first-place votes from the head coaches who did not place their own teams on their ballots. Villanova follows Pitt in the poll in second place. The Wildcats had 208 points which included one first-place vote. Syracuse, last year's regular-season league champion, was picked third. The Orange corralled a pair of first-place votes and a total of 187 points in the poll.
PRESEASON BIG EAST AWARDS
Georgetown guard Austin Freeman was named 2010-11 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head men's basketball coaches. Syracuse freshman Fab Melo was chosen BIG EAST Preseason Rookie of the Year. Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players. In addition to Freeman, the Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team includes two members from last year's All-BIG EAST Second Team and two from the All-BIG EAST Third Team. All five hail from the New York Metropolitan area, including three from the Bronx, N.Y. Pittsburgh's Ashton Gibbs, Seton Hall's Jeremy Hazell, Connecticut's Kemba Walker, Villanova's Corey Fisher and West Virginia's Kevin Jones make up the First Team. The Preseason All-BIG EAST Second Team includes Georgetown's Chris Wright, Notre Dame's Tim Abromaitis, St. John's D.J. Kennedy, Marquette's Jimmy Butler and Syracuse's Kris Joseph.
BIG TV PRESENCE FOR BIG EAST
More than half of the 144 regular-season BIG EAST Conference men's basketball games will be seen on national television in the 2010-11 season, giving BIG EAST teams unprecedented exposure on the nation's leading television outlets as the league announced its composite schedule of conference games. In total, 73 of the 144 regular-season BIG EAST games will be on national television (either on CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU). Each of the BIG EAST's 16 teams will make at least five national television appearances in conference games alone. The remaining conference games will be produced by ESPN Regional Television for the BIG EAST Network or carried on ESPN3.com. The 2010-11 season will be the fourth straight in which all 144 regular-season league games will be televised. Additionally, at least 40 games non-conference games will receive national exposure. Forty-five conference contests will be carried on ESPN or ESPN2. ESPNU, which has increased its reach to over 73 million homes, will carry at least 24 league games. CBS Sports will televise 10 more games involving BIG EAST teams. ESPN will continue to televise The BIG EAST Championship presented by American Eagle Outfitters from Madison Square Garden in New York.
SEC/BIG EAST INVITATIONAL
The fourth annual DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational will be held Dec. 8 and 11 in Louisville and Pittsburgh, ESPN Regional Television announced. The two-night men's college basketball event begins with a doubleheader Wednesday, Dec. 8, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, featuring Arkansas vs. Seton Hall at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN2, followed by Kentucky vs. Notre Dame at 9:30 p.m. on ESPN. On Saturday, Dec. 11, at the brand new CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Rutgers will take on Auburn on ESPN2, followed by Pittsburgh vs. Tennessee on ESPN. Three of the SEC teams - Kentucky, Tennessee and Auburn - will play in the event for the second time, while Arkansas and all four BIG EAST teams are making their first SEC/BIG EAST Invitational appearances. The BIG EAST holds a 7-5 record in the first three years of the DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational.
PIRATES ENJOY YEAR FOUR IN PRUDENTIAL CENTER
Seton Hall is in their fourth year at the Prudential Center with 10 sellouts under its belt. The Pirates had five sellouts in year one, three more in year two and two last season. This year, Seton Hall has 15 home games including marquee match-ups against Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova, Syracuse and in-state, arch-rival Rutgers.
A REGULAR OPPONENT
When Seton Hall hosted Saint Peter's on Nov. 29, it was the 82nd meeting all-time between the schools. The Pirates have faced Saint Peter's more than any other non-conference opponent. Overall, only Villanova (99), Georgetown (92), Providence (87) and St. John's (86) have logged more games against the Seton Hall than the Peacocks.
THE SCOOP ON FUQUAN
Freshman Fuquan Edwin was the first to sign a letter of intent in this recruiting class. The Paterson, N.J. native is a 6-foot-6 swing man with strong natural scoring ability. He was named the 2010 North Jersey Player of the Year and First Team All-State for his performance at Paterson Catholic.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Two members of Coach Willard's first recruiting class will provide a distinct international flavor this year. Patrik Auda is a 6-foot-9 forward from Brno, Czech Republic and Aaron Geramipoor is a 6-foot-11 center from Manchester, England. Both played at the Canarias Basketball Academy in the Canary Islands. The left-handed Auda is considered to have a strong all-around game and is a good three-point shooter. Geramipoor possesses strong low-post moves and was the starting center on England's under-18 national team.
MORE FRONTCOURT DEPTH
Freshman Anali Okoloji will also provide depth in the 2010-11 frontcourt. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 25 points, 11 rebounds and six assists per game at Florida's Impact Basketball Academy. Okoloji is a Brooklyn, N.Y. native.
LOOKING AHEAD
USF
Tues., December 28, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Prudential Center
Newark, N.J.
TV: SNY
Live Audio Stream: www.SHUpirates.com
Radio: Seton Hall Radio Network / WSOU 89.5 FM
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will open up BIG EAST play against USF on Tuesday, December 28, its fifth straight home game at Prudential Center. The Pirates suffered their first loss ever to USF last season, a 76-74 overtime setback in Tampa. Seton Hall is now 7-1 all-time against the Bulls and 4-0 at home in the series. The Pirates are just 12-19 all-time in BIG EAST openers. USF returns three starters from a team that went 20-13 overall and 9-9 in the BIG EAST... its best season since joining the conference in 2005-06. Possessing one of the best frontcourts in the BIG EAST, USF returns 6-foot-11 Jarrid Famous and 6-foot-10 Augustus Gilchrist. Head coach Stan Heath is in his fourth year with the Bulls.
