Men's Basketball Faces NJIT, Tuesday at Prudential Center
12/5/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SETON HALL Game Notes - NJIT 12/6/11 (.pdf)
NJIT (3-4) at SETON HALL (6-1)
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Prudential Center - Newark, N.J.
7:00 p.m. ET
SETON HALL STATUS
Seton Hall enters its matchup with NJIT with a record of 6-1. It's won three straight since returning from the Charleston Classic and is coming off an 81-59 win over Auburn as part of the BIG EAST / SEC Challenge on Friday. Senior Herb Pope erupted for 23 points and 12 rebounds for his BIG EAST-leading sixth double-double of the season. Senior Jordan Theodore logged 10 assists for the third time this season. The NJIT game is the fourth of six straight home contests for the Pirates.
NJIT STATUS
NJIT enters Tuesday's matchup with a 3-4 record. They're coming off an 84-44 loss at Georgetown on Saturday. Ryan Woods led the team with 16 points in the loss. Isaiah Wilkerson had 15 points as the only other Highlander in double-figures in scoring. Wilkerson leads the team with 15.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. The Highlanders are predicted to finish third in the six-team Great West says the Preseason Poll. NJIT returns four starters from a team that went 15-15 and placed second in the conference last season.
TV: None
RADIO: ESPN New York 1050 AM - Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
WSOU 89.5 FM - Jon Lopiano & Chris Shedlock
WEB: PIRATE SPORTS NETWORK - Live Video Stream
www.SHUpirates.com
SETON HALL - NJIT SERIES
This is only the third time Seton Hall will play NJIT with the Pirates winning the first two games of the all-time series the last two years. Seton Hall won 93-53 on Nov. 30, 2009 in the teams' first meeting and also defeated the Highlanders last year, 68-45, on Dec. 19. Fuquan Edwin had a breakout game against NJIT last year with team-highs of 14 points and nine rebounds. Jordan Theodore tallied a career-high 10 assists in the 23-point victory.
LAST TWO GAMES (SHU, 2-0)
Date, Score, Location
Dec. 19, 2010, SETON HALL 68, NJIT 45, Newark, N.J.
Nov. 30, 2009, SETON HALL 93, NJIT 53 , Newark, N.J.
PIRATES TROUNCE TIGERS, 81-59
Seton Hall handed Auburn its first loss of the season with an 81-59 trouncing of the Tigers in the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge on Dec. 2 at Prudential Center. Four Pirates scored in double-figures and were led by Herb Pope's sixth double-double of the season. Seton Hall is now 1-1 all-time in the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge.
LEAGUE LEADER
Senior Herb Pope scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in an impressive victory over Auburn on Dec. 2. The 6-foot-8 power forward is currently leading the BIG EAST Conference with 20.9 points per game and is tied for the league lead with 11.7 rebounds per game with West Virginia's Kevin Jones. Seton Hall has never had an individual lead the conference in both categories.
CZECH-MATE
Sophomore Patrik Auda scored a career-high 17 points in Seton Hall's victory over Auburn. The 6-foot-9 forward did all of his scoring in the second half and was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free-throw line. Auda also included five rebounds and three assists in a strong all-around performance.
FEELING GENEROUS
In Seton Hall's victory over Auburn, senior Jordan Theodore dished out 10 assists to go with three steals. The point guard has now tallied five or more assists in each of the last five games including three 10-assist performances. Theodore is currently averaging a career-best 7.1 assists per game which ranks him second in the BIG EAST Conference.
STUCK ON "9"
Against Auburn, sophomore Fuquan Edwin tied his career-high with nine rebounds. It's the sixth time in his young career that Edwin has collected nine rebounds. The talented forward is still seeking the first double-double of his career and is currently averaging 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
ANOTHER HONOR ROLL
Senior Herb Pope was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 5 for a second straight week for leading the Pirates to a 1-0 week with a victory over Auburn in the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge. Pope tallied 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals in a strong all-around effort.
PIRATES PICK OFF PEACOCKS
Seton Hall used an 11-2 run late in the second half to defeat in-state non-conference rival Saint Peter's, 63-54, on Nov. 26 at the Prudential Center. Both Pirates' seniors, Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore recorded double-doubles in the victory. Seton Hall shot 42.1% from the floor and forced 17 Peacock turnovers.
CONFERENCE LEADER
Sophomore Fuquan Edwin collected five more steals against Saint Peter's on Nov. 26, which matched his career-high. The 6-foot-6 forward has a BIG EAST best 19 steals so far this year. His 2.7 steals per game average also leads the conference.
DOUBLED UP
Against Auburn, senior Herb Pope recorded a double-double, the 25th of his career. The 6-foot-8 power forward scored 23 points to go with 12 rebounds, displaying much of the inside rebounding prowess that had him become the first Seton Hall player to lead the BIG EAST in rebounding two years ago. Pope is now averaging 11.7 rebounds per game this season.
PIRATES vs. THE SEC
This was only be the 14th time ever that Seton Hall has faced a team from the Southeastern Conference. With the victory over Auburn, the Pirates improved to 5-9 all-time. Last year, The Hall went 1-1 against the SEC with an 83-78 victory over Alabama in the Paradise Jam and a 71-62 loss to Arkansas in the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational.
BIG EAST / SEC CHALLENGE
The Pirates hosted Auburn as part of the 2011 field for the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge on Friday, Dec. 2. The game was carried by ESPNU. Last season, Seton Hall lost to Arkansas, 71-62 at Louisville, in this event. The Pirates did however, go 1-1 against SEC opponents in 2010-11 with an 83-78 victory over Alabama in the opening round of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. This was the first-ever meeting between Seton Hall and Auburn.
PIRATES TAME BULLDOGS
Seton Hall returned to the win column with a 73-62 victory over Yale on Nov. 22. The Pirates had a balanced scoring attack with four players in double-figures. Seton Hall shot 44.6% from the field, their fifth straight game of shooting 40% or better. The Pirates improved to 4-1 with the victory despite shooting just 2-for-16 from three-point range in the victory.
NOT BOOS, FOOS
Super-sophomore Fuquan Edwin scored a career-high 20 points in a victory over Yale on Nov. 22. The 6-foot-6 swingman also grabbed seven rebounds and made a career-high five steals. Edwin played a game-high 39 minutes and was 7-for-12 from the field and a career-high 6-for-8 from the free-throw line.
MEN OF STEAL
On Nov. 22 vs. Yale, Seton Hall recorded a season-high 13 steals. Both Fuquan Edwin and Jordan Theodore tallied a career-high five steals each.
A REGULAR OPPONENT
When Seton Hall hosts Saint Peter's on Saturday, Nov. 26, it'll be the 83rd meeting all-time between the schools. The Pirates have faced Saint Peter's more than any other non-conference opponent. Overall, only Villanova (100), Georgetown (93), Providence (88) and St. John's (87) have logged more games against the Seton Hall than the Peacocks.
PIRATES FALL TO NORTHWESTERN, 80-73
Seton Hall rallied, but fell short, and suffered its first loss of the 2011-12 season, 80-73, to Northwestern in the championship game of the Charleston Classic. The Pirates trailed by 12 with just over 15 minutes remaining, but used a 15-0 run to take a three-point lead with 8:29 left. The Wildcats took control late however, connecting on 17-of-19 free-throws. Seton Hall was just 5-for-6 from the line for the game.
POPE'S PERFORMANCE
Senior Herb Pope played arguably the best game of his career against Northwestern in the title game of the Charleston Classic. The 6-foot-8 power forward erupted for a career-high 32 points on an efficient 14-for-17 from the field. He was also 2-for-2 from three-point range. Pope also collected nine rebounds, narrowly missing his fourth straight double-double, and recorded two blocks and two steals.
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
Seton Hall was 10-for-23 for 43.5% from three-point range against Northwestern on Nov. 20, all season-highs. Cosby made three, Herb Pope, Jordan Theodore and Haralds Karlis had two each. Fuquan Edwin made one made three-pointer.
POPE'S NAMED POTW
Senior Herb Pope was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Nov. 21 for his exploits through the first four games of the 2011-12 campaign. In leading the Pirates to a 3-1 start, Pope has averaged 22.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
SECOND PLACE FINISH
Seton Hall placed second in the eight-team field at the 2011 Charleston Classic, falling to Northwestern, 80-73, in the championship game. Saint Joseph's won the consolation game over Tulsa for third place. LSU defeated Georgia Tech for fifth place, while VCU defeated Western Kentucky for seventh place.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HERB
During the Charleston Classic, senior Herb Pope averaged 23.0 points and 10.7 rebounds per game to earn him a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Joining him was Drew Crawford and John Shurna of Northwestern, Carl Jones of Saint Joseph's and Anthony Hickey of LSU.
PIRATES DOWN SAINT JOSEPH'S, 78-70
Seton Hall used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Saint Joseph's, 78-70, in the semifinals of the 2011 Charleston Classic. Four players scored in double-figures including Jordan Theodore who led the team with 18 points. The Pirates trailed by seven at halftime, but shot 58.3% in the second half to outscore the Hawks, 46-to-31, in the final 20 minutes.
THE COSBY SHOW
Freshman Aaron Cosby had a coming out party against Saint Joseph's of Nov. 18. The guard connected on 3-of-6 three-pointer attempts and scored a career-high 13 points in 38 minutes of action. Cosby has started all five games this season and is starting to show why he had a reputation for being a clutch shooter.
AT PRUDENTIAL CENTER
The Pirates have begun the 2011-12 season with a perfect 4-0 record at the Prudential Center. Last season Seton Hall went 8-7 at their home arena. All-time, Seton Hall is 46-24 in the building. Furthermore, Seton Hall is 18-18 all-time at Prudential Center against BIG EAST opponents.
NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE
Senior Jordan Theodore nearly recorded the program's second-ever triple-double vs. Saint Joseph's on Nov. 18. The point guard tallied 18 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds in a fantastic all-around effort. The double-double is the first of his career. The only triple-double in school history was recorded by Eddie Griffin on Dec. 4, 2000 against Norfolk State. He had 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks.
EDWIN'S EXCELLENCE
Sophomore Fuquan Edwin enjoyed a 2011-12 coming out party vs. VCU. The 6-foot-6 swingman scored 18 points, one off his career-high, on the strength of 4-for-5 shooting from three-point range. He grabbed nine rebounds and collected three steals.
PIRATES RAM RAMS
On the strength of its defense Seton Hall defeated VCU in convincing fashion, 69-54, in the opening round of the Charleston Classic on Nov. 18. Seniors Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore had 20 points apiece for the Pirates. Seton Hall out-shot, out-rebounded and forced more turnovers than the Rams in a complete team effort. The Pirates shot an impressive 46.8% from the floor.
FINE ON THE LINE
As a team, the Pirates were 21-for-25 from the free-throw line vs. VCU. Most notable was the shooting of senior Jordan Theodore who was a perfect 12-for-12 from the charity stripe. For the season, Theodore is now 40-for-48 (.833) through the first seven games.
PIRATES EDGE TERRIERS IN OT
The Seton Hall men's basketball team began the 2011-12 regular season with a 75-71 overtime victory against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Nov. 12. The Pirates trailed by as many as 13 points with just over 12 minutes remaining in regulation, but The Hall battled back and Jordan Theodore's running layup with under two seconds remaining sent the game into overtime. The Pirates shot 41.3% from the floor for the game, but were just 1-for-13 from three-point range.
CAREER DAY FOR THEODORE
Senior Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 25 points in Seton Hall's season-opening overtime victory against St. Francis on Nov. 12. The point guard played 41 minutes and hit a running layup with under two seconds remaining to send the game into overtime. In the extra session, Theodore was 7-for-7 from the free-throw line to ice the victory for the Pirates.
TAKEAWAYS
The Pirates' defense forced St. Francis into 24 turnovers in Seton Hall's season-opening 75-71 overtime victory. It is the most takeaways for a Pirates' team in the Kevin Willard era and the most since forcing James Madison into 33 turnovers on Dec. 22, 2007.
POPE'S PLAY
Senior Herb Pope put forth a strong effort in Seton Hall's season-opening 75-71 overtime victory against St. Francis. The 6-foot-8 forward scored 21 points and grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds in 38 minutes of action. Pope also tallied two blocks and two steals in a strong all-around game.
CHARLESTON CLASSIC
Seton Hall was 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: Georgia Tech, LSU, Northwestern, Saint Joseph's, Tulsa, VCU 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. Seton Hall will face VCU in the first round on Nov. 17.
POPE ACTIVE LEADER
Senior Herb Pope notched his 25th career double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds in Seton Hall's victory over Auburn. He is currently the leader among all active BIG EAST players with 25 double-doubles. Yancy Gates of Cincinnati is currently second with 16 career double-doubles.
OVERTIME WIN
Seton Hall's 75-71 overtime victory against St. Francis was the team's first extra-session win since they defeated Cincinnati at Fifth Third Arena, 67-63 on March 7, 2009. Since then, the Pirates had dropped six straight overtime games.
CLIMBING THE SCORING CHART
With three points against Auburn, senior Jordan Theodore remained in 43rd place on the Pirates' all-time scoring list with 933 career points. He is on track to become the 38th player in Seton Hall history to record 1,000 career points later this season.
SEASON OPENERS
With Seton Hall's overtime victory over St. Francis on Nov. 12, the Pirates have now won their opening game in 11 of the last 13 years. Last season, the Pirates lost at #22 Temple, 62-56, to begin the year. Seton Hall is 85-14-1 all-time on opening night.
POLYNICE DRAFTED
Former Seton Hall guard Eniel Polynice was selected by the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Developmental League (NBDL) with the first pick in the third round (32nd overall) of the league's annual draft. The D-Fenders are the official NBDL affiliate of the Los Angeles Lakers.
AUDA'S "WORLDLY" PERFORMANCES
Sophomore Patrik Auda started all eight games for the Czech Republic national team last summer at the World University Games in Shenzen, China. He finished with team-high averages of 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds to go along with 1.8 steals per game. Against Japan in the final game of the tournament, Auda tallied 27 points, the highest single-game scoring output by any Czech player in the tournament, and grabbed nine rebounds. He was 9-for-11 from the field, including 3-of-4 from downtown.
THE KIDS AT THE HALL
The 2011-12 Pirates roster will feature five true freshmen. Aaron Cosby, Haralds Karlis and Freddie Wilson signed in November, while Sean Grennan and Brandon Mobley were added in the spring.
FORMER PIRATES SIGN OVERSEAS
Jeremy Hazell and Jeff Robinson will both be playing basketball in Europe this fall. Hazell signed a contract to play professionally with Lucentum Alicante of Spain. The team plays in the Spanish ACB League, the nation's top league and one of the most heralded leagues in all of Europe. Robinson signed a contract with BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld in Austria. The team participates in Austria's "A" league. Hazell was released by Lucentum Alicante in early November.
THE VETERANS
The Pirates this fall won't be without veteran leadership this fall. Herb Pope and Jordan Theodore will return for their senior campaigns. Both have an opportunity to surpass 1,000 career points this season. To date, there are 37 members of the prestigious 1,000-point club with the most recent addition being Jeremy Hazell. Hazell currently ranks third on Seton Hall's all-time scoring list with 2,146 points.
COLLECTING CANARIAS
Freshman Haralds Karlis is the third current player on the Seton Hall men's basketball roster from the Canarias Basketball Academy (CBA) in the Canary Islands. Karlis re-joins former teammates Patrik Auda and Aaron Geramipoor who are both CBA alumni. The three represent a heavy international flavor on the Pirates this year. Karlis is originally from Riga, Latvia. Auda is from Brno, Czech Republic and Geramipoor is from Manchester, England.
PIRATES ADD TRANSFERS
Brian Oliver and Eugene Teague transferred to Seton Hall this summer following two seasons at Georgia Tech and Southern Illinois University respectively. Both will not be permitted to play in games for the Pirates this season per NCAA transfer regulations, but will be allowed to practice with the team. Oliver averaged 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds last season for the Yellow Jackets and exploded for 32 points in a close loss to Syracuse on Nov. 27. In two seasons, he made 99 three-pointers for Georgia Tech. Teague tallied a team third-best 8.6 points per game and a second-best 5.3 rebounds per game for the Salukis in 2010-11. The Vineland native led Southern Illinois with a .606 field goal percentage.
NOVEMBER REIGN
Seton Hall's victory over Saint Peter's on Nov. 26 improved the Pirates to 28-6 in the month of November over the last six years.
TURN UP THE RADIO
For the ninth consecutive year, play-by-play voice Gary Cohen and color analyst Dave Popkin will team up to call all the Pirate action. Each of Seton Hall's 30 regular season games will be heard on either 77 WABC or ESPN New York 1050 Radio. 77 WABC has a long history of broadcasting Pirates basketball and will transmit 18 games this year including Seton Hall's first seven BIG EAST contests including its matchup with defending national champion Connecticut on Jan. 3. ESPN New York 1050 joins the Seton Hall family and will broadcast the remaining 12 games including the Pirates' season-opener vs. St. Francis on Nov. 12 and seven of the team's first eight games. As in the past, every Seton Hall game, home and away, will also be heard on WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall's student radio station. Led by sports director David Rind, WSOU's coverage will again feature "Hall Line" following each basketball broadcast.
WATCH THE PIRATES
Overall, at least 23 of the Pirates' 30 regular season games will be televised with nine games on national television. The Pirates' four non-televised home games will be streamed live via the Pirates Sports Network at www.SHUpirates.com. All 18 of the Pirates' BIG EAST match-ups will be televised either nationally or regionally this season. National broadcasts include games with West Virginia on Dec. 30 and Rutgers on Feb. 8, which will be shown on ESPN2. Games with Villanova on Jan. 18, and Rutgers on Feb. 25, will be carried by ESPNU. Contests with DePaul on Jan. 10 and USF on Jan. 13 will be shown on ESPN3. The Pirates' contest vs. Pittsburgh on Feb. 12 has been designated as the BIG EAST Network Game of the Week.
2011-12 NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
The Pirates will play 12 non-conference games with seven home dates at the Prudential Center. Seton Hall's home games include the season opener vs. St. Francis (N.Y.) on Saturday, Nov. 12, Yale on Tuesday, Nov. 22, Saint Peter's on Saturday, Nov. 26, NJIT on Tuesday, Dec. 6, Wake Forest on Saturday, Dec. 10 and Mercer on Sunday, Dec. 18. Pirates' road games include Dayton on Wednesday, Dec. 21 and Longwood on Friday, Dec. 23. Seton Hall will face Auburn at Prudential Center as part of the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge on Dec. 2. They will also play three neutral site games at the Charleston Classic, Nov. 17-20, including an opening round game against VCU.
LOOKING AHEAD
WAKE FOREST
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Prudential Center
Newark, N.J.
TV: ESPN3
Live Audio Stream: www.SHUpirates.com
Radio: 77 WABC AM / WSOU 89.5 FM
NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will remain home on Saturday, December 10 when they host Wake Forest. It will be the fifth of six straight home games for the Pirates. Seton Hall is 3-2 all-time against the Demon Deacons, but hasn't played them since a 76-74 overtime victory on Dec. 5, 1989. The Pirates are just 63-80 all-time against the current teams of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Wake Forest returns three starters from a team that went 8-24 and placed 12th in the ACC last season. Travis McKie, who averaged 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last year, returns, as does C.J. Harris, who averaged 10.3 points per game.
