Pirates Return to The Rock Sunday vs. St. John's

2017 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (12-6, 2-4 BIG EAST) vs. St. John's (9-11, 3-4 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Sunday, Jan. 22 \| 12 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Prudential Center Box Office Sunday at 11 a.m.
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| SiriusXM 84 \| Pirate Sports Network (FREE)
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| St. John's
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook

Home is where the heart is and where the Pirates will be this weekend as they play their first game at Prudential Center in 15 days Sunday against the upstart St. John's Red Storm. This will be a big matchup as the Pirates look to end a three-game losing streak and maintain its perfect home record, and the Red Storm look to push past what had been a four-game losing streak until coming away with a win over DePaul last Monday.

Sunday's television broadcast will be anchored by Rich Ackerman and Len Elmore both on FS1 and FOX Sports GO. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on SiriusXM 84 and the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).

Pirate Points

>> Seton Hall returns to the friendly confines of Prudential Center Sunday afternoon following a grueling three-game road stand with narrow losses at Marquette and Providence, and a 76-46 setback at Villanova Monday night. The Pirates have won nine consecutive home games (eight at Prudential Center) by an average of 14.4 points, and welcome St. John's to Newark for a pivotal BIG EAST matchup. The Hall is 18-3 at Prudential Center since the start of the 2015-16 season, and has won nine of the last 10 home games against the Johnnies by an average margin of 12.2 points. St. John's holds a 58-37 advantage in the all-time series between the schools, but Seton Hall is 24-17 on its home court.

>> In the last meeting, three SHU contributors fouled out, but Isaiah Whitehead hit a pair of free throws with 5.6 seconds remaining and swingman Desi Rodriguez poured in 24 points to give the Pirates a 62-61 victory, overcoming a three-point deficit with under a minute to go at Madison Square Garden. Angel Delgado finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds in a 79-60 win the last time St. John's visited Newark. In one of the most memorable victories for the Pirates in the series, Sterling Gibbs scored 25 points and Delgado contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds as The Hall defeated the No. 15-ranked Johnnies, 78-67 on Dec. 31, 2014.

>> The Pirates have been able to take advantage of opponents stepping into their gym in recent history; they are 8-3 in their last 11 BIG EAST home games and have won four straight, including victories over Marquette and DePaul this season and a victory over then No. 5-ranked Xavier in the 2015-16 home finale.

>> Attendance at Prudential Center has surged this season and is expected to continue. The Pirates are averaging an attendance of 7,775 during their six games at Prudential Center. That number would rank fifth in the BIG EAST, however, the overall home attendance average is 6,930 (eighth in BIG EAST) because of the Nov. 11 game played at Walsh Gymnasium (sold-out, standing-room crowd of 1,856). Through seven home games last season, Seton Hall's average attendance was 5,679. The Hall has already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Feb. 18 game vs. Villanova.

>> Though the Pirates have suffered their first three-game losing skid since the 2014-15 season, these battle-tested student-athletes have experience persevering through adversity. Last season, The Hall was 3-4 in the BIG EAST and went on to win nine of its last 11 conference games. The first of those nine wins? A home victory over St. John's.

>> As the Pirates continue to battle in BIG EAST play, they are expected to continue to rely on their big man, Delgado, to assert his presence in the paint. He enters Sunday as the conference's top rebounder with 12.0 per game, good for fourth in the nation, and has 5.3 more per game (80 total) than any other player in the league. He is fourth in the country with 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. Earlier this season, he grabbed 13 offensive rebounds at Marquette, which is the most by any Pirates player in recent history and it is the first 13-offensive rebound game by a BIG EAST player since Kentrell Gransberry of USF had 13 vs. DePaul on March 3, 2007. He has three 20-point games this season, is one of two players in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. In four career games against St. John's, Delgado is averaging 9.8 points and 12.0 rebounds.

>> The 6-foot-10 Dominican native is the BIG EAST's active leader in double-doubles with 36 (third most in the country), and when he delivers one, good things happen for The Hall. Dating back to last season, the Pirates have won 23 of the last 26 games when he doubles up (13-0 in 2015- 16, 10-3 in 2016-17), and are now 29-7 during his career. Prior to Monday's game at Villanova, Delgado had recorded 11 double-doubles in a row, averaging 16.3 points and 13.5 boards during the stretch. Currently, only 12 other players in the country have 11 or more total double-doubles this season. Delgado is currently seventh in school history with 838 career rebounds.

>> With the excellent start to his junior campaign, Delgado has aligned himself with some of the elite rebounders in BIG EAST history. He is averaging 10.38 rebounds through 42 career conference games, and is currently fifth in league history.

Michael Smith, Providence (1991-94) - 11.66 RPG
Kentrell Gransberry, USF (2006-08) - 11.00 RPG
Derrick Coleman, Syracuse (1986-90) - 10.95 RPG
DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh (2007-09) - 10.94 RPG
Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (2014-present) - 10.38 RPG

>> Junior swingman Desi Rodriguez is averaging a league-best 21.0 points per game in BIG EAST play through the team's first six games, and is 23-of-43 (51.7 percent) from 3-point range during that span. He is in the top-20 in the BIG EAST in scoring (Ninth- 16.6), rebounding (17th- 5.2) and steals (12th- 1.3) per game. He is second on the team with 23 steals and third with 34 assists. He has had six 20-point games and two double- doubles this season. He was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 9 after a 25-point performance against DePaul on Jan. 7 in which he made each of his first 10 field goal attempts.

>> The Hall is paced offensively by junior guard Khadeen Carrington, who is third in the BIG EAST with 17.8 points per game. The team's most consistent scorer has eight 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but one game this season, 49 times throughout his career. He is shooting 46.5 percent (114-of-245) from the field and 42.7 percent (38-of-89) from three-point range. His three-point percentage is good for 10th in the BIG EAST.

>> Carrington currently has a team-high 1,073 career points (35th all-time in school history), and became the 41st student-athlete in school history to reach the 1,000-point threshold after a 27-point performance at Creighton. Earlier this season he passed former teammate and current Brooklyn Nets guard, Isaiah Whitehead, with 17 points against Columbia. Rodriguez (tied for 50th- 894 points) and Delgado (54th- 884 points) have also surpassed Whitehead, and will have the opportunity to join the 1,000-point club later this season.

>> Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, and described by head coach Kevin Willard as the team MVP day in and day out, junior forward Ismael Sanogo has also proved his worth on the glass and is on a rebounding tear. He is averaging 7.9 rebounds per game over his last 13 contests and pulled down a career-high 16 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic victory over Rutgers on Dec. 23. He also grabbed 12 boards in a victory over then-ranked No. 16 South Carolina at The Garden. Sanogo is fourth in the BIG EAST with 6.9 rebounds per game. In his latest defensive triumph, Sanogo had a critical steal in the final seconds of the first matchup with Marquette, and prevented the Golden Eagles from even attempting a game-tying shot.

>> SHU prides itself on defensive tenacity and it shows. Opponents are shooting just 42.3 percent from the field, the third-best field goal defense in the conference. The Pirates held Creighton, the nation's top three-point shooting team, to just 5-for-16 from deep. SHU furthermore kept DePaul 16.5 points under its season scoring average and improved to 6-0 when opponents shoot under 40 percent. The team's 7.3 steals per game are good for second most in the BIG EAST.

>> The Hall has been dominant down low all season and leads the BIG EAST in several rebounding categories. SHU has out-rebounded its opponent in 15 of 18 games (including four of five league games), and leads the BIG EAST with 40.4 boards per game and is 22nd in the country with a +7.1 rebounding margin. It is also atop the league standings and 22nd in the nation with 13.6 offensive rebounds per game. Earlier this season the team pulled down a season-best 27 at Marquette. The Pirates are outscoring opponents in the paint by 8.8 points per game (638-478).

>> Effort on the offensive glass has led to 13.2 second chance points per game, 4.2 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 77 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 45 times, which is 58.4 percent of total chances. The team has scored 93 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 36.3 percent of all available chances, the best in the BIG EAST. Additionally, The Hall has done a nice job on the defensive glass. It limited Columbia, Creighton and Providence to just four offensive rebounds, and allowed just six against Rutgers, who entered the game averaging 15.7 offensive boards.

>> The Pirates have shown the ability to finish games strong. They have four wins when trailing at halftime and are shooting 49.6 percent (273-of- 550) in the second half overall and 54.1 percent (186-of-344) during the 12 games they have won. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 5.1 in the final frame while scoring 40.1 points. Meanwhile, Seton Hall and its strong defense have also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 36-1 in their last 37 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding at least a seven-point lead at any point in the contest.

>> Freshman sharp shooter Myles Powell has shown flashes of brilliance through the first 18 games of his career. He posted an impressive season- best 26 points in SHU's victory at Iowa (Nov. 17), just three games into his career, to snap the Hawkeyes 41-game home winning streak over non-conference foes. He went 9-for-14 from the field, 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Nov. 21. He is one of only three Pirates freshmen since 2008 to score at least 25 points in a game, joining Jeremy Hazell, who did it four times in 2008, and Isaiah Whitehead, who accomplished it vs. Rutgers in December 2014. He has canned three or more triples in five different games this year.

>> A valuable role player in the back court, senior Madison Jones leads the team with 3.6 assists per game. In his debut with the Pirates, he dished out a career-high 10 helpers en route to a 91-70 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. He posted a career-high 15 points versus Delaware, and ranks eighth in the BIG EAST with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and 1.6 steals per game.

>> Sophomore forward Michael Nzei leads the team with 12 blocks and is a blistering 66.7 percent (34-of-51) from the field over 17.8 minutes per game off the bench. He has also shown the ability to throw it down and is second on the team with eight dunks this season.

>> SHU has seen consistent scoring from Carrington, Rodriguez and Delgado. The junior trio has combined to post 65.0 percent of the total scoring output for the Pirates. Additionally, SHU is 10-4 this season when they all score in double figures.