The Hall Hosts No. 11 Butler Wednesday at The Rock

2017 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (13-6, 3-4 BIG EAST) vs. Butler Bulldogs (17-3, 6-2 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, Jan. 25 \| 8:30 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Prudential Center Box Office Wednesday at 11 a.m.
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Sirius 137 \| XM 380 \| Pirate Sports Network (FREE)
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Butler
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook

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The Seton Hall Pirates have built up a strong resume so far that includes four wins against KenPom top-100 teams and one win over a nationally ranked opponent. On Wednesday, they will have the opportunity to build upon that resume with a home contest against No. 11 Butler, a squad that is in the top 15 in both the NCAA RPI and KenPom ratings. The Pirates will be putting their 10-game home winning streak on the line in this matchup and will look to exact revenge on the Bulldogs, who are in fact the last opponent to win on the Prudential Center floor.

Tim Brando and Bill Raftery will call the action for the nationally televised FS1 broadcast, simulcast on FOX Sports GO. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 137, XM 380 and the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).

Pirate Points
>> Seton Hall secured its 10th straight home victory on Sunday after junior Angel Delgado's historical afternoon powered SHU past St. John's, 86-73. The big man showed why he is considered the best in the BIG EAST with 21 points and a career-high 20 rebounds. It is the first 20-20 game for The Hall since Eddie Griffin vs. Saint Peter's on Nov. 27, 2000 and just the 14th to occur in any BIG EAST regular season conference game and first since 2010. Freshman Myles Powell finished with 19 points as the Pirates led by as many as 27 and shot 62.5 percent from the field in the second half.

>> Delgado is currently seventh in school history with 858 career rebounds and is compiling numbers that rank alongside SHU legends Nick Werkman (1961-64), Herb Pope (2009-12) and Mark Bryant (1984-88). He is only the seventh Pirate in program history to record a 20-rebound game, and the first since Pope vs. Syracuse on Jan. 8, 2011.

>> The Hall welcomes No. 11 Butler to Prudential Center on Wednesday night with its sights set on an 11th consecutive home win. Coincidentally, the last time the Pirates lost on their home floor was in an 81-75 setback against the Bulldogs on Feb. 10 last season. It is no secret in South Orange that Butler has had The Hall's number since the teams first squared off in 2014. They lead the all-time series, 6-1, but five of the seven games have been decided by seven points or fewer. In three meetings on the Pirates' home floor, the average margin of victory is 5.7 points including Butler's four-point overtime win (79-75) on Jan. 13, 2015.

>> SHU has shown consistent ability to perform well against nationally ranked opponents, and can pick up its 12th win over an Associated Press top- 25 team since head coach Kevin Willard's arrival in 2010-11. The Pirates have won five of their last seven games against nationally ranked opponents, dating back to Feb. 25 of last season:

Feb. 25, 2016 vs. Providence (No. 24 in Coaches Poll)
Feb. 28, 2016 vs. Xavier (No. 5 in AP/Coaches Polls)
March 11, 2016 vs. Xavier (No. 5 in AP/Coaches Poll)
March 12, 2016 vs. Villanova (No. 3 in AP Poll, No. 2 in Coaches Poll)
Dec. 13, 2016 vs. South Carolina (No. 16 in AP Poll, No. 15 in Coaches Poll)

>> The Pirates have been able to take advantage of conference opponents stepping into their gym in recent history; they are 9-3 in their last 12 BIG EAST home games and have won five straight, including victories over Marquette, DePaul and St. John's 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 8,065 during their seven games at Prudential Center. That number would rank just shy of fifth in the BIG EAST, however, the overall home attendance average is 7,289 (seventh in BIG EAST) because of the Nov. 11 game played at Walsh Gymnasium (sold-out, standing-room crowd of 1,856). Through eight overall home games last season, Seton Hall's average attendance was 5,995. The Hall has already sold over 14,000 tickets for the Feb. 18 game vs. Villanova.

>> 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 Wednesday as the nation's second-leading rebounder with 12.4 per game, and has 5.0 more per game (89 total) than any other player in the BIG EAST. He leads the country with 4.4 offensive rebounds per game. Earlier this season, he grabbed 13 offensive boards 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 four 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.

>> The 6-foot-10 Dominican native is the BIG EAST's active leader in double-doubles with 37 (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 24 of the last 27 games when he doubles up (13-0 in 2015-16, 11-3 in 2016-17), and are now 30-7 during his career. Earlier this season, Delgado recorded 11 double-doubles in a row, averaging 16.3 points and 13.5 boards during the stretch. Currently, only 16 other players in the country have 11 or more total double-doubles this season.

>> 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 10.60 rebounds through 43 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) - 10.60 RPG

>> Junior swingman Desi Rodriguez is averaging a league-best 19.6 points per game in BIG EAST play through the team's first seven games, and is 24-of-46 (52.2 percent) from 3-point range during that span. He is in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in scoring (11th- 16.3), rebounding (15th- 5.4) and steals (13th- 1.2) per game. He is second on the team with 23 steals and third with 35 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. Affectionately known as #DunkinDesi, he has thrown down 11 dunks this season and 34 for his career.

>> 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, 50 times throughout his career. Carrington currently has a team-high 1,083 career points (34th 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. Rodriguez and Delgado are tied for 48th on the all-time scoring list with 905 career points, 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. He is third in the BIG EAST with 6.8 rebounds per game 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. In his latest defensive triumph, Sanogo played a crucial role in limiting Shamorie ponds of St. John's (17.1 points per game) to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting on Sunday.

>> 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; and SHU is 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. Carrington and senior Madison Jones have combined for 3.0 steals per game during BIG EAST play, the most of any back court tandem in the conference.

>> 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 16 of 19 games (including six of seven league games), and leads the BIG EAST with 40.6 boards per game and is 19th in the country with a +7.3 rebounding margin. It is also atop the league standings and 23rd in the nation with 13.5 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 9.3 points per game (684-508).

>> Effort on the offensive glass has led to 13.2 second chance points per game, 4.0 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 83 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 46 times, which is 55.4 percent of total chances. The team has scored 95 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 36.2 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. As a team, SHU holds opponents to an offensive rebound on only 26.0 percent of available chances.

>> The Pirates have shown the ability to finish games strong. They have four wins when trailing at halftime and are shooting 50.1 percent (288-of- 574) in the second half overall and 54.6 percent (201-of-368) during the 13 games they have won. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 4.1 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 37-1 in their last 38 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.

>> 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, 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 seventh in the BIG EAST with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and 1.6 steals per game. Jones has has more assists than turnovers in each of his last five games.

>> Sophomore forward Michael Nzei leads the team with 12 blocks and is a blistering 68.5 percent (37-of-54) from the field over 17.4 minutes per game off the bench. He has also shown the ability to throw it down and is second on the team with nine dunks this season.

>> SHU has seen consistent scoring from Carrington, Rodriguez and Delgado. The junior trio has combined to post 64.0 percent of the total scoring output for the Pirates. Additionally, SHU is 11-4 this season when they all score in double figures.