No. 23 Pirates Open BIG EAST Play vs. No. 25 Creighton

2017-18 BIG EAST Game No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates (11-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. No. 25 Creighton Bluejays (10-2, 0-0 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Thursday, December 28 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Be a Student Day Tickets
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Sirius 137 \| XM 201 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Creighton
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook
Game Promotion	Be a Student Day - $15 tickets near the Seton Hall student section are available – comes with a Seton Hall lanyard and admissions brochure

The fun has just begun.

We've already seen 13 games, but now it's gotten real as the Pirates open BIG EAST play Thursday night against Creighton at Prudential Center. And to add to the luster of the contest, this matchup marks the first time since January 21, 2001 that a ranked Seton Hall team is taking on another ranked team.

BIG EAST openers have been fairly kind to the Pirates, who are 5-2 in conference openers under head coach Kevin Willard, though one of the two losses was a setback to Creighton last season.

Tip time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., and the game will be nationally televised on FS1, simulcast on FOX Sports GO, with Brian Custer and Jim Spanarkel on the call. As always, the dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 137, XM 201 and the Pirate Sports Network.

THINGS TO KNOW

No. 23 Seton Hall hosts No. 25 Creighton in its 2017-18 BIG EAST Conference opener on Thursday night at Prudential Center. It is the first time a ranked Seton Hall team will face a fellow ranked opponent since Jan. 21, 2001, when then No. 18 Seton Hall knocked off No. 8 Syracuse at the Meadowlands.
Five Pirates reached double-figures in scoring against Manhattan on Saturday, and senior Angel Delgado notched his NCAA leading 59th career double-double as Seton Hall came away with a 74-62 victory at Prudential Center. Seton Hall never trailed despite Manhattan connecting on seven of its first eight shots.
The Pirates concluded non-conference play with an 11-2 record, and have won seven of their last eight games - four against KenPom top-100 teams, including Vanderbilt (71), Texas Tech (11), Louisville (32) and VCU (93). It is the first time since 2012-13 that the Pirates have accumulated 11 non-conference wins in the regular season.
So far, Desi Rodriguez has been the go-to man offensively for the Pirates. He is averaging 17.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 36.7 from three-point range. The team is 7-0 when he is the leading scorer, and he has poured in 15 or more in six of the last eight games. The Pirates are 29-9 all-time when he scores 15 or more points.
The Pirates lead the all-time series with Creighton, 11-5, and are 7-3 at home including an 87-81 victory last February at Prudential Center.
Khadeen Carrington exploded for a career-high 41 points, including 10 in the final 41 seconds as Seton Hall earned a thrilling victory over No. 20 Creighton in Newark. Carrington's 41 points are the most by a Pirate since Jeremy Hazell posted 41 on Dec. 26, 2009 against West Virginia. In addition to his scoring production, Carrington also totaled seven assists, five rebounds and four steals on top of an 18-for-22 output at the free throw line. Meanwhile, Delgado finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds.
The Pirates have won 23 consecutive non-conference games at Prudential Center and 28 overall.
Seton Hall is 19-19 all-time, 7-4 at home when it is ranked and facing a ranked team.
Head coach Kevin Willard is 5-4 against the Bluejays at The Hall.
This year's senior class has a career 5-2 record against Creighton.
Rodriguez was the fourth-leading scorer in BIG EAST play last year (17.3 ppg), and Delgado averaged 18.1 points and 15.1 rebounds in conference home games last year, leading the Pirates to a 7-2 record.
Thursday is the third of a four-game homestand for the Pirates. They defeated Wagner and Manhattan on Dec. 20 and Dec. 23 at The Rock, and will square off with St. John's on New Year's Eve.

#PiratePursuit

Seton Hall has flourished in the program's previous two seasons to the likes of which the program has not seen in over 20 years, and they are in pursuit of a truly special 2017-18 campaign.

The Pirates enter BIG EAST play with a handful of impressive wins during non-league play. The Pirates picked up wins over then-ranked No. 22 Texas Tech and at No. 17 Louisville, in addition to blowout wins over VCU, a KenPom top-100 team, Saint Peter's, Wagner, and Manhattan Saturday afternoon.

In the Polls

The Pirates enter Thursday ranked at No. 23 in the AP poll.

On Dec. 11, the program earned a No. 15 ranking, its highest since Jan. 9, 2001.

Seton Hall has been in the weekly national rankings 108 times in program history, and now eight times this season.

This year marked the fourth time Seton Hall was ranked in the preseason top 25

2017-18: No. 23

2000-01: No. 10

1992-93: No. 6

1991-92: No. 9

Of the 108 all-time rankings, this is the fourth time Seton Hall has been ranked No. 23.

Seton Hall's all-time record as an AP nationally ranked team is 151-50 (.751).

Up to the Challenge

Since head coach Kevin Willard's arrival in 2010-11, The Hall has shown consistent ability to perform well against nationally ranked opponents.

Thursday night the Pirates can pick up their 17th win over an Associated Press top-25 team during Willard's tenure. Dating back to Feb. 28, 2016, the Pirates have won eight of last their 13 games against nationally ranked opponents.

This year's squad is already 2-0 against nationally ranked opponents this season. They defeated No. 22 Texas Tech, 89-79, at Madison Square Garden in the Under Armour Reunion game on Nov. 30, and picked up a colossal 79-77 victory at No. 17 Louisville on Dec. 3.

Building a Resume

The Pirates have already notched several key wins that will loom large down the road, including victories over five teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 89 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 71 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 11 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 32 (W, 79-77)

VCU - 93 (W, 90-67)

#EliteDesi

Desi Rodriguez has been the most consistent offensive contributor, and an outright stud all season.

He is averaging a team-best 17.9 points per game, while shooting an incredible 51.5percent (87-for-169) from the field and 36.7 percent (22-for-60) from long range.

What makes Rodriguez so valuable is his versatility. He can shoot from long range, post up, dribble/drive, and throw it down with the best of them. He filled the box score against Wagner, finishing with 11 points, eight rebounds, and matched a career-high five assists and four blocks.

He earned BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 4 by averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 55.9 percent in two Seton Hall victories over ranked opponents.

Against No. 22 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden, he posted a game-high 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, 3-for-6 from long range and 7-of-7 from the stripe. He also added four assists and seven rebounds.

At No. 17 Louisville, the Bronx native went off for a season-high and game-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, on top of eight rebounds and two assists. He connected on the game-winning layup with 7.5 seconds remaining to lead The Hall to a 79-77 victory over the Cardinals, the program's first win at Louisville since Feb. 25, 1952.

The Pirates are 7-0 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 29-9 all-time when he scores at least 15 points. He has scored 15 or more points in six of the last eight games.

General Carrington at Your Service

Carrington's transition to point guard this season has been a success thus far, as he leads the team with 51 assists and has just 27 turnovers.

He has furthermore committed only 21 fouls while playing 379 minutes of lockdown defense.

The Brooklyn native was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 20.5 points last week in wins over Wagner and Manhattan. Against Wagner he scored a season-high 26 points and set a school record for most three-point makes in a game without missing (6-for-6).

Carrington put on one of the best individual performances in program history in last year's matchup with Creighton at The Rock. He scored a career-high 41 points and shot 18-of-22 from the free throw line to secure the win. He capped the evening with a highlight reel steal off an inbounds pass and a monstrous dunk.

In seven career games against the Bluejays, Carrington is averaging 20.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 48.1 percent (13-for-27) from distance.

Thriving in the BIG EAST

Desi Rodriguez was the fourth-leading scorer in the BIG EAST last season, averaging 17.3 points per game during league play.

He was also on fire from long range, shooting 43-for-102 (44.1 percent) from beyond the arc. He hit a three in all 18 conference games in 2016-17.

In his seven career games against Creighton, Rodriguez is averaging 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and is shooting 48.6 percent from the field an 60.0 percent (12-for-20) from three-point range.

Finish Strong

The Pirates pride themselves on defense, and have proven the ability to hold off late pushes by the opposition.

In fact, Seton Hall is 55-4 in its last 59 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding a lead of seven or more at any point in the contest.

Big Man, Big Expectations

Angel Delgado is one of the best players in the country. His on-court dominance has garnered national attention, and his play has earned him preseason All-America honors from multiple outlets including the Associated Press.

The Dominican native led the country with 13.1 rebounds per game last season, and was a unanimous First Team BIG EAST selection and AP All-America honorable mention.

Against Vanderbilt earlier this season, Delgado was held without an offensive rebound, snapping a streak of 71 games with one or more offensive boards.

He has grabbed one or more offensive rebounds in 108 of 111 career games.

Delgado's 4.2 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fifth in the country.

He pulled down a season-high eight offensive rebounds against Manhattan last Saturday.

In seven career games against Creighton, the big man is averaging 10.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.

Legendary BIG EAST Rebounder

In 2016-17, Delgado recorded over 200 more rebounds than any other player in the BIG EAST, and set the conference's single-season conference-games only rebounding record (253).

He also set the BIG EAST single season conference-games only rebounding average record last season with 14.1 rebounds per game.

Delgado currently is second on the BIG EAST's all-time rebounding average (11.37) behind only Michael Smith (Providence, 1991-94, 11.66 rpg), and is fourth on the all-time BIG EAST rebounding list (614).

On Jan. 22, 2017 he finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds against St. John's, and pulled down 22 boards against Butler on Jan. 25.

From the Jump

Desi Rodriguez is averaging 11.0 points and shooting 54.0 percent (54-of-100) in the first half this season.

As a team, the Pirates average a +8.5 scoring margin after the first 20 minutes, and have had a halftime lead in 10 of 13 contests.

Sharp Cheddar

The man called "Cheese" - Myles Powell, has a smooth and savory stroke from long range, and is leading the Pirates in three-point buckets, shooting 34-for-83 (41.0 percent).

Earlier this season against Texas Tech, he took control when it mattered most. With 2:05 to go in the game, Cheese banged a three to push the lead to nine. He later made an acrobatic layup, then stole the ball on the ensuing possession and converted a layup while being fouled with 1:20 left. In all, he finished with eight of the team's final 10 points.

When Cheese gets hot, the Pirates feed off his energy and seem to play better as a collective. In fact, they are 12-6 over the course of his career when he makes three or more treys.

Cheese scored a season-best 21 points and went 5-for-7 from long range against Rhode Island on Thanksgiving, was 4-for-8 against Texas Tech, and shot 4-for-7 at Rutgers. He has scored in double-figures in 11 of 12 games this year.

Owning the Glass

It helps to have the best rebounder in the country, but rebounding is truly a team effort, and the Pirates have proven the ability to dominate.

The Pirates have out-rebounded opponents 512-426 this season, and have had a positive margin in 15 of the last 18 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 40.3 points in the paint and allow just 26.3 per game.

Offensive rebounds lead to second-chance points, and the Pirates have been nearly twice as good as their opponents in taking advantage. SHU averages 14.2 second-chance points per game, while opponents are averaging just 8.3.

Sharing is Caring

In the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Pirates assisted on 22 of their 33 made field goals, which is the most in a game since Jan. 28, 2015 when the Pirates registered 23 at Marquette.

Against VCU, Seton Hall recorded 20 assists on 35 made field goals, and had just 12 turnovers.

The Pirates have won 12 consecutive games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 17 of the last 18.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in nine of 13 games this year.

A total of four different Pirates have recorded five assists or more in a single game this season (Carrington, Delgado, Powell, Rodriguez).

Do Not Pass Sanogo

Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, Ismael Sanogo throughout his career has played a crucial role in shutting down top opponent scorers and limiting teams to below their scoring average.

Against Rhode Island, his presence in the second half allowed the Pirates to get back in the game, as they limited the Rams to just 21 points on 25.8 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.

He was also a major factor in holding Vanderbilt scoreless for an 11-minute stretch in the SHU victory, while contributing eight rebounds and four blocks.

He is not normally used as a scorer on the offensive end, but has attempted 6.0 field goals per game over his last three contests after attempting just 2.8 per game over the previous nine this season.

Not Up in Here!

Sanogo finished with a career-high five blocks at Rutgers, and is up to 12 for the season.

Last year, he tied for the team lead in swats with 18.

The team is already up to 51 blocks this year, and is on pace to cruise past last year's season total of 83.

One of the All-Timers

Whether it is dribble-drive and slash to the hoop, or filling it up from long range, Khadeen Carrington has a natural scoring ability that ranks him among the all-time greats at The Hall.

Currently, Carrington is 18th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,485 career points.

The Brooklyn native has scored 20 or more points 19 times in his career, and led the Pirates with 17.1 points per game last season.

Offensive Showcase

The Pirates have shot 50.0 percent or better in seven games and 40.0 percent or better in all 13 games this season.

For the year, the Pirates have 210 assists and 183 turnovers (1.2 ratio).

That's Usin' Your Noggin'

Junior Mike Nzei is one of the brightest all-around student-athletes at Seton Hall, and the economics major is a two-time All-Academic BIG EAST selection.

Unsurprisingly, his intellect translates to the court in terms of his efficiency and shot selection.

Against VCU, he scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, and currently leads the team in field goal percentage, 58.5, on 31-of-53 shooting.

He led the team in field goal percentage in 2016-17, shooting an incredible 65.1 percent from the field (54-of-82), and would have been second in the BIG EAST if he registered enough attempts to qualify.

He has five dunks this season, and the Pirates are 8-1 all-time when he scores in double figures.

1,000 Point Club

Desi Rodriguez, Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington entered the season as the only trio of returners with 1,000 or more career points.

In fact, all three reached the milestone in 2016-17, becoming only the program's second trio of 1,000-point scorers to be active in the same season, joining John Morton, Daryll Walker and Ramon Ramos of the program's historical 1988-89 national runner-up season.

Delgado is the NCAA's active leader in career rebounds (1,200) and double-doubles (59).