The Hall Opens Homestand Wednesday vs. Creighton

2017 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (15-9, 5-7 BIG EAST) vs. No. 20 Creighton Bluejays (21-4, 8-4 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, Feb. 15 \| 8 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com
Television Broadcast	CBS Sports Network
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Pirate Sports Network (FREE)
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Creighton
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook
Promotions	Greek Night for Seton Hall Fraternities and Sororities

In the BIG EAST Conference, it's important to defend your home court. Over the next seven days, the Pirates will be defending Prudential Center against some of the best in the nation.

It begins Wednesday when Seton Hall hosts No. 20 Creighton in an 8 p.m. showdown that can help the Pirates improve their NCAA Tournament resume with a victory. The team is 10-4 over its last 14 Prudential Center BIG EAST games, although the Bluejays were one of the three teams to pick off the Pirates at The Rock in that span. Crowd support will be critical against the high-octane Bluejays, so fans are encouraged to come out in support of The Hall.

Tom McCarthy will have play-by-play duties, Dalen Cuff will provide color and Jon Rothstein will roam the sidelines on the national CBS Sports Network television broadcast. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 83, XM 383 and the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).

Pirate Points

>> Junior Angel Delgado recorded his 19th double-double of the season, and sophomore Michael Nzei generated his second double-double of the year, but Seton Hall ran into a rested St. John's squad that turned 18 Pirates turnovers into 30 points as the Red Storm came away with a 78-70 victory Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates had won five straight games at MSG dating back to February 2016. Delgado finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high five assists. Nzei produced 11 points and matched his career high with 12 rebounds. Junior Desi Rodriguez led all Seton Hall players with 17 points.

>> The Pirates return to Prudential Center Wednesday night for the first of three home games in eight days against nationally ranked opponents. SHU is 9-1 at home this season and has been able to take advantage of conference opponents stepping into its gym in recent history. It is 10-4 in its last 14 BIG EAST home games and has won six of the last seven, including victories over Marquette, DePaul, St. John's and Providence this season and a victory over then No. 5-ranked Xavier in the 2015-16 home finale.

>> Prudential Center has been noticeably loud this season as attendance has surged and is expected to continue through the four remaining home games. The Pirates are averaging an attendance of 7,832 during their nine games at Prudential Center. That number would rank just shy of seventh in the BIG EAST, however, the overall home attendance average is 7,234 (ninth in BIG EAST) because of the Nov. 11 game played at Walsh Gymnasium (sold-out, standing-room crowd of 1,856). Through 10 overall home games last season, Seton Hall's average attendance was 6,995. Additionally, The Hall has already sold over 16,000 tickets for Saturday's game vs. Villanova.

>> 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 last their eight 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)

>> Junior Khadeen Carrington's 27 points were not enough in SHU's BIG EAST opener at Creighton earlier this season as the Pirates fell 89-75 in Omaha. However, head coach Kevin Willard and the Pirates have proven the ability to make in-season adjustments and take advantage of experience against BIG EAST competition. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Seton Hall is 11-4 when facing an opponent for the second or third time in the same season.

>> Though grossly underrated in the national scope, the Best Big Man in the BIG EAST™, Delgado, resides in South Orange. He enters Wednesday as the nation's top rebounder with 13.0 per game, and has 6.2 more per game (140 total) than any other player in the conference. He has five 20-point games this season including a career- best 26 at Georgetown, and is one of two players in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He earned recognition on the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll for the eighth time this season after averaging 16.0 points and 12.5 rebounds last week, including a 19-point, 15-rebound performance in an overtime win over Providence. Against St. John's on Saturday, he tallied a career-best five assists, and is averaging 2.0 per game, the second most among BIG EAST post players. Delgado is also averaging 18.6 points and 15.3 rebounds in home games this year.

>> The big man is posting truly historic numbers in his junior campaign, and has aligned himself with some of the elite rebounders in school and conference history. The 6-foot-10 Dominican native posted 21 points and 20 rebounds against St. John's and 12 points, 22 boards versus Butler. His performance in the St. John's game marked 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. Delgado's 22 rebounds against Butler are the most by any Pirate since the school joined the BIG EAST in 1979. 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. He enters tonight's contest with 988 career points, and can become the program's 42nd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point milestone. Additionally, Delgado is one of four student-athletes from a "Power Basketball Six" conference since 1996 to have back-to-back 20-rebound games (courtesy of FOX Sports & Anthony Masterson):

Tim Duncan, Wake Forest (1996-97)
Blake Griffin, Oklahoma (2008-09)
Caleb Swanigan, Purdue (2016-17)

>> Through 12 conference games this season Delgado has pulled down a staggering 14.3 rebounds per game - 7.4 more than any other player in the league, and has four of the top five individual rebounding performances in the BIG EAST. The conference record for rebounding average in a single season is 14.0 (Jerome Lane, Pitt). He is averaging 11.10 rebounds through 47 career BIG EAST games, which is currently second best in league history.

>> Including a team-high 17 points at St. John's Saturday, the versatile swingman Rodriguez has had the hot hand offensively for the Pirates in BIG EAST play. He leads the team and is fifth in the BIG EAST in scoring (16.4 points per game) during league play, and is shooting 44.1 percent (30-of-68) from beyond the arc. He has made 2.5 triples per game in the team's 12 BIG EAST contests, fourth most in the conference. Prior to league play, Rodriguez was 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) from three-point range.

>> Carrington is eighth in the conference with 16.8 points per game. The Brooklyn native has the ability to drive it to the rim or shoot it from long range. He has nine 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but two games this season, 54 times throughout his career. Carrington has been clutch in late-game situations. He scored five points in overtime against Providence last Wednesday, and is averaging 9.7 points during the second half on 48.8 percent shooting. Carrington has taken good care of the ball during BIG EAST play and owns a 2.6 assist-to- turnover ratio over the last eight games with an even or positive ratio in 10 of 12 league contests. He currently has a team-high 1,152 career points (33rd all-time in school history), and became the 41st student-athlete in school history to reach the 1,000-point threshold after his 27-point performance at Creighton. He is averaging 16.7 points and 2.5 assists while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 45.5 percent from deep in six career games against the Bluejays.

>> With innate defensive awareness and leadership at the point, senior guard Madison Jones has shown the ability to be a true impact player in BIG EAST competition. Against Xavier on Feb. 1, Jones totaled eight points, nine assists, a career-high five steals, five rebounds, and turned the ball over just once. He is seventh in the BIG EAST with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and fourth in steals (1.7). Additionally, Jones has provided more assists than turnovers in eight of the last 10 games. During BIG EAST play, he is fifth in the league with 3.8 assists per game. He has been particularly effective at home, averaging 4.5 assists with a 3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio.

>> SHU prides itself on defensive tenacity and it shows. Opponents are shooting just 41.8 percent from the field, the third-best field goal defense in the conference; and SHU is 8-1 when opponents shoot under 40 percent. The Pirates have played their best basketball at home, shooting 48.3 percent while limiting opponents to 39.0 percent. Furthermore, the team's 6.9 steals per game are good for third most in the BIG EAST. Seton Hall and its strong defense has also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 38-1 in their last 39 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.

>> 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 seventh in the BIG EAST with 6.3 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 the first meeting with St. John's, Sanogo played a crucial role in limiting the BIG EAST's sixth leading scorer, Shamorie Ponds (17.2 points per game), to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. Against Butler on Jan. 25, he totaled a season-best three blocks and matched a career-high four steals.

>> Perhaps the biggest struggle offensively for the Pirates this season has been consistency at the free-throw line. The team is shooting just 62.0 percent from the stripe, but is 50-of-69 (72.5 percent) over the last three games. Delgado leads the team with 152 attempts while shooting 55.3 percent, and has shown signs of improvement at the stripe, going 21-for-29 (72.4 percent) over the last four games.

>> Powell leads the team in free-throw percentage (81.8) and has shown the ability to be a dynamic scorer and dangerous three-point threat through the first 23 games of his career. Just three games into his rookie season he put up 26 points in SHU's victory at Iowa (Nov. 17) 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. Powell scored 26 and made a career-best 10 field goals at Xavier Feb. 1 including a 6-of-12 mark from three-point land. He is one of only two Pirates since 2008 to have multiple 25-point games as a freshman, joining Jeremy Hazell. He has canned three or more triples in seven different games this year and is averaging 11.0 points per game.

>> Rodriguez has been a consistent scorer for the Pirates and has the ability to explode through the lane or let it rip from beyond the arc. He has had six 20-point games and two double-doubles this season. He scored a career- high 30 points at Marquette and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Jan. 9 after a 25-point performance against DePaul in which he made each of his first 10 field goal attempts. Affectionately known as #DunkinDesi, Rodriguez has thrown down 11 dunks this season and 34 for his career. He is 12th in the conference in scoring (15.4 ppg) and 16th in rebounding (5.4 rpg).

>> 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 20 of 24 games (including 10 of 12 league games), is sixth in the country and leads the BIG EAST with 41.3 boards per game and is 22nd in the nation with a +6.8 rebounding margin. It is also atop the league standings and 14th 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 7.2 points per game (836-662).

>> One of the most critical aspects of the Pirates' offense is its ability to produce second chance points. That effort is led by Delgado, who is third in the country with 4.5 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. Effort on the offensive glass has led to 13.1 second chance points per game, 3.6 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 108 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 58 times, which is 53.7 percent of total chances. The team has scored 116 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 35.4 percent of all available chances, the best in the BIG EAST.

>> In addition to their offensive rebounding prowess, the Pirates have 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 25.9 percent of available chances.

>> The Pirates have shown resilience all season. They have five wins when trailing at halftime and three wins when trailing by 10 or more at any point in the contest. SHU is shooting 48.0 percent (329-of-85) in the second half overall and 51.9 percent (217-of-418) in the second half of 15 wins this season while limiting opponents to 40.0 percent shooting. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 3.2 in the final frame while scoring 38.8 points.

>> Sophomore forward Michael Nzei has been a valuable contributor in the post off the bench all season, and is expected to make his sixth start of the season Wednesday night. He proved worthy of starter minutes earlier this season at the AdvoCare Invitational by averaging 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in a pair of starts. Nzei is tied for the team lead with 15 blocks and is a blistering 68.8 percent (44-of-64) from the field over 18.3 minutes per game. He has also shown the ability to throw it down and leads the team with 13 dunks including four over the last two games.

>> In addition to all of his other statistical achievements this season, Delgado is also the BIG EAST's active leader in double-doubles with 42 (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 26 of the last 32 games when he doubles up (13-0 in 2015-16, 13-6 in 2016-17), and are now 32-10 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.

>> Delgado is currently fifth in school history with 935 career rebounds and is producing numbers that rank alongside SHU all-time greats. He is now the leading rebounder in school history during the BIG EAST era. Furthermore, Delgado became the seventh player in school history to reach 900 rebounds following a 17-rebound performance at Xavier on Feb.1. He is on pace to reach 1,000 career boards later this season. Only four players in program history have reached the 1,000-rebound milestone: