Seton Hall University
Xavier
Players Mentioned
#PackTheRock Wednesday as The Hall Hosts Xavier
2/21/2017 12:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball
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| 2017 BIG EAST Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (16-10, 6-8 BIG EAST) vs. Xavier Musketeers (18-9, 8-6 BIG EAST) |
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| Date/Time/Location | Wednesday, Feb. 22 Â | Â 7 p.m. Â | Â Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster.com  |  Prudential Center Box Office |
| Television Broadcast | FS1Â | Â FOX Sports GO |
| Radio Broadcast | WMCA 570 AM Â | Â Sirius 93 Â | Â XM 201Â | Â Pirate Sports Network (FREE) |
| Game Notes | Seton Hall  |  Xavier |
| Links | Live Stats |  Twitter |  Facebook |
| Promotions | Breakfast For Dinner for Seton Hall students |
Feature: Double-Double! Seton Hall's Angel Delgado Leads Nation in Rebounding
Radio Interview: Kevin Willard on Inside the BIG EAST
A Seton Hall night game at 7 p.m. It has been a rarity this season, but it returns Wednesday night.
The Pirates will play Xavier Wednesday night in the traditional 7 p.m. night game slot, something The Hall has not been able to do since a 7 p.m., local time start at Creighton back on Dec. 28, 2016. In fact, of Seton Hall's 18 night games this season, only four have a 7 p.m., local start time.
Regardless of the start time, Wednesday is another opportunity for the Pirates to boost their NCAA Tournament resume as they face a Musketeers squad ranked No. 17 in the NCAA RPI. A victory would give Seton Hall four top-50 RPI victories, a feat only 26 teams have accomplished for far this season.
The national television broadcast on FS1 will feature Joe Davis on play-by-play and Donny Marshall as the analyst. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio call on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 93, XM 201 and the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).
Pirate Points
>> Seton Hall continues to push towards an NCAA Tournament bid and wraps up its three-game home stand when Xavier comes to town Wednesday night for a pivotal BIG EAST matchup. The Pirates are on the heels of a 92-70 setback to No. 2 Villanova Saturday afternoon in front of a sold out record crowd of 16,733 at Prudential Center. Junior Angel Delgado collected his 21st double-double and junior Khadeen Carrington scored 22 points, but the Wildcats shot 67.3 percent from the field to keep the Pirates at arm's length.
>> While Seton Hall's BIG EAST record currently stands at 6-8, its NCAA Tournament resume (see page 4) remains strong and can receive a big boost tonight from beating a Xavier squad that sits at No. 17 in the NCAA RPI and No. 36 in the KenPom. In fact, if the Pirates win, it will be their fourth victory against a team currently in the NCAA Top 50 RPI. As of Tuesday, Feb. 21, only 26 teams in the nation have at least four top-50 RPI victories on their resume this season.
>> The Pirates hold a 9-6 lead in the all-time series with Xavier, and are 6-0 at home. The Musketeers edged SHU, 72- 70, in the last meeting between the teams at Cintas Center on Feb. 1. Trevon Bluiett drained a jumped with 4.4 seconds remaining for the game-winning basket. Freshman Myles Powell matched a career-high 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field and was 6-of-12 from long range. Junior Angel Delgado tallied 13 points and 13 rebounds, while junior Desi Rodriguez posted 16 points. Senior Madison Jones was outstanding at the point with eight points, nine assists, a career-high five steals and five rebounds. Eight of the nine meetings since 2010 have been decided by single digits.
>> The Hall is 10-2 at home this season and has been able to take advantage of conference opponents stepping into its gym in recent history. It is 11-5 in its last 16 BIG EAST home games and has won seven of the last nine, including victories over Marquette, DePaul, St. John's, Providence and Creighton this season and a victory over then No. 5-ranked Xavier in the 2015-16 home finale.
>> Fans have packed "The Rock" all season and SHU is averaging an attendance of 8,532 during its 11 games at Prudential Center this season, up from 6,884 through 11 games in 2015-16. The Pirates have called downtown Newark home since the 2007 season and have now had eight games with attendance over 10,000 including Saturday's record- breaking crowd and the Garden State Hardwood Classic against Rutgers on Dec. 23 (10,481).
>> Although Xavier wound up with a narrow victory in the first matchup this season, 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 12-5 when facing an opponent for the second or third time in the same season. Two of those victories came against then No. 5 ranked Xavier last season. The Musketeers won the first matchup in Cincinnati, but The Hall won at Prudential Center on Feb. 28, 90-81, before an 87-83 BIG EAST Tournament semifinal victory at Madison Square Garden.
>> Including the first meeting with Xavier, the Pirates have endured several tightly contested games that have come down to the wire. SHU is tied for the league lead with five games decided by three points or fewer, the most in a single season under head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates also played five such games during the 2013-14 campaign.
>> Named BIG EAST Player of the Week Monday afternoon, Carrington will look to piggyback off his outstanding play against a pair of nationally ranked teams last week. He posted 22 points versus No. 2 Villanova Saturday, and went off for a career-high 41 points including 10 in the final 41 seconds as Seton Hall picked up an 87-81 victory over No. 20 Creighton Wednesday night. The 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 against the Bluejays, Carrington also totaled seven assists, five rebounds and four steals on top of an 18-for-22 performance at the free throw line. His 41-point output is the most of any BIG EAST player this season and nine more than any other individual scorer in a conference game. It is tied for 14th all-time in a BIG EAST conference game, and is only the 26th time in league history that anyone has scored 40 or more in a conference game. It is furthermore the first 40-point game for a Pirate since Sterling Gibbs scored 40 against Illinois State on Nov. 24, 2014. Additionally, it is tied for the most points in a BIG EAST game in school history, joining:
- Jeremy Hazell vs. West Virginia (Dec. 26, 2009)
- Terry Dehere vs. St. John's (Feb. 17, 1993)
- Marco Lokar vs. Pittsburgh (Feb. 20, 1990)
>> The Brooklyn native has the ability to drive it to the rim or shoot it from long range, and is fifth in the conference with 17.8 points per game. He has 11, 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but two contests this season, 56 times throughout his career. Carrington has also been clutch in late-game situations. For the season, he is averaging 10.3 points during the second half on 50.0 percent shooting, and leads the team in scoring during the final five minutes of game time. Another crucial factor for the Pirates of late has been Carrington's ability to take good care of the ball. He owns a 2.6 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 10 games with an even or positive ratio in 12 of 14 league contests.
>> Though grossly underrated in the national scope, the Best Big Man in the BIG EASTTM, Delgado, resides in South Orange. He enters Wednesday as the nation's top rebounder with 13.2 per game, and has 6.3 more per game (157 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 ninth time this season after posting a pair of double- doubles while averaging 18.0 points and 14.5 rebounds last week. No other player in the conference has more than five appearances on the Honor Roll. He has put on a show for the Pirate faithful this season, averaging 18.5 points and 15.2 rebounds in home games.
>> 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 at home 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.
>> Through 14 conference games this season Delgado has pulled down a staggering 14.4 rebounds per game - 7.3 more than any other player in the league, and has five of the top six 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 11.24 rebounds through 50 career BIG EAST games, which is currently second best in league history.
>> Juniors Carrington, Delgado and Rodriguez have been the driving force behind the success of Seton Hall basketball this season. They provide 65.2 percent of the team's scoring, and are the only three teammates in the top-10 in scoring during conference play. They have the opportunity to be mentioned among the best classes in program history. Carrington became the 41st student-athlete in school history to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season, and is now 30th on the all-time scoring list with 1,215 points. Delgado reached the milestone last Wednesday night and sits in 39th with 1,024 career points. Rodriguez is nine points away from reaching 1,000 points. If all three reach 1,000 career points in 2016-17, they will become only the 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 team.
>> The versatile swingman Rodriguez has the ability to explode through the lane or let it rip from beyond the arc. He has 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. He is shooting a team-best 44.9 percent (35-of-78) from beyond the arc and making 2.5 triples per game in the team's 14 BIG EAST contests, the fourth most in the league. Prior to conference play, Rodriguez was 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) from three-point range. 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 (15.5 ppg) and 17th in rebounding (5.3 rpg).
>> SHU prides itself on defensive tenacity and it shows. The Pirates held Providence, St. John's, Georgetown and Butler to under 40.0 percent shooting; and SHU is 8-1 on the season when opponents shoot under 40 percent. The Pirates have played their best basketball at home, shooting 48.3 percent while limiting opponents to 41.6 percent. Furthermore, the team has recorded six or more steals in 12 of 14 conference games. Seton Hall and its strong defense has also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 39-1 in their last 40 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 eighth in the BIG EAST with 6.1 rebounds per game and pulled down a career-high 16 in the Garden State Hardwood Classic victory over Rutgers on Dec. 23. 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. After missing two games due to injury, he returned to the hardwood last Wednesday night looking sharp. During his first four minutes back on the court Creighton was held scoreless. He grabbed seven boards and the team was +16 over his 24 minutes of action.
>> Freshman Myles Powell has shown the ability to be a dynamic scorer and dangerous three-point threat through the first 25 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 eight different games this year and is averaging 10.8 points per game.
>> 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. Perhaps his best game of the season was during the first meeting with Xavier. He totaled eight points, nine assists, a career-high five steals, five rebounds, and turned the ball over just once. He is fifth in the BIG EAST with a 1.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and fifth in steals (1.7). During BIG EAST play, he is sixth in the league with 3.6 assists per game. Jones and Carrington are the only backcourt duo averaging at least 3.5 assists per game during BIG EAST play. Additionally, Jones has been effective at home, averaging 4.2 assists with a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio.
>> 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 21 of 26 games (including 11 of 14 league games), is eighth in the country and leads the BIG EAST with 40.7 boards per game and is 20th in the nation with a +6.8 rebounding margin. It is also atop the league standings and 15th 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 6.6 points per game (894-724).
>> 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 leads the country with 4.8 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, 3.7 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 124 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 68 times, which is 54.8 percent of total chances. The team has scored 138 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 35.5 percent of all available chances, the second-best in the BIG EAST.
>> 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 48.4 percent (359-of-742) in the second half overall and 51.9 percent (231-of-445) in the second half of 16 wins this season while limiting opponents to 40.5 percent shooting. Additionally, SHU is outscoring opponents by 3.0 in the final frame while scoring 39.0 points.
>> Although the Pirates rely heavily on disciplined play on the defensive end, much of their success this season has been predicated on their ability to make shots and get to the free throw line. SHU is 12-0 when it out shoots opponents and 11-2 when it has more free throw attempts. Additionally, the Pirates are 13-6 when shooting 40.0 percent or better and 5-1 when they shoot 70.0 percent at the line.
>> Sophomore forward Michael Nzei has been a valuable contributor in the post all season and has made five starts in a row. 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. His sound defense and efficient offense has earned him 18.0 minutes per game. Nzei is second on the team with 15 blocks and is a blistering 68.8 percent (44-of-64) from the field, which would rank second in the BIG EAST if qualified. He has also shown the ability to throw it down and leads the team with 13 dunks.
>> In addition to all of his other statistical achievements this season, Delgado is also the BIG EAST's active leader in double-doubles with 43 (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 27 of the last 34 games when he doubles up (13-0 in 2015-16, 14-7 in 2016-17), and are now 33-11 during his career. Delgado is on and eight game double-double streak, averaging 17.5 points and 15.8 boards during the stretch.
>> Delgado is currently fifth in school history with 964 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 in the first meeting with Xavier. 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:
- Walter Dukes (1950-53) - 1,697
- Glenn Mosley (1973-77) - 1,263
- Ken House (1969-72) - 1,149
- Nick Werkman (1961-64) - 1,036
