Seton Hall University
Villanova
Players Mentioned
Semifinal Friday Pits Pirates vs. No. 2 Villanova
3/10/2017 7:45:00 AM | Men's Basketball
| 2017 BIG EAST Tournament presented by Jeep - Semifinals [5] Seton Hall Pirates (21-10, 10-8 BIG EAST) vs. [1] No. 2 Villanova Wildcats (29-3, 15-3 BIG EAST) |
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| Date/Time/Location | Friday, March 10 | 6:30 p.m. | Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.) |
| Tickets | Ticketmaster.com |
| Pirate Blue Events | Pregame Reception at Hudson Station Bar & Grill - 4-6 p.m. |
| Television Broadcast | FS1 | FOX Sports GO |
| Radio Broadcast | AM970 The Answer | Pirate Sports Network (FREE) |
| Game Notes | Seton Hall Friday Update | Seton Hall Postseason Guide | Villanova |
| Links | Live Stats | Twitter | Facebook |
Pirates. Wildcats. BIG EAST Tournament. One more time.
Seton Hall is the defending champ and will take on a Villanova squad looking to exact revenge for last year's result. This will be the third time in the last four years and the sixth time overall that these two teams will meet in the BIG EAST Tournament, and the Pirates have won three of the five matchups, including last year's 69-67 thriller and the 64-63 quarterfinal classic in 2014. In both instances, as well as in Friday's game, Villanova was the top seed and ranked in the nation's top five.
Friday night's rematch will air on FS1, simulcast online via FOX Sports GO, with Gus Johnson, Jim Jackson and Lisa Byington providing the coverage. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network (available at SHUPirates.com and the SHU Pirates Mobile App).
Seton Hall's All-Time BIG EAST Tournament Games vs. Villanova
- March 4, 1982 - Quarterfinals - [1] Villanova 88, [8] Seton Hall 73
- March 9, 1991 - Semifinals - [4] Seton Hall 74, [8] Villanova 72
- March 10, 2004 - First Round - [11] Villanova 61, [6] Seton Hall 60
- March 13, 2014 - Quarterfinals - [8] Seton Hall 64, [1] Villanova 63
- March 12, 2016 - Final - [3] Seton Hall 69, [1] Villanova 67
Pirate Points
>> Junior Angel Delgado finished one assist shy of a triple double, and Seton Hall used a 17-2 mid-second half run and a 40-12 scoring advantage in the paint to record an 82-76 BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinal victory over Marquette Thursday afternoon at Madison Square Garden. Delgado was one of five SHU players in double-figures with 12 points in addition to 16 rebounds, the most in a BIG EAST Tournament game in school history. He was doubled all game, but used the opportunity to pile up a career-high nine assists. If he had picked up one more assist, he would have joined Eddie Griffin as the only player in program history to record a triple-double. Griffin totaled 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks against Norfolk State on Dec. 4, 2000. Junior Khadeen Carrington scored a game-high 19 points and was 11-of-11 from the free-throw line overall, with 10 of the makes coming over the final 1:21 as the Pirates were a season-best 22-for-23 from the charity stripe. Freshman Myles Powell dropped 17 points on 3-of-6 shooting from long range and 6-for-6 from the line. Junior Desi Rodriguez finished with 11 points and seven boards, while senior Madison Jones had 13 points and three steals.
>> With the win, Seton Hall advances to its 10th BIG EAST Tournament semifinal in program history and its third semifinal appearance in the last four seasons under head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates have now won eight games against teams in the top 60 of NCAA RPI as well as six wins against teams in the KenPom top 50. Seton Hall is now 21-10 overall and finished 10-8 during conference play to secure back-to-back winning BIG EAST seasons for the first time since 2003-04 and back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1992-93. The Hall has won eight of its last 10 games including five in a row.
>> The Pirates continue to play well at their "home away from home" and have won four straight BIG EAST Tournament games and six of their last seven games at Madison Square Garden. SHU has also won three straight over nationally ranked opponents at MSG with victories over No. 5 Xavier and No. 3 Villanova during last year's tournament and a win over then No. 16 ranked South Carolina earlier this season in the Under Armour Reunion game.
>> Since head coach Kevin Willard's arrival in 2010-11, The Hall has shown consistent ability to perform well against nationally ranked opponents, and can pick up its 14th win over an Associated Press top-25 team during his tenure. Dating back to Feb. 25 of last season, the Pirates have won seven of last their 11 games against nationally ranked opponents, including three this 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)
- Feb. 15, 2017 vs. Creighton (No. 20 in AP Poll, No. 22 in Coaches Poll)
- March 4, 2017 vs. Butler (No. 13 in AP Poll, No. 15 in Coaches Poll)
>> The Hall is competing in its 62nd BIG EAST Tournament and has an all-time record of 29-33 (.468). It is the first five seed for the Pirates since the conference realigned, and first since the 2000 team that lost to Connecticut in the quarterfinals, but reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Hall is 12-25 as the lower seed, 3-3 as a No. 5 seed, and 3-6 all-time in semifinal games. Additionally, the Pirates have an all-time conference tournament record of 3-2 against Villanova and are 2-4 against No. 1 seeds.
>> The Hall has endured several back-and-forth games in conference play this season that have come down to the wire. In fact, SHU has played in SEVEN BIG EAST games decided by three points or fewer in 2016-17, the most in a single season under head coach Kevin Willard. SHU is 5-2 in such games, and is 7-2 overall in games decided by three points or fewer. Additionally, 11 of its last 12 games have been decided by single digits.
>> The Pirates have shown resilience all season and have eight wins when tied or trailing at halftime and four wins when trailing by 10 or more at any point in the contest. SHU is shooting 47.9 percent in the second half overall and 50.4 percent in the second half of 21 wins while limiting opponents to 41.1 percent shooting. Willard and the Pirates have also proven the ability to make in-season adjustments and take advantage of experience against BIG EAST competition. Since the start of 2015-16, Seton Hall is 17-5 when facing an opponent for the second or third time in the same season.
>> Seton Hall's 7-2 close to the regular season is tied with Villanova and Providence for the best record during the second half of league competition. Last season, the Pirates also went 7-2 over the back nine of the BIG EAST slate with the only two losses coming against Butler. The reigning BIG EAST Champions have used the last two months of the season to their advantage the past two years, and are a combined 18-6 during February and March since last year including five wins over nationally ranked opponents.
>> The strong finish to the regular season is due in large part to the play of the Best Big Man in the BIG EAST™, Delgado. He is a unanimous 1st Team All-BIG EAST selection, and was named BIG EAST Player of the Week March 5 after averaging 16.0 points, 14.5 rebounds and scoring the game-winning basket against Georgetown on top of last Saturday's win at Butler. He continues to make his case for the Best Big Man in the Nation, and is currently riding a career-best 13 game double-double streak, topping his 11 in a row earlier this season. During the current double dip run, he is averaging 17.3 points and 14.9 rebounds per game. He is the nation's leading rebounder with 13.2 per game, leading offensive rebounder with 4.94 per game, and top double-double producer (26). Entering the week, he is averaged 6.5 more rebounds per game (188 total) than any other player in the conference.
>> The 6-foot-10 Dominican native posted 21 points and 20 rebounds against St. John's at home and 12 points, 22 boards in the first meeting with 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.
>> 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. With 253 rebounds during BIG EAST play this season, Delgado is the conference's all-time single-season leading rebounder, passing Luke Harangody (Notre Dame, 2008-09). He also broke the league's record for rebounding average in a single season with 14.1 rebounds per game. Pittsburgh's Jerome Lane held the former record of 14.0 per game. Delgado is averaging 11.37 rebounds through 54 career BIG EAST games, which is currently second best in league history.
>> In addition to his superior skills on the glass, Delgado has also proven to be a reliable scorer in the post. He has scored in double figures in 24 of the last 25 games and has seven 20-point outings this season including a career-best 26 at Georgetown. He is one of two players in the top-15 in the BIG EAST in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. He has earned recognition on the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll for the 10th time this season. No other player in the conference has more than six appearances on the Honor Roll.
>> The go-to scorer throughout conference play, Rodriguez has the ability to explode through the lane or let it rip from beyond the arc. He led the team with 17.3 points per game during BIG EAST competition and shot a team-best 42.2 percent from beyond the arc. He drained a triple in all 18 conference games after going 6-of-29 (20.7 percent) from three-point range in non- conference play. Affectionately known as #DunkinDesi, Rodriguez has thrown down 12 dunks this season and 35 for his career.
>> Earlier this season, Rodriguez 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 in the first meeting with DePaul in which he made each of his first 10 field goal attempts. He was also named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 21 after a 25-point nine-rebound showing at Iowa, and Jan. 16 after averaging 25.0 points per game at Marquette and Providence.
>> The team's leading scorer and one of the most dynamic guards in the BIG EAST, Carrington has the ability to take control, and on Sunday he was named 2nd Team All-BIG EAST. He 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 Creighton on Feb. 25. 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, 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. It is tied for the most points in a BIG EAST game in school history.
>> The Brooklyn native also has the ability to drive it to the rim or pull up from long range. He is sixth in the conference with 17.1 points per game and is second on the team in three-point shooting. He has 11 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but four contests this season, 59 times throughout his career. Carrington has also been clutch in late-game situations. For the season, he is averaging 10.0 points during the second half on 47.1 percent shooting from the field, 81.1 percent from the free throw line, 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 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio over the last 15 games with an even or positive ratio in 15 of 18 league contests during the regular season. He has also been heating up at the charity stripe, and is 36-of-42 (85.7 percent) from the line over the last seven games.
>> Juniors Carrington, Delgado and Rodriguez have been the driving force behind the success of Seton Hall basketball this season. They provide 65.8 percent of the team's scoring, and were the only three teammates in the top-10 in scoring during conference play. They have a combined 27 20-point games in 2016-17, and 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 29th on the all-time scoring list with 1,282 points. Delgado reached the milestone Feb. 15 vs. Creighton, and sits 35th with 1,109 career points. Rodriguez is the latest Pirate to join the club and is 36th with 1,091 points. The three juniors are 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.
>> 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. Furthermore, the team recorded six or more steals in 15 of 18 conference games and is third in the BIG EAST with 7.0 per game. Seton Hall and its strong defense has also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 44-1 in their last 45 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 is an invaluable asset on both ends of the floor. He averages 5.7 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 fifth leading scorer, Shamorie Ponds (17.3 points per game), to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting. Last season, he was named to the 2016 All-BIG EAST Tournament team.
>> Freshman Myles Powell has shown the ability to be a dynamic scorer and dangerous three-point threat in his first collegiate season. He is the fifth-leading scorer among BIG EAST rookies, and drilled a pair of crucial triples down the stretch in last Saturday's win at Butler including a dagger with 37 seconds to go. In non-conference play, just three games into his rookie campaign, 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. In Thursday's quarterfinal victory he scored 17 points, went 3-of-6 from downtown and 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. He has connected on three or more triples in a game 10 times this season.
>> With innate defensive awareness and leadership at the point, senior guard Madison Jones has shown the ability to be a true impact player for the Pirates. He finished with 13 points and three steals versus Marquette Thursday, and leads the team in steals and assists. He ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in steals (1.7 per game), eighth in assists (3.3 per game) and seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).
>> 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 nation with 4.94 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 12.8 second chance points per game, 3.3 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 153 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 87 times, which is 56.9 percent of total chances. The team has scored 174 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. Last Saturday, all seven of his offensive boards led to baskets for the Pirates, 13 total points, in a six-point victory over No. 13 Butler. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 35.3 percent of all available chances, the second-best in the BIG EAST.
>> 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 16-0 when it out shoots opponents and 15-2 when it has more free throw attempts. Additionally, the Pirates are 18-6 when shooting 40.0 percent or better and 7-1 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 10 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 18.4 minutes per game. Nzei is second on the team with 16 blocks and his efficient offensive selection has led to a blistering 68.4 percent (52-of-76) 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 15 dunks.
>> In addition to all of his other accomplishments this season, Delgado recently reached a historical milestone. Against Georgetown on Feb. 28, he pulled down his 1,000th career rebound, and is now just the fifth player in program history to reach 1,000 career rebounds, as well as the combination of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, the first since Glenn Mosley (1973- 77). Last week, Delgado also passed one of the all-time greats, Patrick Ewing (Georgetown, 1981-85), on the BIG EAST career rebounding list and is now fourth in league annals with 614 career boards.
