The Hall Opens NCAA Tournament vs. Arkansas Friday

2017 NCAA Tournament - South Region First Round [9] Seton Hall Pirates (21-11, 10-8 BIG EAST) vs. [8] Arkansas Razorbacks (25-9, 12-6 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Friday, March 17 \| 1:30 p.m. \| Bon Secours Wellness Arena (Greenville, S.C.)
Pirate Blue Events	Pregame Reception at Sip Whiskey & Wine Bar 11 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Television Broadcast	TNT \| NCAA.com
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Tournament Guide with Clips \| Arkansas
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| VOTE ANGEL FOR ABDUL-JABBAR AWARD Other Fan Info

Latest Clippings:

For Seton Hall basketball, Carrington carries the load (Gannett)
The ex-Seton Hall star behind the team's renaissance (New York Post)
Seton Hall returns to NCAA Tournament, draws Arkansas (Gannett)
What Isaiah Whitehead told Seton Hall for NCAA inspiration (New York Post)
Seton Hall: Why this NCAA Tournament trip will be different (New York Post)
Patience pays off for Seton Hall AD and coach (Bergen Record)
How Seton Hall is better prepared for the NCAA Tournament (NJ.com)

March Madness. The Dance. Seton Hall.

Those words come together for a second straight year as the Pirates are one of 68 teams with an eye towards winning the national championship. Only six wins separates The Hall from that goal, but it all begins with one game: a first-round matchup against a strong and tough Arkansas team that finished tied for third in the SEC and was the SEC Tournament runner-up. The Pirates are the No. 9 seed for the first time in program history, and they will look to draw upon past Seton Hall experience to find a way to the second round. It was 17 years ago that a lower-seed Pirates squad upset Oregon and Temple en route to the Sweet Sixteen. The leader of that squad was Shaheen Holloway, who is now this team's associate head coach.

The game will be nationally televised on TNT with Brian Anderson, Chris Webber and Lewis John as the broadcast team. The dynamic and epic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will have the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer. Please note due to NCAA rights regulations, the radio broadcast cannot be simulcast online.

Pirate Points

>> The Seton Hall men's basketball team is on the heels of a narrow setback in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals against Villanova last Friday at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates led the top-seed and No. 2 ranked Wildcats for more than 34 minutes and went punch for punch with the reigning national champs, but Josh Hart's three-point play with 9.6 seconds remaining in the game was the difference as Villanova defeated the Pirates, 55-53. Junior Desi Rodriguez led the Pirates with 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Junior Khadeen Carrington and freshman Myles Powell scored 11 points each, and junior Angel Delgado totaled eight points and eight boards. In 27 minutes off the bench, junior Ismael Sanogo totaled four points,
eight rebounds and three steals.

>> Led by head coach Kevin Willard, the Pirates are back in the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. This marks the first time the program has gone to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments since reeling off four straight appearances from 1991-94. After earning the BIG EAST's automatic bid last season, this year the Pirates are an at-large selection for the first time since 2006. This is also Seton Hall's first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 1992-93 and first back-to-back BIG EAST conference winning seasons since 2003-04.

>> Overall, this is Seton Hall's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Pirates have won a tournament game in seven out of their 10 trips in program history. All-time in the NCAA Tournament:

1988: 1-1 (Second Round) - 8 seed
1989: 5-1 (National Final, Runner-Up) - 3 seed
1991: 3-1 (Regional Final, Elite Eight) - 3 seed
1992: 2-1 (Regional Semifinals, Sweet Sixteen) - 4 seed • 1993: 1-1 (Second Round) - 2 seed
1994: 0-1 (First Round) - 10 seed
2000: 2-1 (Regional Semifinals, Sweet Sixteen) - 10 seed • 2004: 1-1 (Second Round) - 8 seed
2006: 0-1 (First Round) - 10 seed
2016: 0-1 (First Round) - 6 seed
Total: 10 appearances, 15-10

>> The only time Seton Hall and Arkansas have ever met was on Dec. 8, 2010 at the SEC/BIG EAST Invitational in Louisville, Ky. where the Razorbacks came away with a 71-62 victory. Willard is 5-4 with the Pirates against Southeastern Conference opponents, and The Hall is 12-12 in the all-time series against current SEC teams.

>> The Pirates are battle tested and have endured several back-and-forth games throughout the course of this season that have come down to the wire. In fact, SHU 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 went 5-2 in such games, and is 7-3 overall in games decided by three points or fewer. Additionally, 12 of its last 13 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 47.7 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.

>> Seton Hall has used the last two months of the season to its advantage the past two years, and is a combined 18-7 during February and March since last year including five wins over nationally ranked opponents. The Pirates began conference play with a 3-6 record, but finished 7-2 in the second half with a pair of wins over nationally ranked opponents to bolster their resume and lead them to the dance once again.

>> The strong finish to the regular season was due in large part to the play of the Best Big Man in the NATIONTM, Delgado. He is a unanimous 1st Team All-BIG EAST selection, and a finalist for The Basketball Hall of Fame Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation's top center. He earned a spot on the 2017 BIG EAST All-Tournament Team after leading all players in rebounding (12.0) and assists (5.0). Delgado is the nation's leading rebounder with 13.1 per game, leading offensive rebounder with 4.94 per game, and top double-double producer (26). He is averaging 6.3 rebounds per game MORE than any other player in the BIG EAST. Delgado has 196 more total rebounds than the second-highest total from any player in the conference. The 196 rebounds on its own would be the seventh-highest total.

>> 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. In the BIG EAST Tournament against Marquette, he put on a display that showed off his overall skill set, and he totaled 12 points, 16 rebounds and 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.

>> 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 26 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 earned recognition on the weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll 10 times this season. No other player in the conference had more than six appearances on the Honor Roll.

>> The go-to scorer during conference play, Rodriguez has the ability to explode through the lane or let it rip from beyond the arc. His hot hand has delivered 18.4 points on 48.0 percent shooting and 5.4 rebounds over the last five games. 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.

>> When Rodriguez gets hot, he can pile up the points. 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 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. He has nine 20-point games this year and scored in double figures 52 times throughout his career.

>> The team's leading scorer and one of the most dynamic guards in the BIG EAST, Carrington has the ability to take control. 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. Carrington was named to the All-BIG EAST Second Team last week.

>> The Brooklyn native also has the ability to drive it to the rim or pull up from long range. He has 11 20-point games and has scored in double figures in all but four contests this season, 60 times throughout his career. Carrington has also been clutch in late-game situations. For the season, he is averaging 9.9 points during the second half on 46.3 percent shooting from the field, 81.3 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 16 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 37-of-43 (86.0 percent) from the line over the last eight games.

>> Juniors Carrington, Delgado and Rodriguez have been the driving force behind the success of Seton Hall basketball this season. They provide 65.7 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 27th on the all-time scoring list with 1,293 points. Delgado reached the milestone Feb. 15 vs. Creighton, and sits 35th with 1,117 career points. Rodriguez is the latest Pirate to join the club and is 36th with 1,105 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 totals 6.9 per game. Seton Hall and its strong defense has also proven to be well equipped at holding leads. The Pirates are 44-2 in their last 46 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. He played 27 minutes in last Friday's BIG EAST Semifinal against Villanova, his most minutes in five games, and was a critical factor in holding the Wildcats to just 55 points, over 20 points below their season scoring average.

>> 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 has drilled three or more triples in 11 games this season including two in a row. 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. He leads the team in three-point field goals (66) and free throw percentage (81.7).

>> 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 leads the team and is eighth in the BIG EAST with 3.2 assists per game. He has helped SHU record a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in four of the last six games, and personally owns a 1.7 ratio for the season. Jones has made three steals in three of the last five contests and is fourth in the BIG EAST with 1.8 per game.

>> 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 12.9 second chance points per game, 3.5 more than opponents. Delgado has grabbed 158 offensive rebounds, and the Pirates have scored on the ensuing opportunity 91 times, which is 57.6 percent of total chances. The team has scored 183 second chance points off his offensive boards alone. Last Friday against Villanova, the Pirates scored nine points off four of his five offensive rebounds. The Pirates grab an offensive board on 35.4 percent of all available chances. Overall, SHU is 19th in the nation with a +6.9 rebounding margin.

>> 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 18-7 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 11 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 16 blocks and his efficient offensive selection has led to an efficient 67.5 percent (52-of-77) 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). Delgado also recently 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.