Five Things to Know About the Non-Conference Schedule
8/14/2017 2:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball
OPPONENT SNAPSHOTS
South Orange, N.J. - The Seton Hall men's basketball team, a consensus preseason top 25 squad, has confirmed its non-conference games for the 2017-18 season, including seven games at Prudential Center. The schedule was built to help the Pirates prepare for another rigorous BIG EAST conference season with the goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament for a third straight year.
Fans interested in purchasing season tickets can do so now online or by calling (973) 275-HALL. Tickets for the 15-game home schedule start at $168 per seat.
Game times and television assignments will be announced when the BIG EAST Conference releases its full schedule in the coming weeks.
Here's five things you need to know about the 2017-18 non-conference schedule:
1. The Pirates will be challenged.
While the average KenPom rating of teams on the schedule is 115.6, it does not tell the whole story as the Pirates will face six teams that finished in the top 50 in last year's KenPom ratings. The toughest game on the slate appears to be Dec. 3 at Louisville (KenPom 9, RPI 11), which could be a preseason top-five team. The contest will be the first between the two schools since the Cardinals left the BIG EAST in 2013, and will reunite Pirates head coach Kevin Willard with one of his mentors, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.
While the Louisville game is a headlining matchup, do not discount what will be a very entertaining NIT Season Tip-Off tournament at Barclays Center. The Hall will open with defending Atlantic 10 champion Rhode Island (KenPom 34, RPI 31) and then play either Vanderbilt (KenPom 33, RPI 42) or Virginia (KenPom 12, RPI 19). All three of The Hall's potential opponents at Barclays were in the NCAA Tournament last season. And, remember, Rhode Island is coached by former Pirates guard Dan Hurley, who played at The Hall from 1991-96.
Though these will be difficult games, they will give the Pirates a great opportunity to boost their own RPI and KenPom ratings, which will thereby give them the best possible chance to receive a bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Pirates have been a top-50 RPI team in each of the last two seasons, including a 23 RPI in 2015-16.
2. Get ready for some great games in Newark.
Teams from fellow "Basketball Power Six" schools don't often sign up to play the Pirates at Prudential Center, but this year, The Hall will receive a visit from Indiana (KenPom 44, RPI 81) of the Big Ten on Wednesday, Nov. 15 as part of the Gavitt Tip-Off Games. The Hoosiers have reached postseason play in five of the last six years, including four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Pirates will look to remain undefeated in the Gavitt Games after winning at Iowa in their debut last season.
If you don't include Rutgers, which visits every other year, no Big Ten team has ever come to Prudential Center to play Seton Hall. The last Big Ten team to play the Pirates on their home floor was Penn State on Dec. 9, 2006 at the Meadowlands.
Two other great games of note on the Prudential Center slate are the in-state battle with Monmouth (KenPom 81, RPI 51) on Nov. 12 and the Dec. 9 matchup with VCU (KenPom 48, RPI 26).
Please note that the VCU game is not part of the season ticket package. Season ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase their same seats at a discounted rate and should reference their season ticket invoices for more information. More information specific to this game will be available in September.
3. There are loads of local games against local opponents.
After back-to-back 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances and a recent BIG EAST Tournament championship, it's safe to say Seton Hall is currently at the top of the basketball mountain in the Metropolitan New York Region. This year with the best four-man senior class in the country and a total of six student-athletes hailing from either New Jersey or New York, it is the perfect time for Seton Hall to play the majority of its games within a 40-mile radius of South Orange.
Once you include BIG EAST Conference games, the Pirates are set to play 15 games in Newark, one in South Orange, one in Piscataway, two in Brooklyn's Barclays Center and between two and five games at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan.
Plus, over 50 percent of the non-conference schedule is against teams from the Metro New York area. The Pirates will face five out of a possible seven Div. I teams from New Jersey, including the annual Garden State Hardwood Classic clash against Rutgers (KenPom 135, RPI 176) on Dec. 16 in Piscataway. Seton Hall has not faced this many New Jersey teams in a single season since 2013-14 when it faced the same five teams. Prior to that, it had not happened since 2001-02.
Seton Hall has a .727 all-time winning percentage against fellow New Jersey Div. I schools and has won six straight dating back to 2013.
4. Historic Walsh Gymnasium hosts a historic series match.
Though historic Walsh Gymnasium no longer regularly hosts men's basketball games, it is still an iconic venue that deserves the spotlight even if it's just once a year. This season, the Pirates will host Saint Peter's at Walsh on Tuesday, Dec. 12. Before last year's hiatus in the series, Seton Hall and Saint Peter's had played each other in 67 consecutive seasons dating back to 1949! The last time the two teams met at Walsh - Dec. 6, 1988.
Tickets for the Walsh game are separate from the season ticket package and will go on sale at a late date. Season ticket holders will receive priority access to purchase ahead of the general public.
5. There's more information coming.
The Nov. 30 game vs. Texas Tech and the Dec. 9 game vs. VCU are tied to special-event doubleheaders. More information on these two games, including how to purchase tickets, will be forthcoming in September.
Non-Conference Opponent Snapshots
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