Pirates Host Providence Wednesday at The Rock

2017-18 BIG EAST Game Seton Hall Pirates (16-5, 5-3 BIG EAST) vs. Providence Friars (14-7, 5-3 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, January 31 \| 7 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Prudential Center Box Office
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	WMCA 570 AM \| Sirius 132 \| XM 202 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Providence
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Sponsor	Game Presented by Mental Health Associates of Essex and Morris Counties

Amazingly enough, through all the battles we've already seen Seton Hall take part in during this BIG EAST season, we've only now reached the midway point. Game number nine of 18 takes place Wednesday night at Prudential Center where the Pirates will host Providence in another crucial clash. Both teams are 5-3 in the league and both would like to hit the turn with six victories. Only five previous Seton Hall teams have ever started the league schedule 6-3 or better, and the Pirates are aiming to join that list. The winner of the matchup will be the lone fourth-place team in the BIG EAST for the time being.

As we've learned in this league, protecting home court is essential. Among the top seven teams in the BIG EAST, there have only been five road victories (5-16):

Dec. 27, 2017: Xavier 91, at Marquette 87
Jan. 3, 2018: Marquette 95, at Providence 90 (OT)
Jan. 6, 2018: Seton Hall 90, at Butler 87
Jan. 20, 2018: Xavier 73, at Seton Hall 64
Jan. 28, 2018: Villanova 85, at Marquette 82

Wednesday night's game will be nationally televised on FS1 with Justin Kutcher and Jim Jackson on the call, the immortal Steve Scheer producing. The game is scheduled to tip at 7:01 p.m. As always, the dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 132, XM 202 and the Pirate Sports Network.

Oh, and in case you've been living under a rock, we have a new BIG EAST rebounds king.

"It's a dream come true" - @angelluis45

Hear what the @SetonHallMBB star and new #BIGEASThoops all-time leader in rebounds had to say postgame: pic.twitter.com/clebUG5r4Y
— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) January 29, 2018

THINGS TO KNOW

The Pirates are back at Prudential Center for a Wednesday night BIG EAST Conference matchup against Providence. The Pirates are 11-1 at home this season.
On Sunday, Seton Hall delivered an 86-70 victory at DePaul, and was led offensively by Myles Powell, who scored a game-high 21 points and shot 4-for-9 from three-point range. The Pirates led wire-to-wire, and used a 10-0 run late in the first half to create separation.
Senior big man Angel Delgado became the BIG EAST all-time rebound king with his second board on Sunday. Delgado's 702nd rebound surpassed Syracuse's Derrick Coleman (1986-90), whose record of 701 stood for 28 years. The Dominican native now has 719 career BIG EAST rebounds, and has 10 remaining games to add to the record.
Powell has settled into a groove recently and has scored 19 or more points in three of the last four games. Over the last four contests, he is averaging 17.5 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 41.8 percent from the field. For the year, Cheese is shooting a team-best 41.4 percent (55-for-133) from three-point range. He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday.
The core four offensive contributors for the Pirates - Delgado, Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, and Myles Powell - have scored 59.3 points per game - 78.2 percent of the team's total points during BIG EAST play.
Wednesday night marks the 102nd all-time meeting between Seton Hall and Providence. The Friars are hanging on to the all-time series, 52-49, but the Pirates have won three of the last four. Additionally, Seton Hall has had 10 overtime games against Providence, the most against any one opponent all-time.
- 01/16/16 - W, 81-72 (A)
- 02/25/16 - W, 70-52 (H)
- 01/14/17 - L, 61-65 (A)
- 02/08/17 - W, 72-70 OT (H)
The last time the programs met was in a thriller at The Rock. The Pirates trailed by as many as 15 in the opening half, but Seton Hall battled back to force overtime after a late free throw from Rodriguez and staunch defense that allowed just 20 points in the second half. In the overtime period, Powell had the ball with the game tied at 70 and 38 seconds to go. He drove the lane, absorbed contact, and connected on an acrobatic layup that sealed the win after the Friars missed a tying jumper with two seconds left.
The Pirates have won 12 of their last 15 BIG EAST home games at The Rock including five of the last six. They are 28-21 all-time against Providence at home.
The team is 10-1 when Rodriguez is the leading scorer, and are 33-10 all-time when he scores 15 or more points.
Seton Hall is 15-7 all-time when Powell connects on three or more three-pointers.
Head coach Kevin Willard is 8-7 all-time against Providence.

#PiratePursuit

Seton Hall has flourished in the program's previous two seasons to the likes of which the program has not seen in over 20 years, and they are in pursuit of a truly special 2017-18 campaign.

The Pirates concluded non-conference play with a handful of resume-boosting victories including four over teams currently in the KenPom Top-100. Seton Hall is also 3-1 against ranked opponents this season.

In the Polls

The Pirates head into Wednesday receiving votes in both the AP Poll and USA Today Coaches Poll.

It is the second time this season the Pirates have not been ranked in either poll.

Earlier this season Seton Hall was No. 13 in the rankings, the highest since Jan. 2, 2001.

Seton Hall has been in the weekly national rankings 111 times in program history, and 11 times this season.

Building a Resume

The Pirates have already notched several key wins that will loom large down the road, including victories over seven teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 88 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 92 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 11 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 31 (W, 79-77)

Creighton - 23 (W, 90-84)

St. John's - 89 (W, 75-70)

Butler - 30 (W, 90-87)

A New King

Angel Delgado had already cemented his name in the BIG EAST record book entering the season. But on Sunday, with his second rebound, BIG EAST career rebound No. 702, he broke Syracuse's Derrick Coleman's (1986-90) all-time BIG EAST career rebound record that had stood for 28 years.

The big man is also second on the BIG EAST's all-time rebounding average list (11.60) behind only Michael Smith (Providence, 1991-94, 11.66 rpg).

Delgado is comfortable putting up eye-popping rebounding numbers. In 2016-17, he recorded over 200 more rebounds than any other player in the BIG EAST, and set the conference's single-season conference-games only rebounding record (253). He also set the BIG EAST single season conference-games only record for rebounding average (14.1).

Putting it in Perspective

The Pirates are now 5-3 in BIG EAST play for the first time since 2008, and are tied for the second-best eight-game conference start in school history. The previous eight times Seton Hall has started 5-3 or better:

2007-08 (5-3)

2005-06 (5-3, went on to NCAA Tournament)

2003-04 (5-3, went on to NCAA Tournament)

1999-00 (6-2, went on to NCAA Tournament)

1998-99 (5-3)

1992-93 (5-3, won BIG EAST regular season and tournament titles, went on to NCAA Tournament)

1990-91 (5-3, won BIG EAST tournament title, went on to NCAA Tournament)

1988-89 (5-3, went on to NCAA Tournament)

Delgado Can Swing It

Angel Delgado's ability to distribute the ball and find the open man has been one of the most important aspects of his game, and has allowed the Pirates offense to click.

He is averaging 3.1 assists per game this season, the most among any non-guard in the BIG EAST and tied for 13th-best overall.

During league play, he has already had four games with five or more assists, and is ninth in the BIG EAST with 3.9 per game.

Know How to Score

Between Rodriguez, Carrington and Delgado, the Pirates have an incredible threesome of experienced scorers - the trio has a combined 4,491career points

Each also has significant experience scoring in double-figures:

Delgado - 78 times

Carrington - 76 times

Rodriguez - 71 times

#EliteDesi

Desi Rodriguez has been the most consistent offensive contributor, and an outright stud all season.

He is averaging a team-best 17.4 points per game, good for ninth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.2 percent (140-for-279) from the field and 36.2 percent (34-for-94) from long range.

Rodriguez earned BIG EAST Player of the Week on Dec. 4 by averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting 55.9 percent in two Seton Hall victories over ranked opponents.

At No. 17 Louisville, the Bronx native went off for a season-high and game-high 29 points. He connected on the game-winning layup with 7.5 seconds remaining to lead The Hall to a 79-77 victory over the Cardinals, the program's first win at Louisville since Feb. 25, 1952.

The Pirates are 10-1 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 33-10 all-time when he scores at least 15 points.

Sanogo the Scorer

Although widely regarded as the team's top defender, Ismael Sanogo has shown the ability to step in and contribute on the offensive end.

Over his last five games he has provided a valuable spark, shooting 17-of-27 (63.0 percent) from the floor, while averaging 9.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.

He has gone 4-for-6 (66.7 percent) from three-point range over the last five games. Entering the season, he was 1-for-6 in his career from long range. He also started the season 0-for-7 from deep.

At Marquette on Jan. 9, he scored a career-high 14 points to go along with six boards and a pair of three-point buckets.

Finish Strong

The Pirates pride themselves on defense, and have proven the ability to hold off late pushes by the opposition.

In fact, Seton Hall is 58-5 in its last 63 games (dating back to the start of the 2015-16 season) when holding a lead of seven or more at any point in the contest.

Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 28-3 over the last 31 games and 13-1 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.

Rebounding on Both Ends

Delgado's ability to rebound on both ends of the floor has earned him national attention.

Last week, he was named to the 2018 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason Watch List after earning a spot on the 2018 John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top-25 list two weeks ago.

Delgado's 4.3 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fifth in the country. Overall, Delgado's 12.0 rebounds per game ranks second in the nation.

Against Vanderbilt earlier this season, Delgado was held without an offensive rebound, snapping a streak of 71 games with one or more offensive boards.

He has grabbed one or more offensive rebounds in 116 of 119 career games.

In six career games against Providence, Delgado is averaging 11.5 points and 12.3 rebounds while shooting 50.0 percent (28-for-56) from the field.

Second-Half Heroics

On Dec. 28 the Pirates pulled off a 13-point second half comeback win over Creighton, and an 11-point second half comeback win at Butler on Jan. 6. Seton Hall also trailed Georgetown by 10 in the first half on Jan. 13, but won by 13 points. It has been stellar in the second half all season.

Over the final 20 minutes, Seton Hall is shooting 45.9 percent while holding opponents to 41.7 percent shooting from the field.

One of the main reasons the Pirates have been able to create separation during the second half this season has been their three-point field goal defense. Opponents are shooting just 32.3 percent (71-for-220) from long range over the final 20 minutes.

One of the All-Timers

Carrington has a natural scoring ability that ranks him among the all-time greats at The Hall.

Currently, Carrington is 14th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,604 career points. He also ranks 15th on the all-time assists leaderboard with 328.

The Brooklyn native has scored 20 or more points 21 times in his career.

In six career games against Providence, Carrington is averaging 13.2 points, 2.5 assists, is 44.8 percent from the field, 42.9 percent (9-for-21) from long range, and 18-for-19 at the free throw line.

Some Wine With That?

The man called "Cheese" - Myles Powell, has a smooth and savory stroke from long range, and is leading the Pirates in three-point buckets, shooting 55-for-133 (41.4 percent).

He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after scoring a team-high 21 points at DePaul on Sunday. Over his last four games he is averaging 17.2 points, 2.5 assists and 2.3 steals.

Against Georgetown on Jan. 13, Cheese filled the box score with a game-high 19 points, five rebounds, and a career-high six steals.

Earlier this season against Texas Tech, Powell also took control when it mattered most. With 2:05 to go in the game, Cheese banged a three to push the lead to nine. He later made an acrobatic layup, then stole the ball on the ensuing possession and converted a layup while being fouled with 1:20 left. In all, he finished with eight of the team's final 10 points.

When Cheese gets hot, the Pirates feed off his energy and seem to play better as a collective. In fact, they are 15-7 over the course of his career when he makes three or more treys. He has scored in double-figures in 18 of 21 games this year.

Owning the Glass

It helps to have the best rebounder in the country, but rebounding is truly a team effort, and the Pirates have proven the ability to dominate.

The Pirates have had a positive margin in 20 of the last 26 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 37.2 points in the paint and allow just 29.0 per game.

Offensive rebounds lead to second-chance points, and the Pirates have been excellent in taking advantage. SHU averages 13.0 second-chance points per game, while opponents are averaging 10.7.

Sharing is Caring

Against St. John's on Dec. 31, the Pirates assisted on 19 of their 24 made field goals, the highest percentage of assists to field goals this season.

The Pirates have won 16 of 17 games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 21 of the last 23.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 15 of 21 games this year.

A total of four different Pirates have recorded five assists or more in a single game this season (Carrington, Delgado, Powell, Rodriguez).

Be Like Mike

Junior Mike Nzei is one of the brightest all-around student-athletes at Seton Hall, and the economics major is a two-time All-Academic BIG EAST selection.

Unsurprisingly, his intellect translates to the court in terms of his efficiency and shot selection.

Against VCU, he scored 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, and currently leads the team in field goal percentage, 59.1, on 39-of-66 shooting.

He is second on the team with seven dunks this season, and the Pirates are 8-1 all-time when he scores in double figures.

Against Creighton on Dec. 28, Nzei pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds.

In six career games against Providence, Nzei is averaging 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and is shooting 70.6 percent (12-for-17) from the field.