No. 21 Pirates Heads to Butler Saturday

2017-18 BIG EAST Game No. 21 Seton Hall Pirates (13-2, 1-0 BIG EAST) at Butler Bulldogs (12-4, 2-1 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Saturday, January 6 \| 2:30 p.m. \| Hinkle Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	WMCA 570 AM \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Butler
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook

To close out the 2016-17 BIG EAST regular season, Seton Hall visited Butler...and won at Hinkle Fieldhouse for the first time ever. Fast forward 308 days and the Pirates' first BIG EAST road game of 2017-18 is at...Hinkle Fieldhouse against Butler.

The Pirates have won four of their last six true road games dating back to February 2017, but a tough Butler squad stands in their way once again. The Bulldogs are just a week removed from knocking off No. 1 Villanova. Surprisingly enough, the first BIG EAST road game of the year has been fair to The Hall since head coach Kevin Willard arrived. In his first seven BIG EAST road openers, the Pirates are 3-4 with wins at Marquette, Providence and DePaul and losses at Cincinnati, Syracuse, Xavier and Creighton.

Tip time on Saturday is scheduled for 2:30 p.m, and the game will be nationally televised on FS1, simulcast on FOX Sports GO, with Steve Physioc and Nick Bahe on the call. As always, the dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast on WMCA 570 AM, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.

The Latest March Madness 365 Podcast is on ITunes: Painter, Willard and Beard! @BoilerBall @SetonHallMBB @TexasTechMBB https://t.co/TPiahzvQ6M
— Andy Katz (@TheAndyKatz) January 5, 2018

THINGS TO KNOW

No. 21 Seton Hall heads to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon looking to improve to 3-0 in BIG EAST play for the first time since 1998-99.
On New Year's Eve, Khadeen Carrington scored a game-high 24 points and the Pirates connected on a season-high 13 three-pointers in a 75-70 victory over St. John's at Prudential Center. Seton Hall improved to 2-0 in the conference and 13-2 overall for the first time since 2011-12.
Desi Rodriguez finished with 23 points and was 4-for-9 from three-point range. He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in last week's wins over St. John's and Creighton.
The Pirates concluded non-conference play with an 11-2 record. It is the first time since 2012-13 that the Pirates have accumulated 11 non-conference wins in the regular season.
Seton Hall has won nine of its last 10 games - six against KenPom top-100 teams, including Vanderbilt (73), Texas Tech (6), Louisville (39), VCU (95), Creighton (30) and St. John's (57).
Hitting the road for the first time since Dec. 16, Carrington will look to continue his hot shooting after a spectacular four-game homestand. Over the last four contests he averaged 20.8 points while shooting 53.5 percent from the field (23-of-43), 60.0 percent from long range (15-of-25), and 84.6 percent from the free-throw line (22-of-26).
The Pirates are 2-7 in the all-time series with Butler, but are coming off a thrilling 70-64 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse in last year's regular season finale on March 4.
Down 10 points at No. 13 Butler with 7:03 remaining in the game, Seton Hall closed the contest on a 23-7 run, punctuated by Carrington's layup and a dagger three-pointer by Myles Powell to pull off the upset over the Bulldogs on Senior Day.
So far, Desi Rodriguez has been the go-to man offensively for the Pirates. He is averaging 18.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 36.5 from three-point range. The team is 9-0 when he is the leading scorer, and he has poured in 15 or more in eight of the last 10 games. The Pirates are 31-9 all-time when he scores 15 or more points.
Last year, in BIG EAST road games, Rodriguez averaged 19.0 points and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 44.4 percent (24-for-54) from three-point range. He is currently ninth in the conference in scoring.
When Seton Hall starts 2-0 in the BIG EAST, good things usually happen. It is the eighth time in program history the Pirates have started 2-0 and in the previous seven times, it has ultimately resulted in five NCAA Tournament appearances and three BIG EAST Tournament championships.

"...at the end of the day we're seniors and there is no next year for us and that's something we think about so we just have to leave it all out on the floor." #HALLin #BIGEASTHoops https://t.co/KRKn92KVPo
— Seton Hall MBB (@SetonHallMBB) January 4, 2018

#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. The Pirates picked up wins over then-ranked No. 22 Texas Tech and at No. 17 Louisville, in addition to blowout wins over VCU, a KenPom top-100 team, Saint Peter's, Wagner, and Manhattan.

Seton Hall has won nine of its last 10 games, and is a perfect 3-0 against ranked opponents this season.

The Hall has not gotten off to a 13-2 start since the 2011-12 team began its season with wins in 15 of its first 17 games.

A 3-0 start to BIG EAST play would be the program's first under head coach Kevin Willard, and only the third in 39 BIG EAST seasons. The Pirates started 3-0 in 1998-99 and 4-0 in 1992-93.

In the Polls

The Pirates enter Saturday ranked at No. 21 in the AP poll.

On Dec. 11, the program earned a No. 15 ranking, its highest since Jan. 9, 2001.

Seton Hall has been in the weekly national rankings 109 times in program history, and now nine times this season.

This year marked the fourth time Seton Hall was ranked in the preseason top 25

2017-18: No. 23

2000-01: No. 10

1992-93: No. 6

1991-92: No. 9

Of the 109 all-time rankings, this is the fourth time Seton Hall has been ranked No. 21.

Seton Hall's all-time record as an AP nationally ranked team is 153-50 (.754).

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 - 93 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 73 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 6 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 39 (W, 79-77)

VCU - 95 (W, 90-67)

Creighton - 30 (W, 90-84)

St. John's - 57 (W, 75-70)

Not Intimidated

Seton Hall's senior class has had 10 true road wins with attendance over 9,000

01/10/15 at Creighton - 17,397

01/28/15 at Marquette - 14,917

12/30/15 at Marquette - 13,314

01/16/16 at Providence - 11,148

01/30/16 at Creighton - 17,924

02/21/16 at St. John's - 13,204

11/17/16 at Iowa - 10,391

02/04/17 at Georgetown - 10,142

03/04/17 at Butler - 9,100

12/03/17 at Louisville - 19,244

#EliteDesi

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

The Bronx native was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after averaging 23.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 2.5 assists in wins over Creighton and St. John's last week.

He is averaging a team-best 18.6 points per game, good for ninth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.7 percent (104-for-205) from the field and 36.5 percent (27-for-74) 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.

Against No. 22 Texas Tech at Madison Square Garden, he posted a game-high 24 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field, 3-for-6 from long range and 7-of-7 from the stripe. He also added four assists and seven rebounds.

At No. 17 Louisville, the Bronx native went off for a season-high and game-high 29 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, on top of eight rebounds and two assists. 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 9-0 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 31-9 all-time when he scores at least 15 points. He has scored 15 or more points in eight of the last 10 games.

Deeno Heating Up

Khadeen Carrington found his stroke during the Pirates four-game homestand and played a crucial role in winning all four contests.

He averaged 20.8 points and shot 23-for-43 (53.5 percent) from the floor, 15-of-25 (60.0 percent) from three-point range, and 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) from the charity stripe.

The Brooklyn native was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Dec. 25 after averaging 20.5 points in wins over Wagner and Manhattan. Against Wagner he scored a season-high 26 points and set a school record for most three-point makes in a game without missing (6-for-6).

Carrington is 15th in the BIG EAST in free-throw percentage, shooting 80.9 percent (55-for-68) from the stripe.

In six career games against Butler, Deeno has scored 14.2 points per game and 17 or more on three occasions.

Thriving in the BIG EAST

Desi Rodriguez is the ninth-leading scorer through two conference games with a team-best 23.0 points per game, and is also the 16th-leading rebounder (6.5 rpg).

He has connected on a three-point bucket in 21 consecutive BIG EAST games dating back to 2015-16.

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 56-4 in its last 60 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.

Big Man, Big Expectations

Angel Delgado is one of the best players in the country. His on-court dominance has garnered national attention, and his play has earned him preseason All-America honors from multiple outlets including the Associated Press.

The Dominican native led the country with 13.1 rebounds per game last season, and was a unanimous First Team BIG EAST selection and AP All-America honorable mention.

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 110 of 113 career games.

Delgado's 4.6 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fourth in the country. He pulled down a season-high eight against Manhattan and St. John's, and has averaged 7.3 over his last three games.

In two games against Butler last season, Delgado averaged 16.0 points, 19.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists while shooting 60.0 percent from the field. In six career games against the Bulldogs he is averaging 11.5 points and 12.0 rebounds.

Legendary BIG EAST Rebounder

In 2016-17, Delgado 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 rebounding average record last season with 14.1 rebounds per game.

Delgado is currently second on the BIG EAST's all-time rebounding average (11.43) behind only Michael Smith (Providence, 1991-94, 11.66 rpg), and is third on the all-time BIG EAST rebounding list (640) after passing Smith with his third rebound against St. John's.

On Jan. 22, 2017, he finished with 21 points and 20 rebounds against St. John's, and pulled down 22 boards against Butler on Jan. 25.

Second-Half Heroics

Last week, the Pirates pulled off a 13-point second half comeback win over Creighton, and have been stellar in the second half all season.

Over the final 20 minutes, Seton Hall is shooting 47.5 percent while holding opponents to 39.6 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 28.6 percent (46-for-161) from long range over the final 20 minutes.

Sharp Cheddar

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 41-for-95 (43.2 percent).

Earlier this season against Texas Tech, he 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 14-6 over the course of his career when he makes three or more treys.

Cheese scored a season-best 21 points and went 5-for-7 from long range against Rhode Island on Thanksgiving, was 4-for-8 against Texas Tech, and shot 4-for-7 at Rutgers. He has scored in double-figures in 14 of 15 games this year.

Last season against Butler he scored 8.5 points per game, and hit perhaps the biggest shot of his career in the final seconds in the regular season finale victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

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 out-rebounded opponents 594-496 this season, and have had a positive margin in 17 of the last 20 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 38.9 points in the paint and allow just 27.9 per game.

Offensive rebounds lead to second-chance points, and the Pirates have been excellent in taking advantage. SHU averages 14.4 second-chance points per game, while opponents are averaging just 8.8.

Sharing is Caring

In the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Pirates assisted on 22 of their 33 made field goals, which is the most in a game since Jan. 28, 2015 when the Pirates registered 23 at Marquette.

Against VCU, Seton Hall recorded 20 assists on 35 made field goals, and had just 12 turnovers.

The Pirates have won 13 consecutive games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 18 of the last 19.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 11 of 15 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).

Do Not Pass Sanogo

Largely considered one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, Ismael Sanogo throughout his career has played a crucial role in shutting down top opponent scorers and limiting teams to below their scoring average.

Against Rhode Island, his presence in the second half allowed the Pirates to get back in the game, as they limited the Rams to just 21 points on 25.8 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.

He was also a major factor in holding Vanderbilt scoreless for an 11-minute stretch in the SHU victory, while contributing eight rebounds and four blocks.

In four career games against Butler, Sanogo has recorded 5.0 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals per game.

Not Up in Here!

Sanogo finished with a career-high five blocks at Rutgers, and is up to 14 for the season.

The team is already up to 60 blocks this year, and is on pace to cruise past last year's season total of 83.

One of the All-Timers

Whether it is dribble-drive and slash to the hoop, or filling it up from long range, Khadeen Carrington has a natural scoring ability that ranks him among the all-time greats at The Hall.

Currently, Carrington is 16th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,527 career points. He furthermore is 17th on the all-time assists leaderboard with 294.

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

Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 25-2 over the last 27 games and a perfect 10-0 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.

Offensive Showcase

The Pirates have shot 50.0 percent or better in seven games and 40.0 percent or better in all 14 games this season.

For the year, the Pirates have 223 assists and 196 turnovers (1.1 ratio).

That's Usin' Your Noggin'

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, 57.6, on 34-of-59 shooting.

He has five dunks this season, and the Pirates are 8-1 all-time when he scores in double figures.

Last week against Creighton, Nzei pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds.

1,000 Point Club

Desi Rodriguez, Angel Delgado and Khadeen Carrington entered the season as the only trio of returners with 1,000 or more career points.

In fact, all three reached the milestone in 2016-17, becoming only the program's 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 season.

Delgado is the NCAA's active leader in career rebounds (1,226) and double-doubles (61).