Seton Hall University
Grand Canyon
3 Things About The Hall's Trip to the Wooden Legacy
11/20/2018 8:38:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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| 2018 Wooden Legacy Seton Hall Pirates (1-2, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Grand Canyon Lopes (3-1, 0-0 WAC) |
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| Date/Time/Location | Thursday, November 22 | 9 p.m., Eastern | Titan Gym (Fullerton, Calif.) |
| Television Broadcast | ESPN3 (internet only) |
| Radio Broadcast | AM970 The Answer |  Pirate Sports Network |
| Game Notes | Seton Hall | Grand Canyon |
| Links | Bracket | Live Stats | Twitter |  Facebook |  Instagram |
Coach Kevin Willard wasn't kidding about this schedule. It's a tough one. Losing back-to-back games against Nebraska and Saint Louis, two teams with major NCAA Tournament aspirations, is a bit historic. The Pirates had not dropped consecutive non-conference games since Willard's first season in 2010 when the Pirates lost to Dayton and Richmond at Prudential Center. And, of course, The Hall also lost its 29-game non-conference home winning streak, which had been sixth-longest among active teams in the country.
But alas as the old saying goes, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and these Pirates are ready to learn from the last two losses and take them over 3,000 miles west to the Wooden Legacy and vie for the tournament title. Standing in their way is a very good Grand Canyon team with NCAA Tournament hopes of its own and off to a good 3-1 start. Interesting note, the Pirates have not played a game in the state of California since December 1, 2007 at Saint Mary's. Incredibly, this is also the first time Seton Hall is playing games in Southern California since 1971! Back in Bill Raftery's second season coaching the Pirates, The Hall traveled to play at Loyola Marymount, UC Irvine and Pepperdine between Christmas and New Year's.Â
Thursday's television broadcast is exclusively on the Internet. Yes, that's an oxymoron, but we're not sure how else to describe it. Well, maybe we can say a television-quality broadcast will stream exclusively on ESPN3, which is available on the ESPN App, with Dave Feldman and Corey Williams on the call. Gary Cohen, the newest inductee into the New York State Baseball Hall of Fame, and Dave Popkin will deliver the radio broadcast, including the exclusive pregame interview with head coach Kevin Willard, on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 383, the Pirate Sports Network and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.
Three Things to Know About Thanksgiving Night vs. Grand Canyon
1. Playing defense is the way to go.
Yes, Seton Hall lost last Saturday vs. Saint Louis, but did you check out the "TO" column in the box score. Saint Louis had 24 turnovers! The Pirates did a good job especially once they started pressing, and they gave themselves extra possessions by playing good defense. The only issue was that they did not capitalize on the 24 turnovers, only getting 16 points off those 24. Ideally, you'd want to get at least one point off every turnover, but the point is that the Pirates are currently giving themselves a chance by creating opportunities with defense. Keep making plays like that and the points will come.
2. The first game of the tournament is the most important.
The first game of the multi-team exempt tournament is the crucial one because it sets you up on a better path in terms of quality of opponents. You can never truly predict because upsets can happen, but when you win the first game, you tend to get better games in the second and third rounds. For example, take a look at the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational:
- Seton Hall played Florida in the first round against a Gators team ranked No. 11 in the KenPom at the time, but lost the game.
- As a result, the Pirates played Quinnipiac, ranked No. 287 in the KenPom at the time, followed by Stanford, ranked No. 67 in the KenPom at the time.
- Had the Pirates beaten Florida, they would have played Gonzaga, who was No. 22 in the KenPom at the time, followed by either Miami (No. 25) or Iowa State (No. 28).
3. Time to End the Drought
Seton Hall has a rich history of winning multi-team, in-season tournaments, but the Pirates are on a four-year drought, having not taken home a title since the 2014 Paradise Jam in St. Thomas. In each of the last three seasons, the Pirates dropped the first game of the tournament. Needless to say, a strong performance in the first game against a scrappy Grand Canyon squad will be critical to potentially getting to Sunday's title game.
