Three Things to Know About Tuesday's Season Opener

2018-19 Non-Conference Game Seton Hall Pirates (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Wagner Seahawks (0-0, 0-0 NEC)
Date/Time/Location	Tuesday, November 6 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Walsh Gymnasium (South Orange, N.J.)
Tickets	Purchase Now Through Ticketmaster
Television Broadcast	FS2 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Wagner
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Game Sponsorship	Presented by Nielsen Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram

South Orange, N.J. - The 2018-19 season has finally arrived.

EXACTLY 2️⃣4️⃣ HOURS TO GO! ARE YOU READY PIRATES FANS? 💪 #HALLin #HoopsSZN pic.twitter.com/mMvpjOpDhL
— Seton Hall Basketball (@SetonHallMBB) November 5, 2018

Your Seton Hall Pirates are on a mission to make it back to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth straight season. Only this time, it's with a new cast of characters. Only five student-athletes who competed for The Hall last season are back, but while the cast may not be the same, the same #HALLin spirit is still here. Thirteen student-athletes, four coaches, countless support staff members and administrators, and you The Seton Hall Fan. Let's do this.

Tuesday's game is an FS2 affair with Dave Sims and Jim Spanarkel on the call. You can also catch it on the FOX Sports GO app. Returning for a 16th consecutive season is arguably the most dynamic college basketball broadcast duo in the country. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will give you all the information, including the exclusive pregame interview with head coach Kevin Willard, on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.

Three Things to Know About Tuesday's Game vs. Wagner

1. The Pirates are young, but not that young.
Yes, Seton Hall lost four seniors to graduation, and, yes, all four of those seniors are now playing professionally. However, while the Pirates can be characterized as young, they don't lack in experience. This year's squad has 382 career Div. I games under its belt and it equates to an average of 31.8 games per student-athlete. So basically, the average age of the team is sophomore, not freshman. You remember the last time that Seton Hall was full of student-athletes at a sophomore level, don't you? Team captains Michael Nzei and Myles Powell have combined to play 168 games and both have had roles in getting the Pirates to the NCAA Tournament. Taurean Thompson played a full season in the ACC. Quincy McKnight played 59 Div. I games at Sacred Heart. While it may not be the best experience, it's experience nonetheless.

2. Where will the rebounds come from?
Angel Delgado graduated and took 31 percent of Seton Hall's rebounding from last season with him. No one can replace the All-American who won the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. You can only hope to have a group of hungry student-athletes eager to step up. Seton Hall has that in a very imposing frontcourt that features 7-2 Romaro Gill, 6-11 Taurean Thompson, 6-10 Sandro Mamukelashvili, 6-9 Darnell Brodie and, perhaps the best rebounder of all, 6-8 Michael Nzei, who is the BIG EAST leading returner in offensive rebounding percentage at 10.0. All five of them will be needed to crash the glass and help get the Pirates extra possessions and limit opponent second chances.

3. The Seton Hall - Wagner connection is real.
Seton Hall and Wagner have met on the hardwood 29 times in history, and the Pirates lead the all-time series 23-6. All six of Wagner's wins over the Pirates came before The Hall joined the BIG EAST Conference in June 1979. The last Wagner victory was on Jan. 31, 1979, a 95-90 double overtime game on Staten Island. The head coach of the Seahawks at the time was P.J. Carlesimo, who went on to coach the Pirates to six NCAA Tournament appearances, two BIG EAST Tournament championships, and, oh yeah, 1989. The current Wagner head coach is Bashir Mason, who replaced none other than Dan Hurley, the former Pirates point guard, who scored over 1,000 points and played in two NCAA Tournaments at The Hall. And one of the assistant coaches on Mason's current staff is Donald Copeland, who played for Seton Hall from 2002-06, scored 754 career points and helped the Pirates go to NCAA Tournaments in both 2004 and 2006.