The Hall Faces No. 4 Xavier in Cincinnati Wednesday

2017-18 BIG EAST Game Seton Hall Pirates (17-8, 6-6 BIG EAST) at No. 4 Xavier (22-3, 11-2 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, February 14 \| 9 p.m. \| Cintas Center (Cincinnati, Ohio)
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Xavier
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Sell Out Senior Day	SHUSeniorDay.com

Seton Hall vs. Xavier has traditionally been a very entertaining series. Only one of the 10 matchups has been decided by more than 10 points. Tomorrow should be no different as the Pirates look to break a three-game losing streak and at the same time knock off an AP top-five team for the fifth time in the last five seasons, and the Musketeers look to keep their undefeated streak at Cintas Center intact.

Wednesday's game will be nationally televised on FS1 with Tim Brando and Jim Jackson on the call The game is listed at 9 p.m., but tip-off will occur at 9:15 p.m. 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.

THINGS TO KNOW

Seton Hall has the opportunity to knock off a Top-5 ranked Xavier squad for the third time in the last three seasons, as the Pirates head to Cincinnati for a crucial BIG EAST matchup on Wednesday night.
On Saturday, the Pirates battled back from a 17-point, second-half deficit to take a one-point lead and then stand tied with Georgetown with under 30 seconds remaining, but Marcus Derrickson's three-pointer with 4.5 seconds left proved to be the difference as the Hoyas escaped with an 83-80 victory at Capital One Arena. Myles Powell, who had six triples in the second half, had a chance to tie at the buzzer, but the attempt was off the mark.
Powell finished with a game-high 25 points, was 6-of-12 from long range and 9-of-16 shooting from the floor. Desi Rodriguez totaled 24 points on 9-of-19 shooting for his third-consecutive 20-point game. Khadeen Carrington finished with a career-high nine assists, while Ismael Sanogo piled up 10 rebounds and Angel Delgado earned his 67th career double-double (12 pts, 12 reb).
On the Road, Rodriguez is scoring a team-high 17.0 points per game, while Powell averages 16.3 points and is shooting 45.8 percent (27-of-59) from long range.
The core four offensive contributors for the Pirates - Delgado, Carrington, Rodriguez and Powell - have scored 61.2 points per game during BIG EAST play - 79.8 percent of the team's total points.
The Pirates and Musketeers meet for the 18th time on Wednesday night with Seton Hall leading the all-time series, 10-7. Each team has had success on its respective home floor, but the Pirates have also fared well of late against Xavier, winning four of the last seven:
- 02/01/14 - W, 69-60 at Xavier
- 03/03/14 - W, 71-62 vs. Xavier
- 01/07/15 - L, 58-69 at Xavier
- 01/31/15 - W, 90-82 vs. Xavier
- 01/23/15 - L, 76-84 at #5 Xavier
- 02/28/16 - W, 90-81 vs. #5 Xavier
- 03/11/16 - W, 87-83 vs. #5 Xavier
- 02/01/17 - L, 70-72 at Xavier
- 02/22/17 - W, 71-64 vs. Xavier
- 01/20/18 - L, 64-73 vs. #11 Xavier
The programs last met on Jan. 20. Carrington had 14 points, five assists and four rebounds, while Rodriguez tallied 19 points, but the No. 19 Pirates fell to No. 11 Xavier, 73-64, before a sellout crowd at Prudential Center in Newark.
The last time the Pirates won in Cincinnati was on Feb. 1, 2014 when Fuquan Edwin led four Pirates in double-figure scoring with 18 points to halt Xavier's 13-game winning streak.
This year's senior class that includes Carrington, Delgado, Rodriguez and Sanogo, has scored a collective 5,067 career points.
During BIG EAST play, Carrington is third in the conference with 5.3 assists per game.
Head coach Kevin Willard is 6-5 all-time against Xavier.

#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 3-2 against ranked opponents this season.

In the Polls

The Pirates head into Wednesday night receiving votes in USA Today Coaches Poll.

It is the fourth 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 nine teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 75 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 87 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 7 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 28 (W, 79-77)

Creighton - 22 (W, 90-84)

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

Butler - 20 (W, 90-87)

Georgetown - 95 (W, 74-61)

Providence - 72 (W, 73-57)

Down the Stretch We Go

There is no question that games this time of year simply mean more. In the past, there has been a direct correlation between Seton Hall's success in February and March, and reaching the NCAA Tournament. During these two months, the Pirates have an incredible 70-32 combined record in the 11 seasons the program reached the NCAA Tournament.

1987-88: 6-2

1988-89: 6-3

1990-91: 4-3

1991-92: 9-2

1992-93: 9-1

1993-94: 4-4

1999-00: 5-4

2003-04: 7-4

2005-06: 6-4

2015-16: 7-2

2016-17: 7-3

Not Intimidated

Seton Hall's senior class has had 11 true road wins with attendance over 8,500

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

01/06/18 at Butler - 8,855

Trio of Veteran Scorers

Between Rodriguez, Carrington and Delgado, the Pirates have an incredible trio of experienced scorers - the three have a combined 4,690 career points.

All three are Top-25 all-time scorers in the history of the program, with Carrington leading the trio (11th), followed by Rodriguez (16th) and Delgado (21st).

No other class in program history has more than one player on the Top-25 all-time scoring list

Each also has significant experience scoring in double-figures:

Delgado - 82 times

Carrington - 79 times

Rodriguez - 75 times

Ice in their Veins

Shooting free throws on the road in a hostile environment is one of the toughest assignments in college basketball, but Powell and Carrington have been calm and collected so far this season.

In eight road games, Powell is 19-of-22 (86.4 percent) and Carrington is 24-of-30 (80.0 percent) at the charity stripe.

Sanogo Stepping Up

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

Over his last eight games, Sanogo has averaged 8.3 points and 6.3 rebounds. In his previous 15 games this season, he had averaged 3.7 points and 4.1 boards.

He has gone 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from three-point range over the last nine games. Entering the season, he was 1-for-6 in his career from long range. He also began 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 to spark the stretch of elevated play.

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 3.0 assists per game this season, the most among any non-guard in the BIG EAST.

During league play, he has already had four games with five or more assists, and is tied for 11th in the BIG EAST with 3.3 per game.

A New King

Angel Delgado had already cemented his name in the BIG EAST record book entering the season. But at DePaul on Jan. 28, 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 (11.53) 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).

Dependable Desi

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

Last week, Rodriguez was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season after averaging 18.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists against Villanova and Providence. He was 56.0 percent from the field and 54.5 percent from long range.

He is averaging a team-best 17.8 points per game, good for eighth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.1 percent (169-for-337) from the field and 37.9 percent (44-for-116) from long range.

The Pirates are 10-3 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 34-13 all-time when he scores at least 15 points.

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 59-6 in its last 65 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.

Shooters Shoot

The Pirates have shot 50.0 percent or better in eight games and 40.0 percent or better in 24 of 25 games this season.

For the year, the Pirates have 405 assists and 333 turnovers (1.2 ratio).

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 a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, as well as the Senior CLASS Award.

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 three weeks ago.

Delgado's 4.2 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fourth in the country. Overall, Delgado's 11.8 rebounds per game are also fifth-best 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 120 of 123 career games and 90 of the last 91.

Bullies in the Backcourt

Against Providence on Jan. 31, Carrington and Powell held two of the best guards in the BIG EAST, Kyron Cartwright and Jalen Lindsey, SCORELESS on a combined 0-for-13 effort from the field.

Entering the game and during BIG EAST play, Cartwright was averaging 16.1 points, a league-best 7.5 assists, was shooting 51.8 from the floor, and had a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.

On top of being held without a point, Cartwright turned it over four times and dished out just two assists in 27 minutes.

Lindsey was averaging 12.7 points in conference games and shooting 47.8 percent from deep overall. He was shut out and limited to 0-for-4 from long range on Wednesday.

Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 28-4 over the last 32 games and 13-2 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.

Block You Like A Hurricane

As a team, the Pirates already have more blocks this season (99) than they did in all of 2016-17 (83).

Ismael Sanogo leads the way with 25 blocks, and has recorded three or more on four occasions.

Angel Delgado has blocked 22 shots so far, and finished with a career-best four against Xavier on Jan. 20.

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 46.8 percent while holding opponents to 42.3 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 33.8 percent (89-for-263) 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 11th on the all-time scoring leaderboard with 1,658 career points.

He also ranks 15th on the all-time assists leaderboard with 344.

The Brooklyn native has scored 20 or more points 22 times in his career.

Carrington has found his stroke at the free throw line, and is shooting 86.3 percent (44-of-51) during BIG EAST play, up from 79.2 percent in 11 non-conference games this year.

Carrington is 13 points away from breaking into the Top-10 on the all-time scoring list. He would be the first Pirate to crack the Top-10 scoring list since Jeremy Hazell (2007-11). Before Hazell, no one had broken into the Top-10 since 1988 (Mark Bryant).

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 22 of the last 30 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 36.8 points in the paint and allow just 29.6 per game.

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 70-for-167 (41.9 percent).

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.

Cheese has scored in double-figures in 22 of 25 games this year.

He is already 14th all-time in school history with 138 career three-point field goals.

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.

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

The Pirates have won 17 of 21 games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 22 of the last 27.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 19 of 25 games this year.

Against Marquette last Wednesday, Seton Hall totaled 15 assists and had just four turnovers, the fewest number of giveaways in at least the last 10 years. In the last 10 years, Seton Hall has only had two other games in which it committed five or fewer turnovers:

5 vs. Saint Peter's (11/29/10 - W, 69-49)

5 vs. Connecticut (02/14/09 - L, 54-62)

Filling the Box Score

Ismael Sanogo is one of the most well-rounded players in the BIG EAST, and although not all of his skills are reflected in the statistics, he does an outstanding job of checking the boxes.

He has had six games this season with at least one point, rebound, block, assist and steal, including two of the last three contests.

At Villanova on Feb. 4, he totaled four points, five rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal.

At Georgetown on Saturday, the Newark native finished with six points, 10 rebounds, one assist, one block and two steals.

Over the last nine games, he has 10 blocks, nine steals and eight assists while averaging 26.1 minutes.

We Go As He Goes

Seton Hall is 35-13 all-time and 8-0 this season when Carrington connects on two or more three-pointers.