Pirates Battle the Providence Friars Wednesday Night

2017-18 BIG EAST Game Seton Hall Pirates (18-9, 7-7 BIG EAST) at Providence Friars (17-10, 8-6 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, February 21 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, R.I.)
Television Broadcast	FOX Sports Networks \| YES Network \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	WMCA 570 AM \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Providence
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Sell Out Senior Day	SHUSeniorDay.com

After snapping a four-game losing streak with a win over DePaul this past Sunday, the Pirates now look for two victories in a row against the same team that helped The Hall to its last two-game winning streak - the Providence Friars.

Just last month, the Pirates defeated DePaul on a Sunday and then faced Providence on a Wednesday and came out victorious for a two-game win streak. They'll look to repeat the performance, albeit against a motivated Friars squad looking for revenge and to stay in the NCAA Tournament hunt. A win could mean everything; the Pirates can tie the Friars in the standings, go back above .500 and earn another RPI Quadrant 1 victory; while the Friars can go two games ahead of The Hall and keep pace for third place in the standings.

Wednesday's game is regional on the FOX Sports Networks with Justin Kutcher and Tarik Turner on the call. The game will be televised on the YES Network in the Metro New York area, and a full list of television clearances across the country is available. 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 great @kcarrington11 has entered a very exclusive club! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/zJCwMOvvRr
— SHUSeniorDay.com (@SetonHallMBB) February 19, 2018

After a dominant performance yesterday, it's no surprise that @desirodriguez6 has made the #BIGEASTHoops Honor Roll! 4th time this season + his Player of the Week nod back in December! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/vbzC9SlLgr
— SHUSeniorDay.com (@SetonHallMBB) February 19, 2018

THINGS TO KNOW

Seton Hall looks to make it a regular-season sweep of Providence on Wednesday night as the Pirates begin a two-game roadstand with a crucial BIG EAST matchup at Dunkin' Donuts Center.
On Sunday, Desi Rodriguez scored a career-high 33 points and made some clutch free throws at the end while Angel Delgado piled up 16 points and 19 rebounds as Seton Hall defeated DePaul, 82-77 at Prudential Center. The Pirates led 75-66 with 2:08 remaining, but DePaul found its way back to within two, 79-77, before Rodriguez sank four free throws in the final 37 seconds to seal the victory.
Rodriguez has been on a tear over the last five games, and was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday after averaging 26.5 points and 7.5 rebounds last week. He has had five consecutive 20-point games and is shooting the lights out:
- FG%: 51.9 (42-of-81)
- 3FG%: 43.8 (14-of-32)
- FT%: 80.0 (20-of-25)
- PPG: 23.6
- RPG: 5.8
- APG: 2.8
The core four offensive contributors for the Pirates - Delgado, Carrington, Rodriguez and Powell - have scored 62.9 points per game during BIG EAST play - 80.3 percent of the team's total points.
Wednesday night marks the 102nd all-time meeting between Seton Hall and Providence. The Friars are hanging on to the all-time series, 52-50, but the Pirates have won four of the five. 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)
- 01/31/18 - W, 73-57 (H)
At Prudential Center on Jan. 31, Khadeen Carrington erupted for 23 points and seven assists, and Seton Hall used a 19-0 first-half run to pull away and ultimately record a 73-57 victory over the Friars. In all, four Pirates scored in double-figures. Rodriguez finished with 16 points, Delgado added 13 points and 14 boards, and Myles Powell chipped in 11 points.
The Pirates have played stellar defense against Providence in the last two meetings. On Jan. 31, Kyron Cartwright and Jalen Lindsey were held scoreless on a combined 0-for-13 effort from the field. As a collective, the Pirates have held Providence to 38.5 percent (47-for-122) from the field and 20.0 percent (7-for-35) from three-point range over the last two meetings.
Powell has been a road warrior all season, and is averaging a team-best 17.8 points over nine road games while shooting 45.1 percent (32-for-71) from deep, 46.8 percent from the floor, and 88.9 percent (24-for-27) at the stripe in nine road games.
Head coach Kevin Willard is 9-7 all-time against Providence.

The Scenario

With four games remaining, the Pirates are looking to enhance their position in the conference standings and earn a favorable seed in the BIG EAST Tournament.

At 7-7 in the league, they are just one game out of third place and yet only one game ahead of seventh place. A win over Providence will put The Hall into a tie with the Friars and earn the tiebreaker should it be needed. A win would also ensure that The Hall cannot finish any lower than eighth.

Two more wins will give the team a .500 or better finish in the BIG EAST for the third consecutive season, a feat the program has not accomplished since three in a row from 1991-93.

In the Polls

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

It is the fifth 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 10 teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 72 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 86 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 8 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 36 (W, 79-77)

Creighton - 27 (W, 90-84)

St. John's - 71 (W, 75-70)

Butler - 24 (W, 90-87)

Georgetown - 90 (W, 74-61)

Providence - 69 (W, 73-57)

DePaul - 98 (W, 86-70 / W, 82-77)

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

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

Trio of Veteran Scorers

Between Rodriguez, Carrington and Delgado, the Pirates have an incredible trio of experienced scorers - the three have a combined 4,791 career points.

All three are Top-20 all-time scorers in the history of the program, with Carrington leading the trio (10th), followed by Rodriguez (15th) and Delgado (20th).

No other class in program history has more than one player on the Top-20 all-time scoring list

Each also has significant experience scoring in double-figures:

Delgado - 84 times

Carrington - 81 times

Rodriguez - 77 times

We Go As He Goes

Seton Hall is 35-14 all-time and 8-1 this season when Carrington connects on two or more three-pointers.

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.

Keeping the Friars in Check

Over the last two meetings with Providence, Seton Hall has played lockdown defense and made it very difficult for the Friars to get open looks from the field.

In the last two contests with PC, the Friars are shooting a combined 38.5 percent (47-for-122) from the field, and 20.0 percent (7-for-35) from three-point territory.

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 had four games with five or more assists, and is 12 in the BIG EAST with 3.3 per game.

Dependable Desi

Desi Rodriguez has been the most consistent offensive contributor and elite all season.

He has scored 20 or more in the last five games, averaging 23.6 points, shooting 45.7 percent from the field, 43.8 percent (14-of-32) from long range, and has turned the ball over just eight times while dishing out 14 assists.

Last week, Rodriguez was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the fourth time this season after averaging 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists against Xavier and DePaul. He was 54.3 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from long range.

He is averaging a team-best 18.5 points per game, good for eighth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.5 percent (188-for-372) from the field and 38.3 percent (51-for-133) from long range.

The Pirates are 11-3 this season when Rodriguez is the team's leading scorer, and 35-14 all-time when he scores at least 15 points.

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 (11.56) 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).

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 60-6 in its last 66 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 26 of 27 games this season.

Limiting Turnovers

The Pirates have done a great job of protecting the basketball over the last four games, averaging just 9.6 turnovers.

For the year, the Pirates average 13.2 giveaways, and have 439 assists to 356 turnovers (1.2 ratio).

Against Marquette on Feb. 7, 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)

Rebounding on Both Ends

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

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

Delgado's 4.2 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for fifth 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 122 of 125 career games and 92 of the last 93.

Delgado leads the BIG EAST in offensive, defensive, and total rebounding.

As a team, Seton Hall leads the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding (12.7 per game), and pulled down a season-high 21 against DePaul on Sunday, leading to 22 second-chance points.

One of the All-Timers

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

On Sunday he became just the third player in the last 29 years to break into the Top-10 on the all-time scoring list at Seton Hall, joining Jeremy Hazell (2007-11) and Andre Barrett (2000-04) as the most recent additions. He now has 1,680 career points, and also ranks 15th on the all-time assists leaderboard with 361.

Against Xavier, he also passed Fuquan Edwin (2010-14) for 10th in program history for made three-point field goals.

In seven career games against Providence, Carrington is averaging 14.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He is also shooting 48.6 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from distance, and 95.2 percent (20-for-21) at the free throw line.

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 24 of the last 32 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 367 points in the paint and allow just 30.0 per game.

Against DePaul on Sunday, Seton Hall posted a dominating 48-31 effort on the glass, including 21 boards on the offensive end.

Some Wine With That?

Myles Powell, AKA "Cheese", has had a tremendous sophomore campaign, and is shooting 41.2 percent (77-of-187) from three-point range.

He scored a career-high 30 points against Xavier on Wednesday on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor.

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 24 of 27 games this year.

He is already 12th all-time in school history with 143 career three-point field goals.

Powell has connected on a three-point bucket in 54 of 60 career games and has made five or more on six occasions including two of the last three games.

Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 29-4 over the last 33 games and 14-2 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.

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 47.4 percent while holding opponents to 42.7 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 34.0 percent (97-for-285) from long range over the final 20 minutes.

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

The Pirates have won 18 of 23 games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 23 of the last 29.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 21 of 27 games this year.

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