The Hall vs. Villanova Wednesday Night at The Rock

2017-18 BIG EAST Game Seton Hall Pirates (20-9, 9-7 BIG EAST) vs. No. 4 Villanova Wildcats (25-4, 12-4 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Wednesday, February 28 \| 8:30 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Prudential Center Box Office
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	WMCA 570 AM \| Sirius 83 \| XM 83 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Villanova
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram
Promotion	Record a thank you message to the seniors pregame outside Jack Daniels Lounge at section 18
Game Sponsorship	Presented by Nielsen Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram in East Hanover, N.J.
Sell Out Senior Day	SHUSeniorDay.com

There's something about Seton Hall vs. Villanova, right?

Wednesday night is the next chapter of this series, the 115th time the two teams have ever met. And there's a lot riding on this one. The Pirates are looking to extend their winning streak, defend their home court and take down another top-five Villanova squad to help their NCAA Tournament resume. The Wildcats are looking to avoid losing two in a row for the first time in five years, give themselves a chance to win the regular season championship for a fifth straight year and maintain a grip on a potential No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

For the second year in a row, the upper level of Prudential Center will be open as fans will pack The Rock, hopefully clad in Pirate Blue and not Nova Blue.

Wednesday's FS1 national broadcast game will feature the smooth sounds of Gus Johnson and Bill Raftery. Although the game is listed at 8:30 p.m., it will not tip off until 8:45 p.m. The dynamic duo of Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will anchor the radio broadcast on WMCA 570 AM, simulcast on Sirius 83, XM 83 and the Pirate Sports Network.

Want to give our seniors a thank you message to air on Saturday? Stop by the Jack Daniels Lounge outside Section 18 before Wednesday night's Nova game & record a message! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/ewLPB5h1fi
— SHUSeniorDay.com (@SetonHallMBB) February 27, 2018

Our senior class has held its own against nationally ranked opponents. Another one coming up tomorrow night. #HALLin https ://t.co/sfHy7uggx4 pic.twitter.com/8izdBlwqR9
— SHUSeniorDay.com (@SetonHallMBB) February 27, 2018

We need all Pirates fans to be LOUD tomorrow night @PruCenter! #HALLin pic.twitter.com/AA2Py6nt0Z
— SHUSeniorDay.com (@SetonHallMBB) February 27, 2018

THINGS TO KNOW

Seton Hall hosts Villanova on Wednesday night to start a two-game homestand at Prudential Center to close out the regular season.
Last week, the Pirates came away with a pair of road wins at Providence and St. John's. At Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Seton Hall defeated the Red Storm, 81-74, as Khadeen Carrington led the way for the Pirates with 22 points. He also added five rebounds and four assists, while Myles Powell poured in 18 points and totaled career highs in rebounds (eight) and assists (six). Angel Delgado recorded his 70th career double-double with 14 points, 13 boards.
Carrington was named BIG EAST Player of the Week and Met Writers Player of the Week after averaging 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and shooting 14-of-15 from the free-throw line.
The four Seton Hall seniors - Carrington, Delgado, Ismael Sanogo and Desi Rodriguez - have just two career home games remaining including Wednesday's game. They are the highest-scoring class in program history with 5,273 combined career points. Seton Hall will pay tribute to the quartet on Senior Night vs. Butler on Saturday.
The Pirates and Wildcats meet for the 115th time on Wednesday night. Villanova leads the all-time series, 73-41, but Seton Hall is 27-27 at home.
In the most recent meeting, the Pirates went toe-to-toe with the No. 1 ranked Wildcats, but a late 31-12 Villanova run forced the Pirates to a 92-76 defeat on Super Bowl Sunday at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The Hall shot 50.0 percent for the game and turned the ball over just 10 times, but Villanova made 12 three-pointers, out-rebounded the Pirates and only committed seven giveaways. Rodriguez led Seton Hall with 20 points while adding seven boards and four assists. Delgado totaled 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting and nine rebounds. Omari Spellman led Villanova with 26 points including a 6-for-7 display from three-point range to go with 11 rebounds.
The Pirates have won nine of their last 17 games against nationally-ranked opponents, and have three top-25 wins this season.
- 11/30/17 - W, 89-79 vs. #22 Texas Tech
- 12/03/17 - W, 79-77 at #17 Louisville
- 12/28/17 - W, 90-84 vs. #25 Creighton
Villanova has lost only 15 games since the new BIG EAST was configured, and Seton Hall, Butler and Creighton are each tied for the most wins against the Wildcats (three).

The Scenario

With only two games remaining in the BIG EAST regular season, the Pirates are looking to finish strong and end up with a high seed for next week's conference tournament.

At 9-7, the Pirates sit in a four-way tie for third place with Butler, Creighton and Providence. If the season had ended this way, the Pirates would earn the No. 3 seed in the tournament because after building out a mini-conference, the Pirates would come out on top at 4-1 against the three other tied teams. However, since there are two games left on the schedule, it's too early to predict how things shake out. The Hall definitely holds the tiebreaker over Providence due to sweeping the regular season series, however tiebreakers with Butler and Creighton will depend on how the final two games go.

No matter what, Seton Hall has clinched at least a .500 BIG EAST record this season, which will be the third consecutive year that the Pirates have reached that mark. The program has accomplished this feat only other time since the start of the conference: 1991-93.

Terrific Twenties

With its win at St. John's, Seton Hall won its 20th game of the season, the third straight year it has reached 20 and the fourth time under head coach Kevin Willard. Only twice before in program history has Seton Hall had three consecutive 20-win seasons: 1951-53 under head coach Honey Russell and 1991-93 under head coach P.J. Carlesimo.

Willard's four 20-win seasons are the third-most in Seton Hall history behind P.J. Carlesimo and Honey Russell, who each have five.

In the Polls

The Pirates head into Wednesday receiving votes in the Associated Press Top-25 and USA Today Coaches Poll.

It is the sixth 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 13 victories over 10 teams currently in the KenPom Top-100:

Indiana - 73 (W, 84-68)

Vanderbilt - 86 (W, 72-59)

Texas Tech - 12 (W, 89-79)

Louisville - 34 (W, 79-77)

Creighton - 28 (W, 90-84)

St. John's - 76 (W, 75-70 / W, 81-74 OT)

Butler - 21 (W, 90-87)

Georgetown - 97 (W, 74-61)

Providence - 72 (W, 73-57 / W, 89-77)

DePaul - 99 (W, 86-70 / W, 82-77)

Up to the Challenge

Since head coach Kevin Willard's arrival in 2010-11, The Hall has shown consistent ability to perform well against nationally ranked opponents.

Wednesday night the Pirates can pick up their 18th win over an Associated Press top-25 team during Willard's tenure. Dating back to Feb. 28, 2016, the Pirates have won nine of last their 17 games against nationally ranked opponents including three this season.

Home is Whenever I'm at Pru

Seton Hall is very difficult to beat at Prudential Center. It is 13-2 this season, and has won 15 of the last 17 home games overall. Furthermore, the Pirates have won 14 of their last 18 BIG EAST games and seven of the last nine at The Rock.

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 62-6 in its last 68 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 nine games and 40.0 percent or better in 28 of 29 games this season.

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 4,875 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 (18th).

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

We Go As He Goes

Seton Hall is 36-14 all-time and 9-1 this season when Carrington connects on two or more three-pointers.

Road Kill

Carrington played a critical role in securing a pair of invaluable BIG EAST road wins last week at Providence and St. John's He averaged 23.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and shot 51.7 percent from the field and 14-for-15 (93.3 percent) from the free throw line.

at Providence - 25 pts, 8-of-13 FG, 8-of-8 FT

at St. John's - 22 pts, 7-of-16 FG, 6-of-7 FT, 6 reb, 4 ast

He was named the Met Writers Player of the Week and for the second time in his career the BIG EAST Player of the Week; he also received it on Feb. 20, 2017. It is the second time this year that a Pirate has won the league's top weekly award (Desi Rodriguez, Dec. 4, 2017).

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 2.8 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.

Dependable Desi

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

He is averaging a team-best 18.1 points per game, good for eighth in the BIG EAST. He is shooting 50.4 percent (191-for-379) from the field and 38.0 percent (52-for-137) 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 (11.57) behind only Michael Smith (Providence, 1991-94, 11.66 rpg).

Getting to the Line is Key

The Pirates are 31-4 over the last 35 games and 16-2 this season with they have more free-throw attempts than their opponent.

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 4.1 offensive boards per game so far this season is good for sixth in the country. Overall, Delgado's 11.8 rebounds per game are also fourth-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 124 of 127 career games and 94 of the last 95.

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

As a team, Seton Hall leads the BIG EAST in offensive rebounding (12.5 per game).

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 25 of the last 34 games dating back to last season.

The Pirates score an average of 37.0 points in the paint and allow just 30.3 per game.

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 20 of 25 games when they register a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and 25 of the last 31.

Seton Hall has finished with an even or positive assist-to-turnover ratio in 23 of 29 games.

Pirates Can Fill It Up

Seton Hall has shown the ability to score in chunks and put together stretches of efficient and dangerous offense.

So far this season, the Pirates have scored 80 or more points 16 times, the most in a season since the 2009-10 squad had 17.

Seton Hall is 13-3 this season when scoring 80 or more points.

Double-Double Machine

Angel Delgado is 20th on the NCAA all-time leaderboard for career double-doubles (70).

With his 69th career double-dip, against Providence, he passed some big names - Larry Bird (Indiana State), David West (Xavier) and Paul Millsap (Louisiana Tech).

Tom Gola, La Salle - 96

Tim Duncan, Wake Forest - 87

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State - 86

Ralph Sampson, Virginia - 84

Derrick Coleman, Syracuse - 83

Lionel Simmons, La Salle - 83

Malik Rose, Drexel - 80

Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati - 79

Michael Brooks, La Salle - 79

Jerry Lucas, Ohio State - 78

Mel Counts, Oregon State - 78

Lew Alcindor, UCLA - 78

Shawn Long, Louisiana-Lafayette - 75

Keith Lee, Memphis - 74

David Robinson, Navy - 74

Don May, Dayton - 72

Bill Walton, UCLA - 72

Paul Silas, Creighton - 71

Gary Winton, Army - 71

Angel Delgado, Seton Hall - 70

Second-Half Heroics

The Pirates have scored 50 or more points in the final frame on five occasions this season and are 4-1 in said games.

Some Wine With That?

Myles Powell, AKA "Cheese", has had a tremendous sophomore campaign, and is shooting 40.2 percent (82-of-204) from three-point range.

He scored a career-high 30 points against Xavier on Feb. 14 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.

Cheese has scored in double-figures in 26 of 29 games this year.

He is already 12th all-time in school history with 150 career three-point field goals.

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 seven games this season with at least one point, rebound, block, assist and steal.

A Place in History

Angel Delgado has made his way into the NCAA Division I record book for career rebounds. Since the NCAA's creation of the Division I, II & III model in 1973, he has the 10th-most career boards (1,396). Only nine others have amassed 1,400 or more rebounds since 1973.

Kenneth Faried, Morehead State ('11) - 1,673

Tim Duncan, Wake Forest ('97) - 1,570

Derrick Coleman, Syracuse ('90) - 1,537

Malik Rose, Drexel ('96) - 1,514

Ralph Sampson, Virginia ('83) - 1,511

Pete Padgett, Nevada ('76) - 1,464

Shawn Long, UL Lafayette ('16) - 1,447

Lionel Simmons, La Salle ('90) - 1,429

Anthony Bonner, Saint Louis ('90) - 1,424

Angel Delgado, Seton Hall (present) - 1,396