Seton Hall Ranked No. 12 in Associated Press Preseason Top 25

NEW YORK - The Seton Hall men's basketball team has been ranked No. 12 in the Associated Press preseason top 25, the program's fifth all-time preseason ranking, the news organization unveiled Monday.

The only other times Seton Hall has been an AP preseason ranked squad were 1991-92 (No. 9), 1992-93 (No. 6), 2000-01 (No. 10) and 2017-18 (No. 23). The 1991-92 and 1992-93 teams went on to finish the season nationally ranked and the 1991-92, 1992-93 and 2017-18 teams all advanced to the NCAA Tournament.

The No. 12 designation also represents Seton Hall's highest standing in the AP poll since a No. 11 ranking on Jan. 2, 2001.

Led by 10th year head coach Kevin Willard, the Pirates return 88 percent of their scoring from last season's NCAA Tournament team, including returning starters senior Myles Powell (Trenton, N.J.), senior Quincy McKnight (Bridgeport, Conn.), junior Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) and junior Sandro Mamukelashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia). Powell is a candidate for All-America after averaging 23.1 points per game in 2018-19, the 13th highest scoring average in the nation. Among returnees in 2019-20, Powell's 784 total points scored last season is the fourth most in the country.

Seton Hall's schedule has been touted as very challenging, and the Pirates now boast five teams on their schedule that also made the preseason top 25, including No. 1 Michigan State, No. 7 Maryland, No. 10 Villanova, No. 15 Oregon and No. 19 Xavier. Possible opponents also include No. 8 Gonzaga and No. 9 North Carolina.

The Pirates will host Bloomfield College in an exhibition game this Friday, Oct. 25 inside historic Walsh Gymnasium. Game time is 7 p.m. Proceeds from the exhibition will go to Catholic Relief Services to aid The Bahamas in the country's recovery from September's Hurricane Dorian. Tickets are available by calling (973) 275-4255.

The regular season tips off on Tuesday, Nov. 5 against Wagner also in historic Walsh Gymnasium at 6:30 p.m. Tickets to the game are available by calling (973) 275-4255. Season tickets to Seton Hall's games at Prudential Center are available at Ticketmaster.com.