3 Things About No. 12 Seton Hall's Tuesday Season Opener vs. Wagner

2019-20 Seton Hall Men's Basketball Non-Conference Game No. 12 Seton Hall Pirates (0-0, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Wagner Seahawks (0-0, 0-0 NEC)
Date/Time/Location	Tuesday, Nov. 5 \| 6:30 p.m. \| Walsh Gymnasium (South Orange, N.J.)
Tickets	Call (973) 275-4255
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Wagner
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Instagram
Promotion	Team Walker Turkey Drive

It's been a long seven-plus months since Jacksonville. And there are 11 eager men who came back from Jacksonville already thinking about the possibilities of what 2019-20 could be.

Well, the wait is over, the preparation is complete and there's been enough talk and hype to last a while. It's time for the first jump ball of the season.

The No. 12 ranked Pirates, ranked in the preseason for only the fifth time ever, begin their highly anticipated campaign with a matchup against Wagner, the third consecutive year that the two teams are competing and fourth time in the last five years. The Seahawks are coached by Bashir Mason, but the connection to the Pirates is through assistant coach Donald Copeland, who played for the Pirates from 2003-06 and helped the program to a pair of NCAA Tournaments in 2004 and 2006.

Wagner might still be having nightmares of Myles Powell, who torched the Seahawks in last year's season opener to the tune of 30 points. It was Powell's career high at the time. He went on to score at least 30 SEVEN more times.

While Wagner may choose to put a lot of its defensive effort into stopping Powell, teams will have to try to stop some other strong offensive pieces, like Sandro Mamukelashvili, Myles Cale, Anthony Nelson and Jared Rhoden. All four of them took major strides in their game towards the end of last season and carried it over into strong summers and falls. If two of them are on in a particular game alongside Powell, watch out.

Tuesday's game will broadcast on FS1 with a couple of legends in Brian Custer and Donny Marshall on the call. And if radio is your jam, you'll be treated to the best college basketball radio duo in the nation as Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for a 17th consecutive season together. They'll be on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on the Pirate Sports Network.

Three Things to Know About Tuesday's Season Opener vs. Wagner

1. The Pirates Are Deep
You know about the four returning starters: Quincy McKnight, Myles Cale, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Myles Powell. But think about the fact that the Pirates have quality reserves at each of those positions. Anthony Nelson, Jared Rhoden, Tyrese Samuel, Taurean Thompson and Shavar Reynolds, Jr., are difference makers. Then think about the new Twin Towers: 7-2 Romaro Gill and 7-2 Ike Obiagu. One will start and the other will come off the bench, giving The Hall a rim protector at center whenever it wants.

2. Watch for Some New Rules
The three-point line was moved back, and that will be something to keep an eye on. Exhibition game statistics should rarely be utilized, but we'll note that the Pirates shot 37.3 percent from the new line over the course of those two games. And a new rule that will take some getting used to: when teams grab an offensive rebound, the shot clock will only be reset to 20 seconds, not the full 30.

3. Making History...Except Not How You Would Think
Seton Hall and Wagner are opening the season against each other for the second straight year. This is the second time that in the program's BIG EAST era the Pirates are opening back-to-back seasons against the same Div. I opponent. The Hall faced Fairleigh Dickinson in both 2016 and 2017. But would you believe that the previous time that the Pirates played back-to-back season openers against the same Div. I school goes all the way back to 1924 and 1925? In those epic years, Seton Hall faced St. Francis Brooklyn to open the season. There has never been three in a row. Should we ask Wagner if the school wants to book Nov. 10, 2020 yet?