3 Things About Sunday's Clash with St. John's

2019-20 BIG EAST Game No. 16 Seton Hall Pirates (19-7, 11-3 BIG EAST) vs. St. John's Red Storm (14-12, 3-10 BIG EAST)
Date/Time/Location	Sunday, Feb. 23 \| 2 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	Ticketmaster.com \| Prudential Center Box Office
Television Broadcast	CBS
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| Sirius 83 \| XM 83 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| St. John's
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Instagram
Promotions	BLUE OUT - First 2,500 fans receive a blue t-shirt

Home teams in the BIG EAST this season are 38-31 (.551) in league games. The Pirates are 5-2 (.714) in BIG EAST home games, so The Hall is doing better than the league average right now. But this league is balanced from top to bottom, and when the road team can come away with a victory from these hostile environments 45 percent of the time, you have to stay on your toes.

Seton Hall has a chance to improve to 6-2 in BIG EAST home games and with a very difficult three-game stretch to close the season, protecting the home court is crucial. The Pirates have visions of being rated very highly by the NCAA Tournament committee come March, and avoiding a third home loss in conference play would go a long way towards hitting their goal.

St. John's comes into this game hungry for a victory after having led the Pirates at halftime by 13 last month only to see it slip away thanks to a monstrous second half from Myles Powell. The Red Storm will be prepared for 12,000+ Pirates fans.

Sunday's game, preceded by Morning Madness, will air on CBS, marking Seton Hall's first appearance on the network since 2009. Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel will call the action. Meanwhile Dave Popkin and John Fanta, looking for their first win together this season, will deliver the radio broadcast on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on Sirius 83, XM 83 and the Pirate Sports Network.

Three Things to Know About Sunday's Clash Between Seton Hall and St. John's

1. The Pirates Must Prepare for Pressure
Seton Hall committed 15 turnovers in the first half of the first meeting with the Red Storm as the St. John's pressure really bothered the Pirates. But The Hall made a major halftime adjustment and only gave the ball away four times in the second half while exploding for 52 points. If the Pirates limit the giveaways, they will be better equipped to go into halftime with a lead and maintain it.

2. Romaro Gill Will Be Huge on Defense
With the unfortunate injury to Mustapha Heron, St. John's only has one three-point shooter above 30 percent in LJ Figueroa. The Johnnies may have to go inside to get layups, and that's Romaro Gill's domain. He blocked six shots in the first matchup, and he and Sandro Mamukelashvili pose a problem for opponents looking for shots underneath. Oh, and remember, St. John's thrives on second-chance opportunities, so the Pirates must rebound.

3. Getting to Seven is the Key
Since the 2015-16 season started, which coincides with Seton Hall's NCAA Tournament run, the Pirates are an incredible 99-13 when they hold a seven-point lead at any juncture of the game. It could 7-0 to start the game, and the Pirates have come away with a win 88 percent of the time. Here's hoping that the even 100 comes Sunday.