No. 15 Pirates Travel To No. 21 Providence To Open BIG EAST Slate

Game 11: No. 15 Seton Hall Pirates (9-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. No. 21 Providence (11-1, 1-0 BIG EAST)
Wednesday, Dec. 29 • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence, R.I.) • 7 p.m.
TV: FS1 with John Fanta and Donny Marshall
Web: FOX Sports Live
Radio: WMCA 570 / Sirius 83 / XM 83 / SXM app 83 / Pirate Sports Network & TuneIn with Gary Cohen & Dave Popkin
Game Notes: Seton Hall | Providence

NOTES YOU NEED TO KNOW

The 15th-ranked Seton Hall men's basketball team opens its BIG EAST schedule with a ranked opponent as the Pirates travel to No. 21 Providence to take on the Friars on Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. on FS1.
The Pirates are off to their fourth 9-1 start under Kevin Willard and their first 2017-18.
With Seton Hall's win over Rutgers, Kevin Willard passed P.J. Carlesimo (213 wins) and is now in sole possession of second on Seton Hall's all-time wins list.
The Pirates are 21-21 all-time in BIG EAST openers and they're 9-2 all-time under Kevin Willard.
Seton Hall has won its last four BIG EAST road openers and are 7-4 under Willard in league debuts on the road.
In the 21 years that the Pirates won their league opener, they went on to post a .500 or better conference record and advance to the NCAA Tournament 10 times.
This season marks the first in program history where the Pirates have defeated two top 10 non-conference opponents in the regular season.
The Hall is one of only three programs in the country with multiple wins over top 10 teams this season (Duke, Gonzaga).
The Pirates are the only team in college basketball with a true top five road win (No. 4 Michigan, 67-65).
After holding Texas and Rutgers to just 24 percent shooting from three-point range (5-of-21), the Pirates now rank eighth in the country in three-point percentage defense (25.3 percent).
The Pirates have held seven of its first 10 opponents to 65 points or less and currently rank 31st in adjusted defensive efficiency by KenPom.
The Pirates are 103-17 (.858) since 2016-17 when they attempt more free throws than their opponent.
The Hall is 121-18 (.871) since 2015-16 when its lead gets to seven points.
Under Willard, the Pirates are 87-9 (.905) when they score 80 points or more.
Seton Hall was ranked in the AP Top 25 for the sixth consecutive week on Monday as the Pirates stayed put at No. 15.
The Hall is 5-4 all-time when ranked 15th in the AP Top 25.
The Pirates are 2-0 in ranked vs. ranked matchups this season and 25-25 all-time.
Seton Hall has won two of its last three ranked vs. ranked BIG EAST road games and both wins came in 2020 when the Pirates knocked off No. 5 Butler on Jan. 15, 28-70, and No. 10 Villanova on Feb. 8, 70-64.
Seton Hall is 176-63 all-time when ranked in the AP Top 25.
Sophomore guard Kadary Richmond (Brooklyn, N.Y.) is averaging 4.8 assists (30 total), 8.5 points, 2.8 rebounds and two steals for the Pirates over the last four games.
Senior guard Jared Rhoden (Baldwin, N.Y.) averaged 21 points and five rebounds per game against Michigan, Ohio State and Texas, has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times and has scored in double figures in his last eight games.
Graduate student Ike Obiagu (Abuja, Nigeria) has recorded a block in 21 consecutive games dating back to last season.
After missing three games with an injury suffered in the three-point loss to Ohio State, graduate student Myles Cale (Middletown, Del.) is averaging 10.7 points, three rebounds and two steals over the last three games.
Cale (132 games) is now in the top five in career games played in program history and is five games away from tying Mike Nzei's Seton Hall record of 135 career games played.