Game preview: No.10 Seton Hall looks to make a statement at home against Providence

Date: January 21, 2020

By: Justin Morris

An eight-game winning streak is on the line as the Seton Hall Pirates’ men’s basketball team returns to the Rock for a homestead vs. incoming Providence.

The Pirates enter the matchup with their highest national AP ranking (No.10) in 20 years, and after early season disappointment turned to panic following a 68-48 trouncing at the hands of fellow New Jersey school, Rutgers, they experienced the turnaround of a lifetime with the year’s close. Their current streak began with a 52-48 win vs. No. 7 Maryland, which absolutely shocked the country considering they fielded an injury-depleted roster that was without Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili.

They followed that with a 75-55 thrashing of Prairie View A&M. Powell returned just in the nick of time for the start of Big East play, and so too did the team’s confidence along with him as they slowly began to resemble to squad that had entered this year’s college campaign at No.12.

Powell has been every bit of the All-American he was expected to be in preseason polls, and he’s added his 2,000th career point to a multitude of other notable accolades on his resume; including three Big East Player of the Week awards, and an Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week nod.

He’s been a consistent scoring threat as expected, but it’s the play of his supporting cast that has vaulted the Pirates to a top-10 spot. Quincy McKnight has been more than a reliable scorer for Kevin Willard, and his ball security in conference play is elite.

His 49-13 assists to ratio are one of the best in the Big East, and his 84% from the charity stripe ranks third among players in the league. He had his best stat line of the season in their most recent contest with St. Johns, posting 20 points along with seven rebounds and five assists.

Romaro Gill has been a revelation as well, as has solidified himself as a top contender for the league’s Most Improved award. He’s been in double figures scoring-wise through every Big East bout, and averaged just over three blocks per game. Providence enters the game ranked third in the Big East, sporting a 4-2 record.

Alpha Diallo, who was teammates with Powell during the 2019 Pan American games, once again paces the Friars’ scoring efforts (14 points-per-game) and also leading the team in rebounds with 8.3. Returning guard David Duke is also a top offensive threat at 13 a night, while shooting an impressive 49% from deep range.

The teams split their two matchups last season. Coverage on WSOU begins at 8:00 p.m. with in-studio coverage anchored by Dalton Allison and Jorie Mickens. On the call from the Prudential Center are Mat Mlodzinski and Michael Daly. 

Justin Morris can be reached at justin.morris@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, WSOU, Men's Basketball