Game Preview: Pirates set to battle Bluejays for desperation win (2/9/19)

Date: February 8, 2019

By Mat Mlodzinski

 

This Saturday, Seton Hall takes on Creighton at the Prudential Center at 8:00 pm. Regardless of opinion, this is a must win game for the Pirates.

 

Kevin Willard’s crew comes into the game with a 13-9 (4-6) record. His Pirates hold two very good resume wins in Kentucky (neutral) and Maryland (away). On top of this, other teams in other conferences continue to build their stocks, including Texas and Indiana - two other teams on the bubble. Needless to say, the Pirates will need to string together some more wins if they don’t want to sweat it out on the bubble.

 

A win against Creighton on Saturday is a must. The Blue Jays have regressed since last season, with Ty-Shon Alexander as the leader of their team. Alexander is a playmaker, but Myles Powell is by far the best player on the court, giving the Pirates a clear cut advantage.

 

The main point of emphasis for SHU has to be working it in to the high and low post. If the Pirates can get it to the elbow with ease, it will only open up outside shots for Powell and co., while giving Sandro Mamukelashvili and Taurean Thompson great looks from 15 feet away. 

 

In addition, the low post is key for the Pirates to take some attention away from the perimeter. Michael Nzei and Romaro Gill don’t need to be total studs down low, but a combined 15 point and 15 rebound effort out of those two will make the rest of the court wide open for the rest of the Pirates to do their work.

 

Overall, it is a game that Seton Hall should win, but isn’t necessarily chalked up. The Pirates will need to come out aggressive and knock down open shots. If they can do this, Seton Hall will be 14-9 (5-6) and trending upward.

 

All the action can be heard beginning at 7:45 pm, with pregame coverage on 89.5 FM WSOU. Dalton Allison and Michael Daly will be behind the microphone at the Prudential Center for the 8 pm tip!

 

Mat Mlodzinski can be reached at mat.mlodzinski@student.shu.edu.

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