Seton Hall
Men's Basketball non-conference break down
Date: August 10, 2018By Christopher Russo
Although it would be nice for summer to last, the collective eyes of Pirate nation begin to look towards the long-awaited non-conference men’s basketball schedule. When the leaves change, fans, alumni, and students alike will have to look at a team with promise, but without four dynamic graduates.
In spite of the losses of Angel Delgado, Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, and Ismael Sonogo, Seton Hall can stand with hope when looking at talented players like Myles (squared), and Sandro Mamukelashvili. One of the nation’s top 32 teams last year will take part in an exciting autumn before it once again faces familiar foes.
Other than a three-game Thanksgiving weekend in Fullerton, California at the John Wooden Classic, the Pirates will only leave Essex County three times this fall, one of which being across the river at the world’s most famous arena. After a couple of low-level games against Wagner and New Haven at the Prudential Center, the Pirates will take a mid-week journey to Lincoln this November to that other part of Nebraska on November 14th. The Cornhuskers, typically far better at football than anything else, may make some noise this year, with bracketologist Joe Lunardi placing them in his earliest 2019 NCAA tournament bracket. In addition, Fanragsports placed the Huskers 23rd in its “way too early” top 25.
The biggest tests of a potential tournament team, however, will come almost exclusively in December. The first of the month marks a highly anticipated second act to the matchup of Seton Hall vs. Louisville. The Pirates must not underrate the Cardinals, even though they lost their top three scorers from last year, due to newly-hired head coach Chris Mack’s fine coaching ability. Mack comes off a successful tenure at Xavier, with last year’s one-seeded early elimination potentially motivating him to build at a superior program for years to come.
There are three Saturday matchups for the Pirates in December will all bring great tension. The Pirates will first face perennial championship contender Kentucky at Madison Square Garden on December 8th. John Calipari’s squad shockingly kept two of their best players in P.J. Washington and Quade Green for another year, countering this generation’s one-and-done mentality. CBS Sports ranked them number one in its June 22 rankings, so, even with the travel being short, the Pirates will probably have their biggest challenge at the garden.
The blue and white will then look for revenge on December 15th when the Rutgers Scarlet Knights venture into the Prudential Center. Exactly 363 days after their devastating six-point, court-storming loss in Piscataway, a group of young Pirates will try to beat a team to whom they watched their accomplished predecessors fall.
Finally, the Pirates travel to one of the tougher places to play in college basketball: College Park, Maryland. The Pirates will face a Maryland Terps team on December 22nd that’s highlighted by junior Anthony Cowan Jr., who will look to build on his 15.8 PPG from last year, and Aaron Wiggins, a four-star recruit who many expect to make a splash in his freshman year.
This upcoming autumn will not be an easy one for Seton Hall men’s basketball, but it will certainly be one of great excitement.
Christopher Russo can be reached at chrisrusso98@gmail.com
