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Preview: Pirates take a road trip to PA to face No. 3 Villanova

Date: January 18, 2021

By: Chris Kiely

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Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media

After having their game on Saturday Jan. 16 against the Xavier Musketeers get postponed, the Seton Hall Pirates (9-5 overall, 6-2 conference) are traveling to Philadelphia to face the big bad dog of the Big East. There, the Pirates will take on longtime rival and perennial powerhouse, the No. 3-ranked Villanova Wildcats (8-1 overall, 3-0 conference).

 

Having won four of the past five conference games, the Pirates are heading into the Finneran Pavilion on a high note. The reasons for their success have been a multitude of reasons. The main cause has been their distribution of scoring. Early on in the season, the Pirates relied upon Sandro Mamukelashvili, but were not able to establish another consistent scoring option.  Now, however, they have not only been able to get a second scoring option, but a third one as well.

 

Both Jaren Rhoden and Myles Cale have taken major strides since the beginning of the year. In particular, Rhoden has become a major playmaker. Compared to last year, Rhoden has drastically increased his points-per-game from 9.1 to 15.6. In addition, he leads the team in rebounding and has become much more efficient as his FG% and FT% have improved. 

The Pirates have also been getting valuable production from the frontcourt. While the main focus usually goes to Mamukelashvili and deservingly so, Ike Obiagu and Tyrese Samuel minutes have been vital for the team’s success. Heading into the season, the Pirates desperately needed Obiagu to fill the void of Romaro Gil''s presence in the paint.

 

While his offensive production might not be same as Gill last year, his defense sure has as he averages 3.0 blocks-per-game. It has been noticeable as of, as Obiagu has totaled 18 blocks in the last five games, including a whopping nine versus Georgetown. As for Samuel, he too has been giving key production. The Canadian sophomore provides a much-needed offense spark coming off the bench. It has been noticeable as of late, having 10 points in two of the last four games. One last major key to Seton Hall’s success is their free throw shooting. At 73.93%, the team is second in the conference in free throw shooting percentage, just behind Villanova. It has also been the team’s best FT% since 2007. This focus by head coach Kevin Willard will definitely pay off down the road in this unprecedented season. 

 

For the Villanova Wildcats, they are currently the No. 3-ranked program in the Associated Press. In what is now Jay Wright’s 20th season in Villanova, Pa., the Wildcats are once again one of the best teams in the country. However, they are playing for the first time since Dec. 23, when they won convincingly at Marquette.

Coach Wright will have his whole team back as they all cleared COVID-19 protocols late yesterday evening. Furthermore, forward Eric Dixon has been nursing an Achilles injury and has yet to return to practice. The good news for them is that guard Bryan Antoine is cleared to return to the court, after having dealt with a shoulder injury that has kept him out for the entire season so far.

 

As for the Wildcats on the court, their success has been like how most great Wright team are. Instead of having one or two star-players, coach Wright captures success by having at least four different players that can create their own offense. Leading the team in that has been forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The sophomore, who leads the team in scoring and rebounding, has taken charge of the team’s offense noticeably well. Right behind him is Senior guard Collin Gillespie, who’s deadly three-point shooting and consistent free throw shooting, make him incredibly valuable. With them are also guard Justin Moore and guard Caleb Daniels, both of which are also offensive threats. Their bench is also very efficient with the bench tandem of Brandon Slater and Cole Swider. The two of them totaled 15 points in the last game against Marquette.

Another game that features two long-time members of the Big East, the Pirates are the Wildcats’ most common head-to-head opponent since 1950. The two Northeast schools, separated by just about 100 miles, have played each other a total of 106 times. Last year, the two teams split their two head-to-head matchups; the Pirates won 70-64 on Feb. 8, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pa., and the Wildcats edged out a 79-77 win at the Rock on March 4, 2020. It is worth noting that this was remarkably the last game at the Prudential Center with fans in attendance.

 

For the Big East standings right now, the Pirates and Creighton Blue Jays are technically tied for first, with both having the most conference play wins. The Villanova Wildcats are just behind at 3-0 in conference-play.

 

If the Pirates want to upset the No. 3 team in the country, a key will be putting the Wildcats in foul trouble. When Villanova lost to Seton Hall last season and to Virginia Tech this season, a common problem they had was foul trouble. I believe this can happen again with the game flowing through Mamukelashvili. With Villanova not having a very tall team or a solidified big man, Seton Hall can test their depth by having Mamukelashvili post-up frequently.

 

Putting your big man in this position against smaller defenders can result in two outcomes. They can keep one man on Mamukelashvili, which will result high percentage shoots in the paint or free throw opportunities, or they can double team him. When double teams occur, it creates open shots for Cale, Rhoden and Shavar Reynolds. Of those three, two of them need to provide scoring to put the Pirates in a good position to win.

On the defensive side, Seton Hall will be put to the test with one of the most difficult offenses to guard. Villanova opponents must always play defense for all 30 seconds for every possession. Their constant passing really takes a toll on defenses that can wear opponents out in the second half. Rather than focus on one or two players, the Pirates need to focus on each individual player as Coach Wright never puts a non-threatening player on the court.

 

When you look at Villanova losses, there are two things the Pirates must do, specifically on defense. First, they will need to contest every three-pointer. In Villanova’s lone loss to Virginia Tech this season, they shot nine of 25 from behind the line. Secondly, the Pirates cannot allow offensive rebounds. With Villanova being routinely televised nationally, I cannot tell you how many times I have seen their opponents give up 10+ second chance points and end up losing a one possession games. If Seton Hall can be successful in those areas on defense, it will put them in a great position to win tonight. 

 

Expect your classic Big East battle between these two teams on Tuesday night. 89.5 FM WSOU has it all covered with the pre-game coverage starting at 8:30 p.m. and tip-off at 9:00 p.m. with Dalton Allison and Heaven Hill on the call.

Chris Kiely can be reached at christopher.kiely@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports

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