Preview: Seton Hall opens the season in a Power 5 matchup vs. Louisville

Date: November 27, 2020

By: Christian Gardner

Associated Press

The long wait is over and Seton Hall basketball is finally here. The Pirates have not played basketball since Mar. 7 vs. Creighton and the layoff has been heavy on the mind for Pirate fans. A new era begins for the Pirates as they are set to take on the ACC powerhouse Louisville.

 

Louisville is coming off one of their best seasons under Chris Mack and looks to continue that success against the Pirates. The Pirates and Cardinals are set to clash for the first time since 2018 and head coach Kevin Willard makes his return to Louisville where he was an assistant from 2001 through 2007.

 

Many people in Pirate land are excited to see the debut of Bryce Aiken. Aiken, a graduate transfer from Harvard who can fill the cup. In his four years at Harvard, Aiken averaged 16.8 points-per-game and 35% from behind the arc. In Aiken’s best season of 2018-19, he shot an astounding 40% from the 3-point line, as night in and night out, Aiken was dropping 22 points-per-game.

Seton Hall Athletics

In that season Aiken had his career high 38-point performance vs. Yale. Aiken has made a name for himself in the Ivy League but begins to prove himself across the country with the Pirates. The only true blueblood experience Aiken has had prior to this Louisville matchup was against Kentucky his sophomore season in one of his worst showings. In 31 minutes, Aiken finished with nine points, making only two shots of his 12 from the field. Time will tell if Aiken can flip the script against an ACC juggernaut.

 

How do you fill the void of a longtime starter and an integral part to your program when they make the jump to the NBA? Both coach Willard and coach Mack have to solve this question. The Pirates will certainly look different without Myles Powell.

 

For one, you will definitely see an emphasis in the front court with 6-foot-11-inch senior Sandro Mamukelashvili and 6-foot-10-inch sophomore Tyrese Samuel. Both are athletic big men, and we will see if Willard elects to have them share the floor. For Louisville, they also lost their leading scorer for the past two years in Jordan Nwora. Nwora was the only Cardinal to average double figures last season. His scoring will sure be missed as the Pirates could be a top defensive team with the average height of 6-foot-6-inches.

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The Louisville vs. Seton Hall series has not been in favor of the Pirates. Louisville leads 14-6 and won the close matchup back in 2018. It is important to note that the last time the Pirates made the trip down to the KFC Yum! Center in 2017, the Pirates got the 79-77 win off a Desi Rodriguez layup in the closing seconds. History shows that the Cardinals and the Pirates are definitely looking at a game with a lot of fireworks.

 

Heaven Hill and Wilnir Louis will be on the call with pre-game coverage starting at 3:45 p.m. and tip-off being at 4:00 p.m. You can get all your coverage of the Pirates’ season opener on 89.5 FM WSOU.

Christian Gardner can be reached at christian.gardner@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Game Previews, Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU