Pirates Look to Right the Ship in Road Test Versus Marquette

Published: Monday, December 29, 2025

by Oren Mouton

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - With BIG EAST play beginning to ramp up, the Seton Hall Pirates (11-2) return to action Tuesday night as they head west to take on the Marquette Golden Eagles (5-8) at Fiserv Forum. 

The Pirates enter this matchup looking to bounce back after a hard-fought battle against Villanova, a game that tested both defensive discipline and depth. Seton Hall will look to continue to lean into their defensive identity, currently sitting 8th in the country in opponent points per game.

Consistently holding teams under 70 points and resting at 11th in the country in blocks per game has been the backbone of their early success, as their rim protection has had opposing teams frustrated all season long. 

Offensively, everyone has been getting involved, with AJ Staton-McCray leading the way with 13.1 points per game.  Tajuan Simpkins has continued to prove himself as one of the impactful bench players in the country, and is not far behind Staton-McCray at 11.3 points per game, bringing energy and pace to the second unit. 

The offense has been in tune with Budd Clark as the lead guard, and as a team, the Pirates are averaging almost 75 points per game, a testament to their ability to generate offense without relying on just one scorer. 

Marquette, on a 4-game skid, is looking to get back into the win column after dropping their first two BIG EAST matchups to Georgetown and Creighton. Unlike Seton Hall, Marquette relies less on depth, but more on their starting unit to generate offense, as they lean on their two guards, Chase Ross and Nigel James Jr. 

While the Golden Eagles do not lead the BIG EAST in any major statistics as a team, their guards are capable of taking over games if given space and in rhythm. 

The Pirates will have to neutralize the Golden Eagles' guard play if they want to come away with the victory. Keeping Ross out of the paint, and more importantly making sure he does not get to the line is key, as he leads the BIG EAST in free throws made with 5.3 per game. 

This matchup showcases a great contrast of style with the Pirates elite defense and depth versus Marquette’s guard play and home court energy. If the Pirates can impose the pressure early and create turnovers, they will give themselves a strong chance to take this game on the road. 

Tune in to 89.5 FM WSOU as AJ Rayer and Nick DiBlasi will be on the call for the game at 7:00 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. where Ryder Nuesell and Joe Morales will preview the game.  

Oren Mouton can be reached at oren.mouton@student.shu.edu.

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