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Preview: The Hall Faces First True Test of the Season Against Sharpshooting Iowa Squad

Date: November 15, 2022

By: Spencer Gonzales

The Pirates will have to work together in order to take down a tough Iowa team.

Kayla Fonseca/WSOU

On Wednesday night, the Seton Hall Pirates (2-0) will welcome the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes (2-0) to the Prudential Center for the Gavitt Tipoff Games, an annual early-season series between BIG EAST and Big Ten programs.

The Pirates enter this contest confident, following an 80-44 smothering of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks last Saturday.

The Hall saw little-to-no fight from a Saint Peter’s squad fresh off of an Elite Eight appearance in last season’s NCAA tournament. Under coach Shaheen Holloway, who led the Peacocks through that Cinderella-run last season, the Pirates were outstanding from the field, shooting a precise 52.3%.

Seton Hall also focused on crashing the glass, outrebounding Saint Peter’s 41-31 and dropping 36 points in the paint on their struggling interior-defense.

While the big men for SHU, KC Ndefo and Femi Odukale, were efficient on the boards, it was Clemson-transfer Al-Amir Dawes who led the team in rebounding with 10, along with 13 points that netted him his first double-double of the season.

While there were certainly great individual performances from the Pirates, what stood out the most in Saturday’s win was how well-balanced the roster seems to be in this young season.

All but three players got 16-plus minutes of playtime, including freshmen Tae Davis and Jaquon Sanders, who combined for 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

While these numbers don’t necessarily jump off the stat sheet, it should be a sign of good things to come, as coach Holloway seems to have a lot a faith in the young guards to make an impact this season.

Davis and Sanders along with the rest of the Pirate’s deep roster will be put to the test on Wednesday, as they will have their first major matchup of the season against the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The reigning Big Ten Tournament Champions came into this season projected to finish seventh in a stacked conference. They have started off on the right foot this year, dominating both Bethune-Cookman and North Carolina A&T in their first two games.

In their most recent matchup, Iowa cruised past the North Carolina A&T Aggies, 112-71. The Hawkeyes were deadly from deep, draining 11 threes off of 23 attempts, and boasting a 51.9% average from the field.

Junior forward Kris Murray was a problem for the Aggies all game long, as he drained 7 of 11 for 22 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. Complimenting Murray, forward Patrick McCaffery netted 21 points of his own, along with five rebounds and two threes.

Iowa has a unique flexibility when it comes to offensive game planning, as they are efficient from both beyond the arch and in the trenches. As a team, they are averaging an impressive 39.3% from deep and 51 points per game in the paint.

While this offense probably won’t break the 100-point threshold like they have in their first two games, they still have the talent to do some damage against the Pirates.

The Hall’s defense has been stifling this season, only letting up a 27.6% shooting average from the field thanks to great team defense and scheme. If the Hawkeyes want to make a dent in the Pirates early, they will have to focus on attacking the Hall’s undersized forwards down in the paint.

This, along with another stellar performance from Murray or McCaffery, their two biggest stars this season, could spell doom for the Pirates.

If Seton Hall wants to improve their record to 3-0 on the season, they will have to continue to play coach Holloway’s brand of sound, team-focused basketball.

While a breakout 30-point night from Kadary Richmond or Dawes would be fantastic, The Hall should rather focus on playing unselfish basketball on the offensive side, controlling the flow of the game, and spreading the rock.

If the offense can do its job in keeping up with Iowa’s sharpshooting attack, then it will be a close game all the way until the final buzzer. The defense is going to have to come up big for The Hall as well, and if they can get crucial stops down the line, they should have a great chance at closing out their first Power Six opponent of the year.

Coverage of the game will start at 7:15 p.m. with Ryan Henry and Bobby Steiner in the studio. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m., where our very own Joe Matthews and Michael Federico will have the call live on WSOU 89.5 FM and the iHeart Radio app.

Spencer Gonzales is the Sports Web Editor and an Assistant Sports Manager at WSOU and can be reached at spencer.gonzales@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Sports, Previews, Men's Basketball

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