WSOU

Recap: Seton Hall Avoids Upset and Takes Down Georgetown in Big East Tournament First Round Clash, 57-53

Date: March 10, 2022

By: Justin Nicosia

Seton Hall's Jamir Harris celebrates after hitting a three during a Big East Tournament game vs. Georgetown.

Seton Hall Athletics

After a delayed tip by nearly 45 minutes, the No. 6 seed Seton Hall men’s basketball team narrowly defeated the No. 11 seed Georgetown Hoyas, 57-53, in the nightcap of the Big East Tournament’s first round.

Georgetown roared out to a 10-point first half lead with just over four minutes to play until halftime, but Seton Hall would not “go gentle into that good night.” They roared back with a 7-0 run of their own to cut the halftime deficit to just three.

A back-and-forth second half saw nine total lead changes, and whenever it seemed like Seton Hall was going to extend the lead to three possessions, Georgetown would get a key stop to keep them in the game.

The Hoyas led with as little as 45 seconds left. Then, it was time for Jamir Harris, who remained dormant for most of the game, to deliver an unreal go-ahead three pointer, which put the Pirates up for good.

An Ike Obiagu block combined with a questionable Donald Carey turnover allowed Seton Hall to escape Madison Square Garden victorious.

With the win, the Pirates move to a perfect 18-0 when holding opponents under 70 points. They also extended their winning streak to six games, allowing just 64.2 points in that stretch.

Jared Rhoden finished as the game’s leading scorer tonight, scoring 17 points on 6/13 from the field and 2/3 from three. Also joining him in double figures was Myles Cale, who scored 14 on 6/10 from the field and 2/4 from three. For the 10th time this season, Alexis Yetna grabbed at least 10 rebounds, this time leading the team with 11.

On the Georgetown side of things, not a single player shot better than 45% from the field. Carey and Collin Holloway both notched 11 points, while Aminu Mohammed had a double-double with 10 rebounds and a team-high 12 points. Timothy Ighoefe had a game-high 13 rebounds.

Wednesday marked Seton Hall’s ninth victory by a score of five points or less. When asked by Adam Zagoria how the Pirates continue to win close games, Rhoden said, "There's not one game I look over to the sidelines at all and see fear in us. That's huge."

Three Takeaways

It may not have been in the fashion Seton Hall wanted to win in, but a win is a win. Allow me to shed some light onto the bright side of the game.

1. Seton Hall has one of the deepest teams in the country

One of the most critical components of a team in March is their depth. When the grind of the season reaches its 30th game and teams are playing three or four nights in a row in their conference tournaments, most players are going to get tired. The teams that can most overcome that, usually through depth, will be the most successful.

While Seton Hall’s depth has been challenged for much of the season, including after their COVID spell, and after the season-ending injuries to Jahari Long and Bryce Aiken, the true test came both Saturday against Creighton and Wednesday against Georgetown.

Despite Kadary Richmond missing the last 36 minutes Saturday, and the second half Wednesday, and despite Tray Jackson being limited to just 19 minutes in those two games combined due to foul trouble, Seton Hall was able to get quality performances from Rhoden, Cale, Harris, and Ike Obiagu to come out with two victories.

2. Ike Obiagu was a Big East Defensive Player of the Year snub

On Monday, the Big East announced Creighton center Ryan Kalkbrenner as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, despite Obiagu leading the conference in blocks-per-game. Wednesday night, while on the biggest stage, the graduate student center blocked seven – yes, seven – Georgetown shots, including one on a potential game-tying layup from Donald Carey with less than 30 seconds left.

He has now brought his average blocks per game up to 3.2 and looks to channel his inner Hakeem Olajuwon against Adama Sanogo Thursday night.

3. The three-point defense holds strong

Georgetown came into the day shooting 34.3% from three, with Carey leading the team with a 39.5% from range, good for 11th in the conference. The Pirates held firm around the perimeter, though, holding Carey to 2/8 from three and the team as a whole to 8/25. As a result, their adjusted defensive efficiency rose from 28th in the country to 25th.

Yes, the Pirates let Georgetown shred them on the glass—the Hoyas grabbed 21 offensive boards—but Seton Hall’s focus on guarding the deep ball forced their players away from the paint and allowed Georgetown to crash the offensive glass.

Be sure to tune into 89.5 FM WSOU for coverage Thursday night, as Seton Hall takes on the UConn Huskies in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament at 9:30 p.m. Jorie Mickens and Heaven Hill will be on the call, with coverage beginning at 9 p.m.

Justin Nicosia can be reached at justin.nicosia@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: Men's Basketball, Sports, WSOU

Seton Hall

Seton Hall

Merchandise

wsou store