Seton Hall Looking to Get Back on Track Versus Providence

Published: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

by Nick Diodato

NEWARK, N.J. - The Seton Hall Pirates (16-8, 6-7) have returned home looking for a much-needed win versus the Providence Friars (11-13, 4-9) on Wednesday night, after coming off a tough late loss to Creighton.  

Seton Hall will try to close out the season series with a sweep, after beginning BIG EAST play with a road win against Providence back in December. This game saw the Pirates hold a decent lead throughout the game, pulling away in the second half behind a monster double-double game from Stephon Payne, ending with 18 points and 16 rebounds. 

The Pirates lost their last game against the Creighton Bluejays in a stunning final 2-minute collapse. With just under a minute and a half to go in the second half, Seton Hall was up 67-58, and it seemed like they would be cruising to an easy and needed win.  

However, the Jayhawks closed out the game on an 11-1 run, stealing the win, 69-68. A.J. Staton-McCray made a crucial mistake, stepping on the baseline on an inbound pass with about 30 seconds left, causing a turnover for the Pirates. Creighton senior guard Nik Graves would cap off the comeback by hitting the game winning three with 2.5 seconds to go.  

The game started off in Seton Hall’s favor, with the Pirates leading 34-32 at halftime. Although the first half was sloppy on both ends, Budd Clark managed to keep the team together, leading them into the break with a slim advantage.  

This back-and-forth play continued until the meltdown  that lost the Pirates the game. Offensive and defensive efforts were lacking at points throughout the game, especially in the second half.  

Seton Hall must keep the pressure throughout the entirety of this game against Providence. While the Pirates are the clear and better all-around team, sloppiness and blatant mistakes lost them enough games this season, especially against Creighton. They cannot let Providence catch any sort of fire, with guards Jaylin Sellers and Stefan Vaaks being the Friars to watch out for.  

The Pirates should also look to maintain consistency with the three-point shooting, shooting a season best five of nine from three, but with no threes being made in the second half. 

Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on WSOU 89.5 FM with A.J. Rayer and Ryan Nelke on the call.  

Nick Diodato can be reached at nicholas.diodato@student.shu.edu.

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