End of an Era: Pirates Eliminated in Round of 32 by Kansas

(Photo: SHU Athletics)

By: Matt Ambrose

The Pirates fought to the very end, but ultimately the Kansas Jayhawks became too much as they took down Seton Hall 83-79 to eliminate the Pirates from the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 32.

Not only is it the end of the season for Seton Hall basketball, but this also is the end of the line for the Seton Hall careers of Angel Delgado, Desi Rodriguez, Khadeen Carrington and Ismael Sanogo.

The Pirates came out of the gates slow, allowing Kansas to take a 15-6 lead with 11:35 left in the first half. A Kevin Willard timeout swayed momentum, as the Pirates would go on an 18-5 run over the next seven minutes to take a 24-20 lead. Kansas would close the half strong, however, scoring 11 of the final 13 points of the half, highlighted by a Malik Newman three just prior to the halftime buzzer.

Entering the second half trailing 31-26, the Pirates knew they had a chance in this one. However, the second half began similar to the first half, with Kansas coming out of the gates strong and extending the lead to 52-39 with 12:20 remaining in the game.

The Pirates would not back down, as they slowly but steadily chipped away at the Jayhawks lead. A couple three-pointers from Khadeen Carrington, who had 26 points in the second half alone, would cut the deficit back to single digits. However, Kansas was able to answer ever Seton Hall basket with one of their own to keep their distance.

That was until the 9:42 mark of the second half, when an Angel Delgado jumper sparked an 11-3 run to pull back within four at 63-59 with 4:05 left.

Kansas responded after the media timeout, and controlled the pace of play down the stretch to take away the victory and advance to the Sweet 16.

Emotions were obviously high for the Pirates after the game, as it sunk in that this would be the last time the core four of seniors would take the floor in blue and white.

"The guys left everything on the floor and I wouldn't trade my teammates for anyone in the country," Delgado said. The big man closed out his Seton Hall career with perhaps his best performance, dropping 24 points and collecting 23 rebounds. It was just the fifth 20-20 game in an NCAA Tournament game over the last 40 years.

Head Coach Kevin Willard shed some tears for his seniors when speaking about them after the loss.

"It's why I love those guys," Willard said. "Those four young men that just walked off the stage are terrific young men. Unbelievable grit, unbelievable effort and they never walked off the floor without giving it their all."

The senior class combined to score over 5,528 points, grab 3,070 rebounds and dish out 893 assists. Carrington's 1,846 career points rank him ninth all-time in school history, while Delgado's 1,455 rebounds ranks second in Seton Hall history.

The Pirates will be back on the court in November. Thanks to everyone who followed the Pirates all season long on 89.5 FM WSOU, WSOU.net and the iHeartRadio app!

Matt Ambrose is an Assistant Sports Director at 89.5 FM WSOU. He can be reached at matthew.ambrose1@student.shu.edu.