Seton Hall Pirates
Big East (17-15, 7-11)
Seed: #
RPI: 101
Big Wins: 11/20 vs USC (63-61), 11/23 vs Virginia Tech (77-73), 1/25 Georgetown (65-60)
Bad Losses: 12/20 IUPUI (65-67), 12/22 at James Madison (64-70), 2/22 at St. John’s (65-70)
Coach: Bobby Gonzalez
Probable Starters:
Eugene Harvey, Junior, Guard, 12.5 ppg, 4.9 apg
Paul Gause, Senior, Guard, 7.8 ppg, 2.6 apg, 2.7 spg
Jeremy Hazell, Sophomore, Guard, 22.7 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Robert Mitchell, Junior, Forward, 14.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg
John Garcia, Senior, Center, 8.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Mike Davis, Sophomore, Center, 2.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Jordan Theodore, Freshman, Guard, 5.9 ppg, 2.0 apg
Brandon Walters, Sophomore, Forward, 1.9 ppg, 2.1 rpg
Why They Can Surprise:
Seton Hall creates a lot of turnovers and rarely turns the ball over. Eugene Harvey deserves most of the credit. The 6-0 junior does a superb job finding his teammates and is doing a decent job keeping the turnovers down. Harvey is more than just a point guard who can play some defense; he is also a good scorer. Harvey’s outside shot is nothing to write home about, but he will do plenty of scoring around the basket.
The defensive specialist on the team is Paul Gause. The 5-11 senior is one of the best defenders in the nation and tallies 2.7 steals per contest. Gause does not add much of a scoring threat to the perimeter, but he is good passer and a great defender who can also help out on the glass.
Why They Can Disappoint:
And the Pirates need all the help they can get on the glass. Coach Bobby Gonzalez’s squad is one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation. Unfortunately for the Pirates, they get outrebounded so much that they completely lose the advantage in possessions they could have due to their turnover margin. Robert Mitchell and John Garcia are the starting duo in the frontcourt and are both capable scorers who do a solid job in the rebounding department. Mike Davis and Brandon Walters are the only big men who will come in off the bench. Both are capable rebounders, but they do not earn enough minutes to make a big impact.
Who To Watch:
Mitchell and Harvey are good scorers, but Jeremy Hazell is the big time scoring threat. Hazell, a 6-5 sophomore, is having a great year. As a freshman, his shooting was inconsistent. His outside shot still is pretty inconsistent, but he will score in other ways. In fact, Hazell has never scored fewer than 12 points in a game this year and that consistency has propelled the Pirates into the postseason. When Hazell’s outside shot is falling, which is quite often since he averages 3.3 long balls per contest, the Pirates offense can be quite difficult to stop. However, Hazell will need some help from Mitchell, Harvey and the rest of the team on the offensive end of the floor if Seton Hall hopes to make a deep tournament run.
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 74.5 (65th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 72.9 (289, 15)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.8 (167, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.7 (135, 11)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.2 (171, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.6 (216, 9)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.5 (57, 2)
Rebound Margin: -6.9 (323, 16)
Assists Per Game: 12.9 (171, 12)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (42, 6)
Joel’s Bracket Says:
