More photos » Henny Ray Abrams - AP

Pope, Paterson and Garcia, split the Gonzo Ball into thirds for their respective performances tonight.

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-Complacency, complacency, complacency.  I could really end the post-game thoughts with that, but we'll dive into it.  It was a sloppy one.  

With 13:36 left in the second half, Providence (12-20, 4-15) called a full timeout, trailing Seton Hall (19-11, 10-9) by 29 points, 76-47.  At that point, Seton Hall mentally checked out of the game and started preparing for Notre Dame on Wednesday.  Just 13 minutes later, the Pirates found themselves defending a Providence possession that gave the Friars a chance to tie the game in the final 7 seconds.  How was it possible that PC reeled off a 59-33 run in the final 13 minutes? It started with Seton Hall's offensive possessions.  

An efficient offensive effort over the course of 27 minutes, turned into borderline outright chaos.  Gone was the pretty ball movement that was so prevalent in the first half.  Gone was the concentrated effort to run the offense through Pope, which led to his career-high 27PTS.  Instead, Seton Hall took poor shot attempt after poor shot attempt, failing to milk their possessions with effective clock management.  Had the Pirates attempted to take 25 seconds off the shot clock on each possession over the last 13 minutes, Providence would have never had a chance to score 59 points in 13 minutes. Never. This is basic strategy, yet the lack of execution nearly cost us the game.  

Although costly, you can't blame the entire collapse on blundered offensive possessions and clock management. Turnovers and missed free throws certainly played an equally large role in this near-disaster. Seton Hall shot just 2-of-6 from the charity stripe over the final 42 seconds.  The majority of the Providence damage was already done, but if The Hall shot at least .500 down the stretch, they would have avoided the final heart-wrenching, breath holding, on the verge of vomiting, Providence possession.  We learned one thing from the 2009-2010 Pirates team, nothing comes easy.  No, not even closing out 29 point leads.  

Onto the turnover front.  The Pirates led 101-91, with 2:35 to play when Keno Davis once again called for a full timeout. Despite the lack of press throughout the game, Providence emerged from the timeout a frenzied club, shocking Seton Hall into committing a slew of turnovers.  A slew is a massive understatement, as they committed four within a scoreless minute and five in the final two minutes as they watched their commanding lead disappear before their eyes.  The final two minutes were extremely surprising as Seton Hall is usually very good against the press.  Their inbound attempts were careless and lazy as were their attempts to push the ball up court through the press.

The Seton Hall faithful made it halfway into the 2nd half, feeling extremely confident.  Entering the BET on consecutive road victories, the Pirates were seemingly playing their best basketball of the season. Their defense had been two steps quicker than their opponent and their offense had been rolling even with their leading scorer in a world of foul trouble. Lately, Pope's play had returned to a state of BIG EAST dominance, JRob had established himself as a viable second option and JT suddenly started hitting every jumper and 3PT attempt in sight. There was reason to be exuberant.  Yet, as we've learned, nothing comes easy when you suffer from complacency.  Instead of going into tomorrow's rematch with Notre Dame with an extreme confidence high, the Pirates will enter MSG on Wednesday with extreme caution. Maybe tonight's scare will prove beneficial after all.  

On to the player breakdowns: 

-For the first time tonight, a GonzoBall will be split between a Pirate and the opposition.  Herb Pope and Jamine Peterson a re your recipients. Regarding Pope, he recorded his third straight double-double tonight with 27PTS/11REB/4AST, on 10-of-16 shooting, before fouling out with 3 minutes to play.  Death, Taxes and a Pope double-double is alive and well.  Where are those who made so much noise about his tried legs, playing out of position and wearing down due to the late season BIG EAST rigors? Nonsense.  The man said the big lights would inspire him and tonight he put forth a truly inspiring performance.  

Jamine Peterson, single-handedly, yes single-handedly, kept the Friars alive.  He was the only interested party as his teammates were on the verge of losing by 40PTS with just over ten minutes remaining in the game. Peterson finished with 38PTS/16REB(10OFF)/3AST/BLK, on 14-of-25 shooting.  It was probably one of the greatest BET performances in a losing effort as the BIG EAST honorable-mention sophomore, finished just 2PTS/4REB shy of a 40-20! 

-What more can be said about Jordan Theodore? Our PGs couldn't buy a jump shot earlier in the year and our team struggled mightily as a unit.  When a team can utilize a PG as a threat to pull-up and hit jumpers or 3PT attempts, it opens up plenty of options on the offensive end over the course of the game.  Seton Hall doesn't just benefit on the scoreboard when JT is making his shots, their other options also reap the benefits as the defense will need to respect Theodore's shot.  Tonight, he was good on 7-of-11 shot attempts for 21PTS, while going a perfect, 4-of-4 from downtown.  He also added: 6AST/STL/REB/BLK/2TO in another impressive performance.  

-Eugene Harvey contributed 12PTS/4REB/4AST on 4-of-5 shooting, despite committing 4TO.  You've got to pull for Harvey and Garcia to make their first NCAA Tournament in their last season at The Hall.  You can tell Harvey wants it bad.  Pulled early in the game after throwing the ball out of bounds for his first turn over, an assistant tried to hand Eugene a bottle of gatorade.  In a fit of frustration he slapped the bottle out of his area.  You could tell Harvey was clearly upset with himself and wanted back into the game.  Gonzo made the right move and got his senior right back on the floor in an attempt to right his wrong.  Eugene did turn the ball over too much, but he still played well, nonetheless.  

-Outscored by both Pope and JT, Jeremy Hazell finished with a quiet 18PTS on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting, while converting 8-of-10 of his FT attempts.  The team has proved they can win without Hazell lighting up the scoreboard, in fact, their offense is much more potent when the entire team is involved.  Recently, we've seen defensive efforts to take Hazell completely out of the game and it'll be interesting to see which poison ND will pick tomorrow.  Will they concentrate on Hazell, leaving SHU's other options to take advantage? Or will they play somewhat straight-up accounting for Seton Hall's newfound offensive balance?  I've still got my money on the former.  

-Another impressive performance from JRob.  Have we come to expect anything less?  Night in, night out, he brings his best effort and tonight was no exception.  Robinson finished with 15PTS/6REB, despite missing two critical FTs with 7 seconds left that would have iced the game.  A 70% shooter from the line, JRob faced the biggest moment of his basketball career and he choked.  It happens.  Seton Hall still escaped with the victory.  I have the utmost confidence that he'll respond with another impressive performance tomorrow night.  Why wouldn't I? We've come to expect it and nothing less.  

-Lastly, John Garcia doesn't want to go home.  He's playing every game like it's literally his last. It may be just that.  John Garcia toughed out 15 minutes of game time, logging 8PTS/2REB/2BLK.  Honorable Gonzo Ball to the senior.  

All your box score needs.  

We'll see you tomorrow at 7PM for Notre Dame.  As always, Let's Go Hall! 

-Herb Pope has been dominant since the very first whistle.  With the Pirates leading 5-4, I tweeted:

@GonzoBall: Pope offensive rebound and put-back, HE LOOKS GOOD TONIGHT. He's may very well take over. 5-4 SHU. #shbb#pcbb

Takeover he did.  He's had an extra bounce in his step tonight, he wasn't kidding about being juiced for the big lights. His mid-range jumper is falling, he's stepped out to the perimeter and hit a 3PT and he's been an absolute force inside. He finished the first 20 with: 18PTS/7REB(5OFF)/2AST/0TO on 7-of-12 shooting.   

-Jordan Theodore started off right where he left off on Saturday against the Friars team, scoring 13PTS/5AST/2STL/TO on 5-of-8 and 3-of-3 3PT shooting.  JT is everywhere on the floor, playing great defense, hustling for loose balls and making great decisions as the point. 

-Hazell has 10PTS on 4-of-7 shooting, without hitting a 3PT attempt, but has seen extended time on the bench after picking up his 2nd PF with about 8 minutes to play in the half.  

-Providence has turned the ball over 8 times, opposed to 3 for the Pirates.  

-Pirates are winning the battle of the major statistics:  16REB/14REB, 11AST/4AST, 6STL/2STL.  Ok the Friars can have their 1BLK/0BLK advantage.  

-Despite trailing by 16 points, the Friars are shooting 50% from the floor.  The difference in the game? They're attempted 30 shots, opposed to 40 for the Pirates.  

-Jamine Paterson leads the Friars with 13PTS on 5-of-11 shooting.  

-The Pirates need to continue to take care of the ball while remaining efficient on offense and they'll have little trouble moving on to Wednesday.  Of course, consecutive stops on defense will help seal the Friars fate.    

More photos » Rich Schultz - AP

"These streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire you."

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#10 Seton Hall v. #15 Providence, 7:00PM
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Television: ESPNU
Radio: 770 WABC 

Online: Pirates v. Friars Coverage, Twitter @GonzoBall @thecycle

Projected Starting Five: G-Harvey, G-Theodore, G-Hazell, F-Robinson, F/C-Pop

Here we are.  The BET is underway and the Seton Hall Pirates have an opportunity to play their way into the big dance. Yes, every team has the opportunity to play their way into the NCAA Tournament by winning their conference tourney, but unlike year's past, the Pirates will likely earn a berth with just a couple victories at the garden.  For the record, I'm in the camp that believes SHU will be in with just two victories against PC and ND.

After just defeating the Friars by 12 points in Providence on Saturday, will the Pirates suffer from a sense of overconfidence?  Will the team and specifically, the head coach be distracted by the NYT onslaught yesterday? A lot of questions will be answered in just a couple hours. Ultimately, time will tell, but I'm banking on the team rallying behind Bobby Gonzalez not only tonight, but throughout the course of the tournament.  His team knows what they need to do to silence the critics.  Likewise, the SHU faithful understands what needs to be done in this year's conference tournament and they can contribute in making it happen.  South Orange is just miles away from NYC and the greatest arena on earth, utilize the home court advantage, it's there for the taking.  Pack it out.  Get loud.  As far as the team? Beat Providence. One game at a time, one game.  

SHU Athletics preview:

Overall, 18 wins is a high for Seton Hall under Bobby Gonzalez. The Pirates earned the #10 seed in the 2010 BIG EAST Championship. For the season, Jeremy Hazell leads Seton Hall and ranks third in the conference with 21.2 points per game. Herb Pope became the first Pirate to finish a season leading the BIG EAST in rebounds per game (11.1).

PC preview:

The Friars (12-18) and the Pirates (18-11) just faced each other in the final game of the regular season with Seton Hall earning a 92-80 win at Providence on March 6. The Friars have posted a 45-41 mark all-time versus the Pirates, including a 2-3 record in BIG EAST Tournament action. The last time the two teams met in the BIG EAST Championship, Seton Hall defeated the Friars, 85-65, on March 8, 2000. PC's last win over Seton Hall in the BIG EAST Championship was a 77-75 victory on March 6, 1985.

SBNation preview:

Jeff Robinson puts forth 11.7 ppg for SHU, while Herb Pope produces 11.2 ppg. Pope is also the top rebounder in the Big East, ripping down 11.1 rpg.

SHU is running well right now and Hazell should have himself a big night in leading the Pirates past Providence for the second time in just a few days.

Tonight is the biggest Seton Hall basketball game in the last four years, writes Paul Tyahla:

Today, thanks to two road wins, a weak national bubble and a favorable Big East Tournament draw, Pirate Nation will watch their team take the floor at Madison Square Garden with the chance to play themselves into the NCAAs. It is the most important Seton Hall basketball game in the last four seasons.

Brendan Prunty has the Pirates as, 'Last Four Out,' but their play in the BET will determine where they stand on Sunday:

The Pirates dodged two major bullets Monday night when Siena and Old Dominion both pulled out their respective conference championships. Had either one - or worst case, both - lost, it would have made Seton Hall's margin for error that much slimmer. We don't think the Gonzaga loss to St. Mary's hurts their chances at all because we thought the Gaels were going to make the field. But a Butler loss to Wright State would be a big blow to their at-large chances. 

John Garcia nearly lost his life at the age of three when he was struck by a van, after surviving, he has learned to overcome various obstacles in his life, including persistent injuries that have slowed his career.  He hopes to see the NCAA Tournament once more before his collegiate career comes to an end.  Courtesy of Prunty: 

His parents, who are separated but still a large part of his life, will be there this afternoon just as they were by his bedside at Passaic Hospital. Jhony already knows there will be tears, but unlike on that terrifying morning when he held John in his arms in the hospital's parking lot after the accident, these will be tears of joy.

"I know for a fact that he's here for something," Jhony Garcia said. "God has something reserved for him. If he can beat death when he was 3 years old, I know that there's something for him in his life."

Great work Brendan.  We're pulling for you John. 

Also, in his projected BET final four, Prunty has SHU v. WVU and Marquette v. Syracuse.  

Herb Pope, Bobby Gonzalez and Jeremy Hazell are saying all the right things, as J.P. Pelzman provides recent quotes. From Jeremy Hazell: 

"We can't look ahead," coach Bobby Gonzalez said Saturday after a 12-point win over Providence. "Somebody said [we're] in a decent bracket with Notre Dame and this team and that team. You can't think like that."

"We always focus on the team we're about to play," said Jeremy Hazell, who admitted he is bothered sometimes by a still-healing cut on his right hand. "It's hard to beat any team twice in a couple of days' span. We have to come out and play like we did [Saturday]. We have to be aggressive, make shots and defend and I think we'll be all right."

Jerry Carino predicts the Pirates win their first two contests, while adding:

Why they'll have a great week: The ability is here. The Pirates had West Virginia and Syracuse on the ropes and split with Pitt.

Why they won't: They've had a tough time executing late in close games.

Lastly, Dana O'Neil, reporting from the BET, chooses Herb Pope as her SHU player to watch: 

Herb Pope. Jeremy Hazell is the scoring machine, but Pope is the reason the Pirates have moved up the Big East ladder. Not always a prolific scorer, he's tireless on the boards, where he averages 11 rebounds a game. For a team that likes to go and score as much as Seton Hall, each ball Pope corrals is critical.

See you immediately after the game for post-game thoughts.  As always, Let's Go Hall! 

More photos » Matt Slocum - AP

WHERE'S MY BUS!

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Well, there's a reason I titled the blog, Gonzo Ball.

To your right, you'll see, "Gonzo Ball," described as:

Gonzo Ball: noun 1. a game played by 13 members of a basketball team, five at a time, sometimes crisp, often sloppy, but always furiously.

In the, "Introducing Gonzoball, What is Gonzo Ball?" post, I described the name's origin:

It's origin derives from our boisterous, sometimes theatrical, but absolutely methodical head coach, Bobby Gonzalez.

No, I didn't write the articles that surfaced in today's New York Times, but without further ado, let's check them out:

The original piece, from Kevin Armstrong and Pete Thamel:

Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez Is a Divisive Figure in the Big East:

The former Jasper Kenny Minor called Gonzalez "the craziest person I've ever met in my life, by far." Minor added: "If I were to ever become a coach, I learned a lot of things I wouldn't do. Even though we won, it was hard to enjoy basketball."

The pair of writers followed with:

At Manhattan College, the Memories of Gonzalez Are Not So Fond

Byrnes said that when he was informed that Gonzalez was leaving for Seton Hall, he said: "Good luck. I had him for seven years. I used to have a lot of hair. I'm almost bald now." He said he had seen Gonzalez only once since he left, at a dinner, but did receive a bobblehead of Gonzalez in the mail recently from him.

"I don't talk to you for four years, and you send me a bobblehead?" Byrnes said. "Save the postage."

Forgive me, but after reading that I can't help but think of Jack Woltz waking up with a horse's head in his bed.  Regardless of what you think of this mess, you can't tell me that Gonzo sending Byrnes the bobblehead wasn't outright hilarious. 

Lastly, Thamel conducted a formal Q&A with Bob Byrnes:

A good example: you got to someone's else's arena for shootaround. There's a man in the upper level sweeping the floor. He would dispatch someone immediately, like the person sweeping the floor is spying on our practice or something. It was like, over-the-top boogeyman stuff. It's wearing. The part that I was disappointed in was the handling of the players and the ‘us against the world' type of thing and the lack of focus and attention on school. I felt that we got lip service.

Of course, everyone weighed in with their reactions:

USA Today, Seton Hall's Bobby Gonzalez knows how to rub folks the wrong way:

But after Monday's piece in the Times, Gonzalez now may face questions about more than just basketball as his team travels to New York to play in the Big East tournament, where they are the 10th seed and will face Providence in the first round.

Eamon Brennan of ESPN:

Uh, yeah. I have a feeling Gonzalez isn't going to like this. Which means Seton Hall's Big East tournament games should be thoroughly awesome. Well, the postgame press conferences, anyway.

Brennan, which Gonzo presser ISN'T awesome? From taking shots at Adam Zagoria, to throwing John Garcia under the bus, to insinuating the snowstorm in D.C. might have been to blame for the Pirate's 25PT loss in Pittsburgh, you never know what you'll hear.  Don't get me started on his BIG EAST conference calls. 

Follow the jump for more reactions to the mass hysteria, Bobby Gonzalez style:

Continue reading this post »

More photos » Keith Srakocic - AP

Death, Taxes and a Pope double-double. After consecutive dub-dubs (his 11th), it looks like Pope has caught a second wind. Hopefully it will continue through the BET.

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By defeating Providence on Saturday night, 92-80, the Pirates (18-11, 9-9) have earned the right to play the Friars in a rematch on Tuesday night in the first round of the Big East Tournament.  Jordan Theodore stepped up tremendously with a career high 8AST, while leading the team with 21PTS.  It's definitely encouraging that the team is playing their best basketball of the season as they embark on MSG next week, however, let's take it one game at a time.  

GB's post game thoughts: 

Tonight's game means absolutely nothing if they falter on Tuesday. Providence, on the other hand, will only be playing for pride in the BET, whereas the Pirates are playing for a postseason berth. You'd like to believe that overconfidence wouldn't be an issue given the circumstances, but after beating PC in their house, on senior day, by 12 points, I'm going to worry.

SHU Athletics Recap:

Seton Hall kept the pressure on and a pair of free throws by junior Robert Mitchell with only 1:26 remaining in the game gave the Pirates their largest lead of the night, 86-69. The Friars would not get closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

 

PC Athletics Recap:

Freshman guard Vincent Council (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Friars with a career-high 25 points and added six rebounds and four assists, while senior guard Sharaud Curry (Gainesville, Ga.) recorded 19 points in his final home game as a Friar. Freshman forward/center Bilal Dixon (Jersey City, N.J.) added his fourth double-double of the season, recording 11 points and a career-high 19 rebounds for PC.

Herb Pope is juiced in anticipation of the BET, writes Tim Casey, reporting for the Star-Ledger:

"I can't wait," said Pope, who scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his 12th double-double of the season. "Like Jay-Z said, big lights will inspire me, ...I'm going to be juiced, man. That's MSG, man."

I love the attitude from the Pope of South Orange, but I believe it was Alicia Keys that sung it in Jay's song.  

Speaking of Pope, he's been named to the final BIG EAST Honor Roll:

Pope averaged 17.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game in a pair of Seton Hall victories this week. Pope tied a career-high with 22 points and 18 rebounds in an 85-74 victory at Rutgers on Thursday. On Saturday at Providence, Pope tallied 13 points and 11 rebounds. The performances were double-doubles #11 and #12 this season. Overall, Pope averaged 11.1 rebounds per game this season becoming the first Pirate ever to lead the BIG EAST Conference in the category.

Pope has been killing the competition over the last week.  It looks like, Bobby's early anointment of, "Death, Taxes and a Pope double-double" is back after a two month hiatus.  The reports of his tired legs have been greatly exaggerated.  

For reactions from Bobby Gonzalez and the players following the game, check out J.P. Pelzman's recap: 

"We wanted to finish the [regular] season strong," Theodore said.

Pope noted how the Pirates beat two teams celebrating senior night this week, including Rutgers on Thursday, after the Hall had lost its final regular-season home game to Marquette last Sunday.

"We told [senior] John [Garcia], 'Let's get two wins for the one we lost," " a smiling Pope said.

Bobby Gonzalez wouldn't be surprised if Tuesday's contest is much closer than last night's, writes Kevin McNamara:

Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez noted that both teams came into Saturday a bit tired after playing Thursday night. Now they'll have a bit more time to not only rest but prepare for each other once again.

"This will be a very different, unique experience," said Gonzalez. "We can't look ahead. I think it will be a tougher game for both teams. I wouldn't be surprised to see a tough, hard-fought game."

The Pirates have work left to do in the city, according to Brian Wisowaty of the Setonian:

Seeking some déjà vu, it's the Friars on deck for the men's basketball team for the second straight game.
In need of wins to bolster a questionable NCAA Tournament resume, Seton Hall will cross the river and head to the 2010 Big East Tournament starting on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Brendan Prunty breaks down the All BIG EAST selections, with a focus on the garden state presence among the finalists:

A total of five players with New Jersey ties have been named to the league's all-conference teams it was announced Sunday.  Newark native Da'Sean Butler of West Virginia was a first-team all-Big East selection, joining five others on the team.

The Big East's second team was highlighted by the only player from Seton Hall or Rutgers to make the list: Pirates junior guard Jeremy Hazell. Joining Hazell was Scotch Plains native and Seton Hall Prep product Ashton Gibbs of Pittsburgh.

Lastly, in looking at the NCAA Tournament picture, Prunty has the Pirates listed under, "work to do:"

Work to do
Seton Hall (18-11, 9-9)
Old logic would say that 10 Big East wins gets you in, but in the Pirates' case, it won't be the case. In all likelihood, Seton Hall will need to get to the semifinals to assure themselves of a spot in the field. Beating Providence (RPI: 126) for the second time in four days isn't enough. A win over Notre Dame on Wednesday not only puts the Pirates in prime spot, but eliminates their stiffest competition on the bubble. Beating Pitt in the quarterfinals is enough to overcome a non-conference schedule that included five games against teams with an RPI of 250 or above.

Not sure I agree with it, but as of right now, noted bracketologist Jerry Palm has Seton Hall IN as a 12 seed.

The Pirates are next in action, Tuesday night at 7PM, taking on Providence in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament.  

More photos » Bill Kostroun - AP

Jordan Theodore led the Pirates with 21PTS and a career high 8AST tonight against Providence.

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-Beat Providence.  The Pirates (18-11, 9-9) did just that tonight, improving their conference record to 9-9, finishing at .500 for the first time since they finished 9-7 in 2005-2006.  That year, they made the NCAA Tournament.  Will this year's squad do the same? The BET stands in the way, but the future is looking a lot brighter right now than it was last Sunday.  They'll need to defeat Providence again on Tuesday night in the first round of the BET tournament to remain on the bubble.  Should the Pirates win Tuesday, they would face Notre Dame on Wednesday night in what may very well determine their postseason fate.  Although their fate may be decided Wednesday (should they get there), their postseason legitimately began against Rutgers on Thursday.  The Pirates have stepped up, spoiling back-to-back senior days, which is far from an easy task in the Big East Conference regardless of who you're playing. 

The one thing I'm worried about right now is overconfidence.  I'd like to believe Bobby will have his squad ready on Tuesday, making sure his players quickly forget about tonight's outcome.  Tonight's game means absolutely nothing if they falter on Tuesday.  Providence, on the other hand, will only be playing for pride in the BET, whereas the Pirates are playing for a postseason berth.  You'd like to believe that overconfidence wouldn't be an issue given the circumstances, but after beating PC in their house, on senior day, by 12 points, I'm going to worry.

-A great all around team effort by the Pirates tonight, who at one point, were on the verge of putting PC away early in the first half.  Leading by 14 with just 3 minutes remaining in the first half, the Friars reeled off an 8-0 run as the closing seconds ticked off of the clock.  Just as it seemed that Providence would take all the momentum into the locker room at halftime, the Pirates had one last possession. 

Eugene Harvey dribbled the ball to around mid-court and let close to 20 seconds milk off of the clock before penetrating into the heart of the defense.  Two defenders collapsed on him, believing he would put up a contested layup.  Instead, Harvey wrapped the ball behind a defender's back and found JT who finished for a reverse layup.  The well executed play gave the Pirates an 8 point lead heading into intermission, but more importantly the play deflated a PC team who had just put together a nice run in the closing minutes. 

-Gonzo Ball to Jordan Theodore, who continues to break out and has really stepped up his play as of late.  JT finished with 21PTS on 6-of-9 shooting, he set a career high with 8AST, shot 8-of-8 from the stripe while adding 2REB/2STL and only committed one turnover.  Very impressive play from the sophomore as he even outscored the Pirates leading scorer Jeremy Hazell, by one point. 

-Jeremy Hazell finished with 18PTS/5REB on 7-of-14 shooting.  Jeremy shot the ball a little better tonight, despite just shooting 2-of-6 from 3PT distance.  It was the second consecutive game where Hazell had at least 5REB, as he's made a concentrated to get involved more on the glass. 

-Eugene Harvey was rather impressive tonight with 12PTS/4AST on 4-of-5 shooting, despite turning the ball over three times.  Harvey finished strong on his drives throughout the night, once even after receiving contact and picking up the AND-1 foul. 

-Herb Pope dropped his second straight double-double with 13PTS/11REB/5BLK.  Pope was everywhere tonight on both sides of the basketball.  It looks like his new double-double streak has begun after going 2 months without one.  Tired legs? No. 

-Robert Mitchell was also perfect from the stripe, 8-of-8 and finished with 14PTS.

-Jeff Robinson was the final Pirate to finish in double figures with 10PTS after sitting the majority of the first half after picking up a quick two fouls. 

-Vincent Council led the Friars with 25PTS on 9-of-16 shooting.

-As a team, Providence only shot 38.5%, whereas the Pirates were good on 51% of their shot attempts. 

See you Tuesday, Providence. 

...Much more to come in tomorrow's morning after post.

-Seton Hall had a chance to put a first half beating on the Friars as they led 41-27 with 2:50 remaining in the half.   However, Providence would unleash an 8-0 run in the final two minutes, making it a manageable 8 point deficit at intermission. 

-Seton Hall had the last possession of the half and it was a pretty one.  Eugene Harvey took the ball out to about half court as he let about 20 seconds tick off the clock, with 9 seconds on the game clock, he penetrated to the hoop, but two Providence defends collapse on him.  The senior, reached around one defender and dumped the ball off to JT who finished a pretty reverse layup.  Execution. 

-Regarding the roster and contribution output, the Pirates had one of their most balanced 20 minute efforts of the year. Hazell has 8PT, JT has 8PT, JRob 6PT, Pope 5PT, Harvey 6PT, Stix 6PT.  That's as balanced as you can get for your heavy rotation players. 

-Jordan Theodore tied his career high with 6AST in the first half already. 

-The Pirates put the Friars in the bonus with 11:30 remaining in the first half.  Too many fouls, the Friars only converted 7FT of 12 attempts, but this game could be closer to being out of reach right now if Seton Hall didn't put themselves in that position. 

-Sharaud Curry leads the Friars with 14PT on 4-of-7 shooting, he burned the Pirates twice from the perimeter when they left him wide open to shoot away.

-Difference in the game? Shooting from the floor, to the tune of 20% different.  SHU good for 53%, PC 33%.