For Seton Hall, Friday evening's matchup against the sixteenth ranked Xavier Musketeers was a must win, in order to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. An opportunity for the Pirates favorite son, Shaheen Holloway to lead Seton Hall to an NCAA tournament in his first season as head coach. A chance to take Seton Hall to a place he took them as a player, a sweet sixteen. Instead, Friday nights matchup was over before the ball even tipped.
Seton Hall star point guard Kadary Richmond was officially scratched from the lineup about an hour before game time. Richmond suffered a back injury against Connecticut last Saturday. The Pirate faithful were hopeful nearly a week off would give Richmond enough time to recover, in time for the final stretch of the season. When asked about the status of Richmond after the game, head coach Shaheen Holloway said, “It’s day to day, we gotta figure out the soreness in his back.” Seton Hall fans are left to wonder if this is the last they have seen from Richmond this season.
Xavier jumped on Seton Hall early, taking a nineteen-point lead into the locker room. The Pirates came out of the locker room strong, after making half time adjustments and trimmed the Xavier lead down to eight. The hole Seton Hall dug themselves in was insurmountable and Xavier answered the early second half run made by the Pirates. The musketeers would pull away and walk out of the Prudential Center with a 82-60 victory.
Seton Hall was unable to stop Souley Boum, who scored twenty-three points for the Musketeers, on five of eight shooting from behind the three-point arch. Seton Hall got a much-needed spark from freshman Jaquan Sanders. Sanders who has been out of the rotation, seized his opportunity in the absence of Kadary Richmond, scoring eleven points, with two made three-point field goals in 20 minutes. The Pirates also got a strong game from Dre Davis, who returned from injury with thirteen points and five rebounds.
Seton Hall will return to action Tuesday night at the Prudential Center against the Villanova Wildcats. The Wildcats who beat the Pirates two weeks ago in Philadelphia are now 9-9 in Big East play. This game is essentially for sixth place in the Big East, as both teams have the same record in league play. Villanova after wins at Xavier and at home against Creighton are arguably the hottest team in the Big East. A tough task awaits for the shorthanded Pirates at home on senior night.
- NJIT Host Seton Hall Saturday for Walker Foundation - October 25, 2023
- Davis Poised to Breakout for Seton Hall in the 2023-2024 Men’s Basketball Season - October 25, 2023
- Seton Hall Picked 9th by Big East Men’s Basketball Coaches - October 25, 2023
