After picking up their ninth Big East victory 76-68 over the Georgetown Hoyas, the Pirates head to Connecticut for an early Saturday noon tip with the twentieth ranked Huskies. Seton Hall has an opportunity to strike gold and leave Connecticut with their fourth quadrant one victory of the season. If the Pirates are able to leave Connecticut victorious, it would be their first true road quadrant one victory. Seton Hall has three quadrant one win opportunities remaining this season and if the Pirates want to punch a ticket to the Big Dance, it starts on the road.
One month ago, the UCONN Huskies came to the Prudential Center and ledfor almost the entirety of the game. The Huskies lost the game 67-66 on a last second layup by KC Ndefo. The Huskies were without their head coach and New Jersey high school basketball legend Dan Hurley, who was unable to be on the sideline due to a positive COVID test. Hurley, who is a former Seton Hall point guard, will be on the sideline Saturday, as his Huskies look to avenge their one-point loss to his alma mater.
At this point in the season, teams aren’t just playing to add to their NCAA tournament resume. They are also playing for seeding in their conference tournament. The Pirates currently sit in fifth place in the Big East Conference, with a 9-7 record in league play. This is one game ahead of the Huskies, who sit in sixth place at 8-7 in league play. This game is paramount in terms of the Big East standings. Both teams want to finish in the top five and avoid having to play on opening night of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 8th.
The game plan for the Pirates is simple. To have a chance to steal a signature road win, the Pirates will have to hold the Huskies to under 70 points. Seton Hall is 15-2 on the season when holding their opponent to under seventy points.
On the offensive end, the Pirates will have to rely heavily on point guard Kadary Richmond. Richmond posted a double double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Pirates' victory at home against Connecticut. Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway was asked about Richmond, after his second half performance helped lead the Pirates to victory on Tuesday evening against Georgetown.
Holloway said, “He’s gotta understand that when you’re the guy, you want to be the guy. You’ve gotta make sure you’re coming out every night and setting the tone.”
The Pirates will need Richmond to set the tone early Saturday afternoon if they are going to emerge victorious.
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