Photo Credit: Daryl Rembert

Seton Hall looks for signature win at home vs Creighton

After a 3-0 week, the Seton Hall Pirates have put themselves in the NCAA Tournament conversation. Standing at a record of 15-9, with a NET ranking of 53 and a KenPom ranking of 51, the Pirates find themselves in the First Four out of almost every bracket from leading bracketology experts across the country. A top-25 matchup with the Creighton Blue Jays Wednesday evening at the Prudential Center is the opportunity for the Pirates to put themselves in the NCAA tournament field.

The Creighton Blue Jays started off the season ranked in the top 10. When Creighton starting center Ryan Kalkbrenner went down with injuries, the Blue Jays went on a significant slide, which knocked them out of the top 25. This week, Creighton rejoined the top 25 as they are ranked 23rd in the country.

Creighton sits 9-3 in Big East play which has them 3rd in the standings, currently sitting two places ahead of Seton Hall, who has a record of 8-5 in league play. Most importantly, this is an opportunity for the Pirates to secure their fourth Quadrant one victory, giving them another good win for their NCAA Tournament resume.

If Seton Hall is going to beat Creighton, it is going to start on the defensive end. In the first meeting between the two teams in Omaha, Creighton scored 83 points in an 83-61 win over the Pirates. Seton Hall struggles offensively and will try to keep the game relatively low scoring for a chance to pull off the upset.

In the first meeting, Creighton shot over 50 percent from the field and 40 percent behind the three-point line. Creighton only was able to out rebound the Pirates by two, which is surprising since Seton Hall lacks size and depth at the center position. Creighton has three losses in league play, which have all come on the road.

Seton Hall can win this game with defense and three-point shooting. In seven of the Pirates' eight Big East wins, they have held their opponent to under 70 points. Seton Hall is also 13-3 when Al-Amir Dawes, their best three-point shooter, scores in double figures. The Pirates will need to rely heavily on their leader and preseason second team All-Big East selection Kadary Richmond, who has given the Pirates a much needed lift in conference play.

With the recent ankle injury to Dre Davis, Seton Hall has gotten contributions off of the bench from Tray Jackson, who is another capable shooter and scoring option. The Pirates will need Jackson and Jamir Harris to provide a spark off of the bench from outside if Dre Davis, who has been a steady 6th man for the pirates, averaging nine points per game and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field is unavailable. Davis is expected to be a game time decision with his ankle sprain.

The other factor that will play a determining role in this game is home court advantage. The lower bowl of the Prudential Center should be near a full capacity of 10,000 for the 6:30 tip-off Wednesday evening. Will the Pirates add another cornerstone victory to their tournament resume? We will find out Wednesday evening.