Pre-Game Notes
Seton Hall returned to the Prudential Center after an extremely gritty win against the Friars, who just lost Bryce Hopkins for the season with a torn ACL. On Saturday afternoon, they welcomed a National Title Contending team in the Marquette Golden Eagles. We knew before this game that defense would be the strength of both clubs. The Pirates have kept teams to 68 ppg (92 nd in the country), while the visiting Eagles are holding opponents to 66ppg (57th in
the nation). Despite the key defensive minded schemes from Holloway and Smart, there’s plenty of offensive talent on both squads. Kolek and Ighodaro are a great 1, 2 punch for Marquette, while Seton Hall boasts a deep and talented backcourt, led by Kadary Richmond.
First Half Inconsistency Although Addae-Wusu and the Pirates had some luck on offense in the first few minutes of the game, the turnovers would be the headline for Seton Hall early on. Miscommunication and sloppy passes consistently burned the home squad in the first ten minutes of the match, and the Golden Eagles jumped on those opportunities to take a 10-point lead. As we’ve come to expect from Coach Holloway’s team, they were up for a fight. Newark Native, Al-Amir Dawes, and company began to settle into the game on offense, and the Pirate’s defense caused serious problems for the Eagles. Over the final 12.5 minutes, Seton Hall was able to hold their visitors to just 15 points, and their shooting erased the 10-point deficit. By the end of the first half, Seton Hall finished 5-12 from 3, and were 15-30 from the field. More importantly, they quieted a dangerous Tyler Kolek, while Ighodaro cooled off as the first half continued.
Second Half Drama
Al-Amir Dawes continued his good form to start the second half. He opened with a three and some free throws and kept the Pirate’s gas on the pedal as they looked to extend their lead. Even with Kadary Richmond facing some foul trouble, he too began to find his form in the 2 nd frame. Richmond consistently found his way into the paint, and he again proved why he’s one of the best players in the Big East. In the post-game press conference, Shaka Smart spoke about Kadary being more highly recruited than any other player on the Golden Eagles, and that Smart had tried to bring him to Texas before he came to Marquette. As you’d expect from a Smart-led team, they continued to force turnovers. This kept Marquette alive in the game well into the 2 nd half, as we had tied contest with 5 minutes to go. Seton Hall then locked down the Golden Eagles on defense, and the lead began to grow. With only two minutes remaining in the game, the Pirates had extended their lead to 10, and it seemed like they were going to coast into the final whistle with an easy lead. Marquette, however, had other plans. They quickly forced more turnovers from Seton Hall, and within a matter of seconds, they were only down 1 point with a minute remaining.
I should quickly mention how electric the crowd was. This was far from a sold-out arena, but the fans were loud and supportive from the opening-tip. After the game, Holloway highlighted how they provided their team with a boost and said their presence was “unbelievable”.
Despite the home spectators now holding their breath, Seton Hall did not let their fans down. Dre Davis had the ball in the post late in the clock, and he was able to fight for a bucket to extend their lead to three. Marquette had a chance to force overtime, but the Pirate’s defense held strong, and they narrowly walked away with their third huge win of the season.
What’s Next?
Marquette returns home and will play host to Butler and Villanova before travelling to St. John’s. I’m sure Shaka Smart will be happy to return to Milwaukee, where the Golden Eagles are 8-0. The road has been an ongoing issue for Marquette this season, and Coach Smart was asked about their away struggles in the post-game presser. Specifically, he mentioned that they spent time “resetting their road mindset” before today’s game, but he thought it was not fully carried over into Saturday’s game. Coach Smart also called out his squad for not having the same “passion for winning” that Ighodaro has displayed this season, and he hopes to correct that in practice. For Seton Hall, they’ve now earned wins against the elite of the Big East Conference. With wins over UConn, Providence, and Marquette, the Pirates are 3-1 in conference play and sit in first place over UConn and St. John’s. Furthermore, this team has begun to take on the identity of Coach Holloway, and they will be a very tough out for any opponent that comes their way. Kadary Richmond is a special player who can take over a game, and he’s surrounded by playmakers in Dawes, Davis, and Addae Wusu. Additionally, in a conference with big men like Ighodaro, Soriano, and Kalkbrenner, Bediako has shown that he can hang around with others in the paint. There are some things to work on, however, if the
Pirates look to hold on to their first-place lead. Turnovers almost lost them the game on Saturday, as Seton Hall had 22 turnovers, and Marquette scored 32 points off those miscues. Seton Hall does not have a lot of rest over their next two games, as they travel to Georgetown and Butler by next Saturday.
- Mike Barrera (Mbarrera1323 on Twitter/X): Covering the Philadelphia Union of MLS and the Big East Conference for NCAAB.