Regardless of what happens in Friday’s regular-season finale, or even in the postseason, Seton Hall men’s basketball just accomplished something hardly anyone expected of them when the season began.
Inside Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio on Tuesday night, the Pirates earned their 20th win of the season, also 10th in conference play, with a 77-68 victory over the Xavier Musketeers (14-16, 6-13 BIG EAST).
A huge accomplishment in itself, SHU’s 20th win also secured a finish no worse than a tie for fourth-place in the conference standings, clinching a first-round bye for The Hall in the BIG EAST Tournament, which begins March 11.
As things currently stand, the No. 4 Pirates will play the following day at Madison Square Garden (MSG) in the quarterfinal-round, facing either No. 5 DePaul or Creighton (two teams who have given SHU problems this season)
Although 20-wins is no longer the benchmark of success it once was in college basketball, it certainly holds significance for SHU’s program considering where they were just a year ago, when they finished the season just 7-24 (also 2-18 in conference play).
Their 13-win improvement ties a program record, and trails only No. 19 Miami (OH), who improved to 30-0 earlier today, for the largest win improvement in the nation this season (+17).
All of these milestones and accomplishments came with a bittersweet edge to them, however, as it was an injury-plagued game, not just for SHU, but for both teams.
All of Pirate Nation felt a knot in their stomach when junior guard Adam “Budd” Clark went down with a non-contact injury late in the second half. Driving downhill from the wing to the block, Clark stopped on a dime to gain separation from his defender by side-stepping into a signature baseline jumper.
But Clark may have stopped too hard on a dime, being unable to fully rise for the shot and throwing up a prayer before going down holding the back of his left knee at the 10:33 mark.
Although he sustained a tweak of his left quad, Clark luckily returned to the game minutes later at 5:30 to help lead SHU to victory. The five-foot-10 guard scored the first and last points of a 8-0 run from 2:46 to 00:36 that gave SHU a 11-point, 75-64, lead down the stretch to pull away from Xavier for the eventual 77-68 win.
Clark led all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-12 (50%) shooting, also adding three rebounds and four assists. He was one of four Pirates in double-figures, with graduate guard AJ Staton-McCray following his 20-point, BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll performance at No. 6 UConn over the weekend with 12 points this time, junior guards Mike Williams and Tajuan Simpkins adding 10 points each as well.
Freshman forward Najai Hines also sustained an injury late in the game: with just 49 seconds left, SHU leading 73-64, Hines tried to grab a defensive rebound off a missed free throw, but rolled his left ankle on the way down. Grimacing in pain, Hines limped off the court and was helped to the locker room by his teammates.
SHU entered the contest already dealing with a number of injuries: sophomore guard Trey Parker returned to the rotation and played limited minutes after missing last game with a groin injury and having not practiced all week. Meanwhile, fellow sophomore forward Godswill Erheriene missed his fourth-straight game with a knee injury as well.
But Xavier suffered the worst injury of all in the opening minutes of the game with the loss of Tre Carroll. After Clark found senior forward Stephon Payne with a nice pocket pass out of a pick n roll, Carroll took a charge on Payne in the paint at 16:05 in the first half. Falling on his right hip, Carroll was shaken up after the play, and was ruled doubtful to return to the game minutes after heading to the locker room.
Carroll entered the contest leading the BIG EAST in scoring for all games (18.6 points per game) and conference games only (19.7). In other words, bad news for Xavier, but good news for The Hall.
Even without Carroll, though, SHU found themselves trailing Xavier by four points with 12:54 left in the game after the Musketeers rattled off a 6-0 run, capped by a semi-transition 3-pointer by Pape N’Diaye (just his ninth made 3-pointer of the season).
But after the teams traded baskets, the Pirates outscored Xavier 21-8 in the remaining 11:20 of the game. This included a 8-0 run from 11:20 to 7:50 after Clark went down with his quad injury that turned a 2-point deficit into a 5-point lead for the Pirates, and the 8-0 run when Clark returned that gave SHU a 11-point lead with just 36 seconds left.
In the opening minutes of the second half, SHU were in a back-and-forth battle with Xavier, who kept scoring in transition off made baskets from the Pirates. SHU took a 52-49 advantage at 14:02 after a 5-0 run, with Staton-McCray hitting his third of four second-half 3-pointers before a missed 3-pointer from Xavier led to a coast-to-coast layup by Clark on the other end.
Despite shooting just 39% from the field in the first half, SHU took a 1-point, 33-32, lead at the break. The Pirates outplayed the Musketeers through the game’s first 20 minutes, but it was Xavier’s 5-2 advantage on made 3-pointers that kept the game close.
It also was Xavier outscoring SHU 15-8 in the half’s last nine or so minutes that kept the game close, the Musketeers going on a 7-0 and 6-0 run in a six-minute span to gain a four-point lead with 4:52 left.
Starting the game 9-for-17 from the field, SHU led by seven points 10 minutes into the contest before Xavier rallied.
Like last time out, SHU found themselves in early foul trouble, when Staton-McCray picked up two personal fouls in the first two minutes of the game.
With the win, the Pirates set the stage for a climactic regular-season finale: hosting No. 15 St. John’s on March 9 at the Prudential Center, the game will be SHU’s final chance to earn a regular season signature win that would significantly boost their NCAA Tournament resume ahead of the BIG EAST Tournament (the Pirates currently stand as one of the “Next Four Out” in ESPN’s latest “Bracketology with Joe Lunardi,” which was updated following the game).
In his postgame radio interview with Dave Popkin, head coach Shaheen Holloway called upon SHU’s student and alumni fanbase to show up for the team’s Senior Night and final home game of the season.
“I’m talking to Pirate Nation right now: Friday night we need the building rocking,” Holloway said. “This team gave you everything they had this year. Everything. We need you guys there Friday night. It’s a must that we send our guys out on a right note, on a high, and the only way we do that is with a packed crowd.”
“It’s a 9 o’clock game on a Friday night," Holloway added. "You should want to be nowhere else but at The Rock.”
Zachary Mawby is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at zachary.mawby@student.shu.edu.
