Seton Hall men's basketball’s alumni team, Hall In, will face Syracuse alumni squad Boeheim’s Army in a best-of-three opening-round series in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) 2026. The matchup rekindles a longtime BIG EAST rivalry while giving Pirates fans the opportunity to see several SHU legends return to Walsh Gymnasium.
The series opens July 21 at Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange. Game two will take place on July 23 at Upstate Medical Arena in Syracuse, New York. If necessary, a decisive third game will also be played in Syracuse on July 24.
The winner of the Syracuse-Seton Hall series will advance to face the winner of the Kentucky-Louisville matchup in a single-game second-round contest on Sunday, July 26, at 2 p.m. ET on FOX.
SHU legend and former NBA player Isaiah Whitehead said the tournament represents more than just basketball.
“I think we got that gritty mentality at Seton Hall, we wanna prove the world wrong,” Whitehead said in an interview posted on both TBT’s and his Instagram.
“This is the reunion...this is the coming back for a lot of guys,” Whitehead added.
Hall In’s roster already features several former Pirates stars from different eras of SHU basketball, including Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez, Derrick Gordon, Romaro Gill, Darnell Brodie, Anthony Nelson and KC Ndefo. Additional former Pirates are expected to join the roster once overseas seasons conclude and players decide on NBA Summer League opportunities.
Former SHU star Angel Delgado was also expected to participate before suffering an injury overseas that required surgery.
For SHU fans, the roster is loaded with names connected to some of the program’s biggest moments over the last decade. Whitehead, Carrington and Rodriguez were all key contributors to the Pirates’ 2016 BIG EAST Tournament championship team, which ended SHU’s 23-year conference title drought. Gordon helped lead SHU to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, while the seven-foot-two Romaro Gil led the Pirates’ defense during Kevin Willard’s head coaching tenure in South Orange. Meanwhile, Ndefo became one of the BIG EAST’s top defensive forwards during his time in South Orange.
With former Pirates stars returning home and a BIG EAST rivalry renewed, Walsh Gym is expected to be packed come July.
Jaden Highsmith is the head editor of The Setonian’s Sports section. He can be reached at jaden.highsmith@student.shu.edu.
