The Seton Hall men’s basketball team declined non-NCAA post-season tournament invitations after not receiving an NCAA tournament bid on Sunday night.
The team was expected to play in the College Basketball Crown Tournament, a post-season consolation tournament that debuted last year. With this decision, the team also won’t be participating in the National Invitation Tournament championship, which they won in 2024.
In a statement, issued to @shupiratesmbb on Instagram following CBS’s annual “Selection Sunday,” the men’s basketball team said the program gave “everything it had” in what was a successful post-season that “included 21 victories, the ninth top-five finish in the BIG EAST over the last 11 seasons,” and “the nation’s second-best win turnaround from last season.”
“Our student-athletes and coaches, in conjunction with administration, have decided to decline non-NCAA post-season tournament invitations for this year and turn their focus to the 2026-2027 season,” the statement said.
The statement also congratulated Head Coach Shaheen Holloway and the team, and thanked Seton Hall fans for their support.
The Pirates (21-12, 10-10 BIG EAST) were listed among the “Next Four Out,” or the teams ranked 73-76 that missed the cut. They landed as the final team left on the bubble.
The decision to end the season follows SHU’s loss to St. Johns in The BIG EAST Tournament’s semifinal at Madison Square Garden on Friday and Holloway’s unanimous selection as the 2025-2026 BIG EAST Coach of the Year and the AP’s BIG EAST Coach of the Year last week.
Dominique Mercadante is the Editor-in-Chief of The Setonian. She can be reached at dominique.mercadante@student.shu.edu.
