Seton Hall Pirates

So after two games that turned out to be walks in the park the Huskers get to take on Seton Hall in the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The Pirates will come to Lincoln and take on the Huskers in what should be a great Big Ten versus Big East matchup.

Date: Wednesday, November 14th

Time: 6:30pm CST

Location: Lincoln, NE

2017-18 Record: 22-12 (10-8 Big East)

2018-19 Record: 1-0 (0-0 Big East)

Head Coach: Kevin Williard (9th Season)

Previous Season

Seton Hall ended last season with a 22-12 record and 10-8 in the Big East. They tied for third in the conference with our neighbors up north Creighton and also Providence. They made it to the quarterfinals in the Big East Tournament where they were ousted by Butler.

Their record gave them an at large bid in the NCAA tournament. It was the Pirates third year in a row making the tournament. They saw themselves as the Number 8 seed in the Midwest Regional. They won their first game against North Carolina State of the ACC and lost to Kansas in the second round.

Seniors Angel Delgado and Desi Rodreguiez made second team All Big East at the end of the season.

Current Season

The Pirates are currently 1-0 with a win over Wagner. Like Nebraska, this early season competition did not give them much of a fight.

This is a team with new faces on the court that will hopefully bring them back to the dance this year. Gone is center Angel Delgado, forward Desi Rodreguiez, and guard Khadeen Carrington. All of which were the keys to Seton Hall’s success. With that said, they do have talent coming up along with some transfers that should help fill some of the holes. There are proven scorers but the defense is probably the biggest question mark coming into this season. Something that the Pirates have been known to have.

Starting off is junior Myles Powell. The 6’2” guard averaged 15.4 point per game last year. Against New Haven he had 30 points alone in the win. Expect him to not only efficiently handle the ball at point but to also take whatever shots he can from 3 point land. Myles was 5 for 7 beyond the arch in their first win of the season.

Senior Michael Nzei will also see ample playing time against the Huskers. The 6’7” guard will give Nebraska problems under the rim. He has had a lot of playing time over the years and can rebound withe the best of them. He had 7 rebounds against Wagner and averaged 3.9 a game in 2017-18.

Also of note is Taureen Thompson. This 6’11” forward is a transfer from Syracuse where he averaged 9.2 point and 3.2 rebounds a game as a freshman before transferring. He is currently coming off the bench but I wouldn’t be surprised if he eventually starts for the Pirates. Seton Hall likes to play defense so I would expect that he needs to improve in that area before he really sees his playing time increase.

Prediction

Neither team has played anyone that has tested them this season. Unlike Nebraska who is returning an arsenal of talent from last year, Seton Hall has relatively fresh faces in the mix. Both of these teams have talent and should be able to keep their respective squads in the game for most of the night.

However, I think the experience of Nebraska will come through in the end. Seton hall still has to figure out how to replace the seniors they lost last year. Nebraska, on the other had, knows what they have and how to use it. James Palmer Jr. and Issac Roby will be test for the first time all year but it will only allow them to improve their game for tougher competition down the road.

University of Nebraska 77 Seton Hall University 68