Seton Hall Update

This picture says it all. Seton Hall, coming off the worst thumping of the season since Duke crushed them back in the early going, bounced back and knocked off #11 West Virginia last night in the Meadowlands. The Mountaineers' Joe Herber looks like he expected a cake walk following the Pirates manhandling by the Huskies. He was mistaken. I previously wrote that I had come to believe that this was a game that Seton Hall should win at home, and I believe that still. West Virginia is a very good team. Their #11 ranking is probably a little higher than what they deserve, though. At any rate, the Hall is still playing some of their best ball of the year (with the exception of the UConn game) and hopefully they can keep that momentum going. The most important aspect of this win, after the victory itself, of course, is that the Pirates were able to put the UConn game behind them and come out strong against another very good team. They are playing with a presence of mind and team ethic that bodes well for even more success as they wind down the Big East schedule.

The Pirates next meet up with Notre Dame on Saturday. This is another game that the Hall should win on their home court. No victory in the Big East is an automatic, however, and they will need to play with the same fire they have shown over the past month to win. After the Irish, Seton Hall has road games at St. John's and DePaul. These are also games the Pirates should win, but are also sure to be tough contests. The Hall wraps up their home schedule against Cincinatti, and concludes the Big East schedule at Pittsburgh. For most of this season, I maintained that Seton Hall would have a tough time getting past 15 wins. I am very happy to admit I WAS WRONG! Now, a 20 win season is not out of the question, and an NCAA berth is only a matter of this team continuing to play the way they have been for the past month. I have never been a very big fan of Louis Orr, but I give him a lot of credit. The biggest difference in the Hall's play has been the leadership of Copeland and Whitney, and I believe that is a direct result of Orr's coaching. I had thought that he would be fired at the end of the season; now I consider him a decent candidate for Coach of the Year. Like an NCAA berth, however, that depends on how the Pirates play out their final games.

Elsewhere in the Big East, it looks like the conference could have nine teams in the NCAA tournament. UConn, 'Nova, Pitt, and W.Va. are already a lock. Georgetown and Syracuse should have their tickets punched by the end of the week. Then there is the Hall, Cincinatti, and Marquette, all of which have alot yet to prove, but are well within sight of an invitation. For these teams, 18 wins should be enough, and an extra win in the Big East Tournament wouldn't hurt. The one team that will not be selected with 18 wins is Louisville. With an RPI of 65 they are far below the cut-off point of the selection committee. Their two road wins, Miami and Providence, impress nobody. Their only shot will be to score some road victories down the stretch, which would push them into 20 win territory anyway. Unfortunately, their remaining road games are against Syracuse, West Virginia, and Conneticut.

The Big East Tournament brackets should start clarifying by this weekend. Based on everyone's schedules, it looks like Villanova and Conneticut should get first round byes, while Pitt, West Virginia and Georgetown battle for the two remaining first round passes. Beyond that, the entire bracket is up for grabs, from top to bottom, with only South Florida seemingly out of contention (and even that is not certain). It should be fun. GO PIRATES!