The Seton Hall Pirates (18-11, 11-7 BIG EAST) suffered a brutal 91-61 loss to the UConn Huskies (26-3, 16-2 BIG EAST). While upsetting the Huskies again would’ve been improbable, another road blowout was not the greatest outcome.
Through the first 12 minutes, the Pirates were able to keep things close. Two free throws from Dre Davis made it a 23-20 game in favor of UConn with around eight minutes left in the first half. In those final minutes however, the Huskies almost doubled their point total, while the Pirates only managed four more field goals before halftime sent both teams back to their locker rooms.
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Needing their A-game in the next 20 minutes to pull off a miracle comeback, the defense for the Hall completely fell flat. UConn poured in 47 points, shooting 62% from the field and 50% from behind the arc. Meanwhile, the Pirates struggled from three-point range, going 2-of-9 in the second half.
Two things stand out in this game. Number one was how dominant UConn was in the paint. They had 52 of their 91 points from the paint and outrebounded Seton Hall 38-to-26. The Pirates have plenty of talented rebounders like Davis, Kadary Richmond, and Jaden Bediako. Those three combined for just 13 boards. But to be fair, it’s hard to get rebounds when UConn refuses to miss shots.
The second thing is the difference in the assist numbers. Seton Hall, while being in the bottom half of the Big East for assists per game, still averages close to 14 per game. Today, the Pirates managed just four while UConn piled on 23, including 10 from Tristen Newton. It was a mix of not being able to move the ball efficiently and not being able to make shots when they did get open looks.
The bright spot of the team today was undoubtedly Dre Davis, who had 20 points on 60% from the field. In doing so, he reached 1,000 career points. But now, the Pirates find themselves in a less than favorable position. In order to keep their tournament hopes alive, winning out at home against Villanova and DePaul is basically a necessity. That along with making some noise in the Big East Tournament is critical to making at least the First Four.
All eyes will be on the Pirates come Wednesday at home against the Villanova Wildcats. This might be the most important game that the Pirates have had in the last handful of seasons. Seton Hall still controls their own destiny, now they just have to right the ship and get ready for a battle in Newark.