Seton Hall basketball’s ‘minutes’ problem on display in loss at Xavier
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On Wednesday, Seton Hall basketball was the toast of college basketball.
On Saturday, the Pirates were roadkill.
After stunning fifth-ranked UConn by 15 points at home, they got walloped 74-54 at Xavier.
The Hall (8-5 overall, 1-1 Big East) was led by 18 points from senior wing Dre Davis but shot just 32 percent from the field.
Xavier (7-6, 1-1) shot 10-of-20 from 3-point range (50 percent) and handed out 25 assists on 31 buckets while committing just nine turnovers.
3 THOUGHTS
1-Seton Hall has a minutes problem.
Out of necessity, Holloway emptied the tank in wins over Missouri and UConn over the past week. Three games against quality opponents in seven days, two of them halfway across the country, caught up with everyone’s legs – and perhaps their heads as well (see Holloway’s comments below).
The only way this problem gets solved is for some serviceable subs to develop beyond freshman Isaiah Coleman. Holloway has to figure this out on the fly.
2. It’s when you play them.
The adage “it’s not who you play, it’s when you play them,” fits here. Xavier got bodied by St. John’s Wednesday and came home on a mission. Seton Hall shocked the world vs. UConn and then had to travel two days before Christmas. Strange things happen in this sport, but what took place here is not rocket science.
3. Will the real Pirates stand up?
Shooting the lights out against Missouri might have been fool’s gold, but Seton Hall should be able to bottle the toughness and discipline on display against UConn and deploy it after a 10-day break. Winning one of the next two – at Providence Jan. 3 and Marquette at home Jan. 6 – is a must to keep the chains moving. Tall order, but so was UConn.
3 QUOTES
From Shaheen Holloway’s postgame radio interview.
1. On the Pirates’ attitude: “They played desperate, they played hungry, and we played satisfied…I saw it in practice the last two days; everybody was hurt and nobody practiced…They seemed satisfied and looking forward to the break and resting their bodies. I know I’m playing guys a lot of minutes, right? I get it, these guys are playing a lot of minutes, but if these guys hope to play at the next level it’s going to be the same way.”
2. On the offense’s struggles: “They played physical and we didn’t match their physicality. We were crying and looking for bail-outs by the referee. This is Big East basketball, man.”
3. On why he pulled starting center Jaden Bediako before the under-16 timeout for backup Elijah Hutchins-Everett: “I thought that JB didn’t come out with the intensity and fight that he normally comes out with.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
Read More: Seton Hall basketball’s ‘minutes’ problem on display in loss at Xavier 2023-12-23 21:43:41