Seton Hall hits crisis point after Nova mauling
PHILADELPHIA — The first half was ugly. The second half wasn’t competitive. And now Seton Hall, following this 76-46 decimation at the hands of Villanova at The Pavilion on Monday night, has reached an early crossroads in its season.
The Pirates began their three-game road trip in fine shape to return to the NCAA Tournament, and it ended in demoralizing fashion, one loss worse than the next. The rematch of last year’s Big East Tournament title game was over a few minutes after it started, Seton Hall digging another big early hole. Unlike the previous two losses, at Marquette and Providence, there was no rally.
“They came out to kick our ass, and we weren’t prepared for that,” junior guard Khadeen Carrington said.
The loss was the worst of the Kevin Willard era, surpassing a 28-point defeat at DePaul in March 3, 2012. It was also the 15th straight road loss for Seton Hall at Villanova, dating to 1994.
Few teams can withstand a big deficit against the topranked Wildcats, who exposed the Pirates’ weaknesses, predominantly the lack of a capable point guard and their limited scoring options. Most worrisome, Villanova (18-1, 6-1 Big East) was the hungrier team, out-hustling Seton Hall, winning the 50/50 balls, just two days after Willard called out his team’s lack of effort. Willard backed off his harsh assessment Monday, instead faulting the league for a brutal stretch of three road games in six days.
“I felt like I was back in the NBA, third game in six days. Sometimes, you just get your doors blown off,” said Willard, who worked for Rick Pitino with the Celtics. “This is not the NBA. I know we have an associate commissioner [in Stu Jackson who used to be in the NBA], who thinks three games in six days is a good idea. But college kids are not used to playing that.”
The Pirates committed 16 turnovers, shot just 29 percent from the field, and were beaten on the glass, rebounding being their strong suit, 39-33. Desi Rodriguez led Seton Hall with 15 points while leading scorers Angel Delgado and Carrington combined for just 14 points. Kris Jenkins had 16 for Villanova and Jalen Brunson notched 13 points and six assists.
“This is them being a really, really good basketball team, us being a very tired basketball team,” Willard said.
Seton Hall (12-6, 2-4) has fallen so far in the past six days, rebuilding rival St. John’s now sits ahead of the Pirates in the Big East standings. The two locals meet Sunday at Prudential Center, a must-win game if the Pirates have any plans of returning to the NCAA Tournament.
“All it takes is one win to get you back on track,” Carrington said. “We got to change directions right now. This is the time to do it.”