Hall shows off Top-25 chops
Seton Hall plans to remain ranked this time. One week out of the Top 25 was enough. After returning at No. 19 following wins over Texas Tech and Louisville, the Pirates were hardly content.
If anything, they looked more determined, putting together one of their best performances of the early season, a 90-67 dismantling of VCU at the Prudential Center on Saturday afternoon in the Never Forget Tribute Classic.
“I’ve talked about things given and things earned, and in life, you’re going to appreciate things that are earned more than things that are given,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said.
It was a thorough victory, complete in all phases. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Desi Rodriguez’s 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Angel Delgado followed with his sixth doubledouble of the season, 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Myles Powell scored 16 points. Seton Hall (8-1) committed just 12 turnovers against VCU’s vaunted pressure defense as Khadeen Carrington adeptly handled the press. The Pirates held the Rams (5-5) to 38 percent shooting and they owned the paint, 52-30.
“We have so many weapons,” Delgado said. “When you have that many weapons, it’s easy to play basketball.”
Seton Hall broke the game open with a 17-3 first-half run, pushing a tenuous two-point lead to a 16-point bulge that was emblematic of the easy afternoon victory.
The Pirates are primed to move even further up the rankings after a week full of upsets. The last time they were ranked higher than No. 19 was the 2000-01 season, when Seton Hall was as high as No. 7.
Hamidou Diallo left his Queens home 3 ¹/2 years ago to pursue his dream, believing it was the right path to making basketball his career. It was a difficult decision, moving out on his own and attending prep powerhouse Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy.
He returned on Saturday, playing his first organized basketball game in the city since leaving, and showed friends and family how much he has grown, and what a wise decision it was for him to go away in the first place.
In his Madison Square Garden debut, the 6-foot-5 wing had a homecoming he couldn’t have scripted any better. Diallo poured in a career-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting in front of up to 25 family members and friends, as No. 8 Kentucky hammered Monmouth, 93-76, in the Citi Hoops Classic, improving to 8-1 with its sixth straight win.
“I mean, it’s just a blessing,” Diallo said. “This is my first time playing at the Garden, so coming from New York City, that’s every kid’s dream.”
Deion Hammond led Monmouth (3-7) with 19 points and Micah Seaborn had 18 for the Hawks.