Seton Hall didn’t have much of an argument for being ranked in the top 25 going into Wednesday’s game against No. 15 St. John’s. The Pirates had lost to two of the three best opponents on their schedule.
They significantly improved their case after beating the Red Storm 78-67 to open Big East Conference play and doing it without, perhaps, their best player, Isaiah Whitehead, who is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his foot.
If Seton Hall can follow up with another win, or at least a solid performance, against undefeated No. 6 Villanova on Saturday, coach Kevin Willard might have to evolve from coaching an up-and-coming group to suddenly managing expectations. \
Willard started the season with a 66-66 career mark at Seton Hall in four seasons and a 24-48 record in conference games. Starting 11-2 with a victory over a ranked Big East opponent to open league play is a nice way to take some of the pressure off.
Could this finally be the year Seton Hall gets back to the NCAA tournament and Willard gets that monkey off his back? The Pirates aren’t quite to that bridge yet.
Still, it has to be encouraging for patient Seton Hall fans to see their team come together and play cohesively without Whitehead. Forward Angel Delgado was a beast on the boards collecting 12 rebounds to go with his 13 points and d Jaren Sina dropped some timely 3-pointers to keep the Red Storm at bay.
Three other players also scored in double figures fro Willard, led by guard Sterling Gibbs’ 25 points. Willard clearly has options when it comes to putting the ball in the basket and his team seems to like a high-pressure defensive style. Having depth in the backcourt has been a blessing in the wake of Whitehead’s injury and it helped take down St. John’s.
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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at kyle.ringo@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo
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