HALL OF HORRORS
Ugly run keeps going with loss
The warning signs have been there. Poor starts and inconsistent play, incomplete victories and blowout losses, a benching and a suspension have all plagued Seton Hall.
A senior-heavy team with big March expectations isn’t supposed to have these issues, not in the middle of January. But here is Seton Hall, despite all the preseason hype and the once-lofty No. 13 ranking, reaching a crossroads in its season.
The latest disappointment came Saturday afternoon against No. 11 Xavier in front of a sold-out crowd at Prudential Center, losing a game it led for the better part of 35 minutes. The four core Pirates seniors watching an opposing senior, J.P. Macura, make every big play late in a 73-64 victory.
“I feel like they wanted to win more,” said senior Khadeen Carrington, after making just 5-of-19 shots as No. 19 Seton Hall lost for the third time in four games, and will almost certainly drop out of the national polls for the first time in seven weeks. “It’s mental toughness and finishing defensive plays. I’m not sure what it is.”
The Pirates (15-5, 4-3 Big East) led by 10 early in the second half and were up five with 6:46 left. Macura, hearing derisive chants the entire afternoon from the Seton Hall student section, owned the rest of the afternoon, spearheading a game-clinching 15-3 spurt he capped with an acrobatic follow slam to quiet the capacity crowd. But it wasn’t just the big shots he made, and he hit plenty. It was his hustle plays, getting to the 50/50 balls before the Pirates. In the run, he had seven points, two rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
“I think we gave that one away,” Carrington said. “We could’ve done a lot of things down the stretch differently.”
The Pirates seniors struggled down the stretch. Carrington missed eight of his last nine field-goal attempts, and has missed his past 17 3-pointers. Coming off his benching against Creighton, Desi Rodriguez scored 19 points, but had seven of his team’s 18 turnovers, which led to 21 Xavier (16-3, 6-2) points. Angel Delgado (eight points, 18 rebounds) got just nine shots attempts, and has scored just 34 points combined in the last four games, as opponents have forced the Pirates to beat them from the perimeter.
“Right now with the way teams are playing us, it’s good that we have a bye week,” coach Kevin Willard said. “We gotta make an adjustment.”