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Seton Hall’s Struggles: What Went Wrong?

By Alex Miller

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On Monday night, Seton Hall traveled to Villanova in search of a victory that would turn their season around – The Pirates had lost 8 of their last 11 games and had gone from a virtual NCAA tournament lock to barely a bubble team. Instead, what they found was a blowout that culminated with star guard Sterling Gibbs punching Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono.

That punch may very well have been the death blow to Seton Hall’s season. Gibbs, who was the Pirates’ leading scorer, averaging 16.7 ppg, was ejected from the game, and suspended 2 games by Seton Hall earlier today. He did, however, seem apologetic on Twitter after the game, tweeting out the following:

Even without the suspension of it’s best player, Seton Hall’s season was likely over despite a great start to the year. The Pirates were sitting at 12-2 after handing Villanova their first loss of the season and had ascended to 19th in both the AP and Coaches polls. The Pirates were sharing the ball and playing like a team – they looked primed for their first NCAA tournament berth since 2006. Flash forward to today, and it’s a different story.

Chemistry issues began to pop up between the upperclassmen and the newcomers on the team. Senior forward Brandon Mobley told reporters after a loss to Marquette that he felt some of his teammates were more concerned with their individual stat lines than winning. Then, Gibbs and freshman Isaiah Whitehead got into an argument during a timeout in a recent loss to Georgetown. But the issue really came to a forefront when Sophomore guard Jaren Sina decided to transfer from the program last week. Sina was a starter averaging 32 minutes per contest. For someone who got that much playing time on a team with NCAA tournament aspirations to transfer this late in the season, speaks to how much discontent there has been in the locker room since their hot start.

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The Pirates inability to distribute the ball and play together has led to their 3-9 record since early January, including two losses to DePaul and that home loss to Marquette. The collapse has put head coach Kevin Willard, now in his fifth year at the helm, squarely on the hot seat.  With Gibbs out for the next two games, it’s unlikely they’ll be able to right the ship and turn their season around.

The Pirates travel to St. John’s, return home for games against Creighton and Providence and finish the year at Georgetown, so they could conceivably fight their way back on to the bubble, but that might be asking a little too much for a team that appears to have hit rock bottom.

Instead, they might be headed for an NIT berth, more transfers in the offseason, and most likely, a new coach.

Next: How Dangerous Is Villanova?

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