Seton Hall Basketball: It is now or never time for the Pirates

Seton Hall basketball is on the verge of saying goodbye to one of their best individual senior classes ever. Now is the time for the Pirates to make a run.

At the end of every NCAA Tournament game, one team moves forward while the other waves an emotional goodbye to the seniors who brought the program to these heights. Seton Hall will be no exception to those rules this month.

For the Pirates, however, that goodbye may be the hardest among the 68 teams going for the gold in the NCAA Tournament. That motivation may keep Seton Hall afloat through the coming challenges. Seton Hall is set to graduate four of their top five scorers after the season. This core brought the Pirates to their biggest successes in a decade, making their first NCAA Tournament in 10 years last season and winning their first conference tournament in a quarter century in the process.

This is the first time the Pirates have made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since the early ’90s. Desi Rodriguez averaged 17.8 points per game, leading the Pirates in scoring and making the All-Big East Second Team. Khadeen Carrington was part of that conversation before the year, rewarding Seton Hall with 14.9 points per game. Ismael Sanogo did the dirty for the team, as the Newark native always has.

Then, there’s Angel Delgado. He led the NCAA in rebounding last season, only to turn down NBA riches and return for his senior year. Delgado made the All-Big East Second Team this season, averaging a double-double for the second consecutive year. He belongs alongside Isaiah Whitehead as one of the program’s most important players of the 21st century.

After this season, there’s a very realistic chance the Pirates can take a step back as they begin to rebuild the program. There’s no reason for this season to end yet, though. As a No. 8 seed, Seton Hall can be considered a slight favorite against the No. 9 NC State Wolfpack. That game is set for 4:30 p.m. ET on Thursday afternoon.

Kansas will likely await the winner.

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Seton Hall needs to pull on their veteran leadership to give the school an NCAA Tournament run they’ll never forget.