Oregon vs. Seton Hall: 2019-20 key storylines for Battle 4 Atlantis matchup

Oregon vs Seton Hall: 2019-20 key storylines for Battle 4 Atlantis matchup

PORTLAND, OREGON - NOVEMBER 12: Payton Pritchard #3 of the Oregon Ducks brings the ball up the court on Boogie Ellis #5 of the Memphis Tigers during the second half of the game at Moda Center on November 12, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. Oregon won the game 82-74. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

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NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – NOVEMBER 14: Sandro Mamukelashvili #23,Myles Powell #13 and Quincy McKnight #0 of the Seton Hall Pirates react to the loss to the Michigan State Spartans at Prudential Center on November 14, 2019 in Newark, New Jersey.The Michigan State Spartans defeated the Seton Hall Pirates 76-73. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

3. Seton Hall is for real

Your average college basketball fan is going to downgrade Seton Hall for not actually beating Michigan State on their home court. Especially after the Spartans fell to Virginia Tech in Maui. But Michigan State is a great team. Virginia Tech just couldn’t miss Monday afternoon. And if you watched the Pirates-Spartans game, you’ll know that it was a track meet. It had the feel of an elite eight game. It could easily be an elite eight match-up in March. Only one team can win those emotional elite eight games. Just ask Duke.

The Pirates only lost by three. Myles Powell dropped 37. The argument against comparing that to a Marquette game with Markus Howard is that Powell rarely ever runs the offense. The offense runs through him. Kevin Willard has a great team built around the All-American. McKnight had six assists and Nelson had five off the bench. That’s exactly how it should be.

The other Myles, Myles Cale had 12 with three triples. The big man Sandro had a healthy nine points. Romaro Gill blocked five shots and I’m pretty sure all of those came by the way of Xavier Tillman.

The biggest improvement Seton Hall needed was more touches to Sandro down low. That’s exactly what they did against Saint Louis. It was a road game against a decent Billiken team. It wasn’t the best night for McKnight passing, but he showed off that he can get into double-figures on any given game as well. The Pirates have three solid guys coming off the bench with two more that see time.

For having a guy that drops over 20 points per game, they are pretty balanced. Powell lets his point guards do their work, he knocks down shots when needed and makes sure the right player touches the ball for the situation.

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