Big East Basketball: 5 biggest questions for rest of 2019-20 season
4. Will Seton Hall ultimately make the NCAA Tournament?
*Note: Some of these answers were submitted before the news that Myles Powell would return for the game against DePaul. Keep that in mind for answers 4 and 5
Washington
Jury is still out. Great win at home against Maryland but if the Pirates don’t get Myles Powell and Sandro Mamukelashvili, they could be in trouble. The first five conference games will tell us a lot. The Pirates have DePaul (road), Georgetown, Xavier (road), Marquette, and Butler (road). If they can go 3-2 in that stretch and be on their way to getting healthy, they’ll have a chance.
Foley
Yes. If Myles Powell can remain healthy for the rest of the season – he has suffered multiple injuries thus far – the Pirates should be able to post at least a .500 record in the Big East, which should be good enough to go dancing. I was considerably lower on the Pirates entering 2019-20 than seemingly the entire nation, but the close defeats to Michigan State and Oregon, and the surprising win over Maryland did prove SHU’s mettle and defensive fortitude.
Fortunately, the first half of Seton Hall’s Big East slate is much easier than the second half. If Powell, Quincy McKnight, and co. can rack up some early conference wins, the Pirates should be able to damage when Sandro Mamukelashvili returns for that final postseason push. With four non-conference losses, though, Seton Hall’s margin for error is a little slimmer than desired.
Harkins
I also think the answer is yes. I have my concerns regarding how the team will perform offensively without Sandro Mamukeshlavili as the secondary scorer, but the Pirates are one of the best defensive teams in the conference. Even though the Big East loves to let it fly from distance, many teams also aggressively attack the basket in hopes of finishing or drawing contact. That simply won’t work against the Pirates, who boast two shot-blocking 7-footers in Romaro Gill and Ike Obiagu. This team protects the paint at an elite level. They also boast some dude by the name of Myles Powell – I’ve heard he’s alright.
Mullen
No, Seton Hall will not make the tournament. They’re you’re typical middle of the road, no consistency team who always beats the opponents they’re supposed to but, in their current makeup, they cannot win those toss-up games or ranked games. Teams have to be able to win those even-handed games or games against ranked opponents to gain momentum, add a quality win to their resume, and build confidence.
Seton Hall does have one win against a ranked Maryland team recently. However, they’ve experienced losses against top-10 Oregon, top-15 Michigan State, and unranked Rutgers. I just do not see how they will make the tournament with a plethora of other quality basketball teams in the Big East.
Gerena
Seton Hall will make the NCAA Tournament. They have enough quality non-conference wins(Maryland, Iowa State, Saint Louis) to cover themselves from any “bad” performances from their non-conference schedule. The Pirates have proven that they do not need neither Myles Powell nor Sandro Mamukelashvili to win big games, and once he comes back the team will be even stronger. In the end, Seton Hall was never in any danger of missing the tournament, it was just an overreaction of them losing at Iowa State and Rutgers by double digits. Don’t be surprised to see them back in the top 25 by mid-January.