Busting Brackets
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3 keys for Seton Hall Basketball to upset Xavier Musketeers in Big East clash

By Thomas J. Brown

Feb 8, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Seton Hall Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway talks with his team during a timeout in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2023; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Seton Hall Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway talks with his team during a timeout in the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tyrese Samuel #4 of the Seton Hall Basketball (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Tyrese Samuel #4 of the Seton Hall Basketball (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) /

Share the basketball!

The Seton Hall Pirates are averaging a paltry 12.0 assists per game. That statistic goes a long way into explaining why they are averaging a mere 68.3 points per contest. The best offensive teams are always the teams with the best passing and ball movement. If Seton Hall wants to compete with a high-octane offense like Xavier on Friday night, they are going to have to change their style of play and move the basketball to create open looks for everyone.

Seton Hall’s leader in assists this season is Junior Guard Kadary Richmond. He is averaging 4.1 assists per game. No one else on the roster is close to his average. In contrast, Xavier guards Colby Jones and Souley Boum are averaging 4.7 and 4.6 assists per contest respectively. As a team, the Musketeers are averaging 20.3 assists per night.

This elite level of ball movement creates shot opportunities for every player on the floor; that’s one of the reasons why Xavier leads the Big East in scoring. Seton Hall normally allows Al-Amir Dawes to look for his opportunities while expecting the others to feed off of his energy. That will not be a winning formula against Xavier; ball movement and team basketball will have to be the name of the game if the Pirates hope to prevail.

Even though they will be the home team on Friday night, the Seton Hall Pirates are the underdog against the Xavier Musketeers. Not only are the Musketeers one of the best teams in the Big East, but they are also ranked 16th in the Nation and expected to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. If the Pirates are able to pull off the upset, they will improve their seeding in the Big East Tournament and improve their case for consideration as a bubble team on Selection Sunday.

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In order to do so they must slow down the tempo of the game, commit to rebounding and share the basketball on offense. It will still be an uphill battle against the superbly talented Xavier Team, but every game is a battle in the Big East. If the Pirates are willing to make the necessary adjustments an upset victory in front of their hometown fans is a realistic possibility.

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