Seton Hall Basketball: Why Pirates deserve to be an NCAA Tournament team

Their Big East play was outstanding

Going 13-7 in one of the toughest conferences in the nation is no easy task, and their fourth-place finish should not be taken lightly. Yes, a lot of it was accomplished early in conference play, but they have some great wins on their plate.

The main win that sticks out is the 75-60 victory over the UConn Huskies, a win that should not be taken lightly, especially if the Huskies end up as Big East Tournament champions. There is the context that Donovan Clingan was injured in that game, and the Huskies did get their revenge by 30 up at Gampel. But this win is still a win that should matter a lot more than Seton Hall is being given credit for.

They also have victories over Marquette, Butler, St. John's, and Providence that all end up as Quad 1 wins, an area where they are 5-7. You would have wanted them to take down Creighton but that was a few plays in a 3OT game away from happening.

If they were to have won that game, and you can argue that a couple of calls should have gone their way, then their bubble status would not even be a discussion. They did miss some opportunities to solidify themselves down the stretch, but that is all in the past now. Either way, their resume shows they can match up with most teams in the nation, and competed strongly against their Big East peers.