Can PC Repeat the Winning Formula from Georgetown Game to Seton Hall on Tuesday?

Can PC Repeat the Winning Formula from Georgetown Game to Seton Hall on Tuesday?

The Friars have had some good outings this season in the Big East in their wins and even in some of their losses.  The UConn and Villanova losses come to mind. But the 78-68 win at home on Saturday may have been PC’s most satisfying Big East game of the season.

 

And I’m not talking about the satisfaction of beating PC’s former coach Ed Cooley. That drama is still part of these games against Georgetown and will likely be part of the PC-Georgetown rivalry for years to come.  My big take away from the win over Georgetown was the solid effort by the Friars from multiple players at both ends of the floor.  Here are some of the things that stood out for me:

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    - Assists outnumbered turnovers by a 14-8 margin.  PC, which had been averaging over 12 turnovers a game for the season, took care of the ball against a scrappy Hoya defense.

 

    - PC got solid games from its three big men in one game for the first time this year.  Only 2 total turnovers from Mela, Erhunmwunse, and Essandoko, 17 rebounds from them, and a nice 10-point contribution (the margin of the win) from Erhunmwunse.  Thanks to their combined effort, PC outrebounded the Hoyas 37-32, including grabbing 16 offensive boards.  While Mela had his first rough shooting game (1-11) of the season, he contributed 5 boards and 4 key assists.

 

    - Free throw shooting—the Friars hit 79% of their shots from the charity stripe against the Hoyas.  They had been averaging only 69% prior to this game.  In some games, they have been woeful at the line—hitting only 53% against DePaul and 50% against Marquette. If they had hit 79% of their free throws against St. John’s, they would have had a pivotal Big East win and sporting a 5-4 Big East record now.

 

    --In only 15 minutes of play, PC got 12 points for scoring contributions from Jabri Abdur-Rahim. He came to PC with a reputation as a 3-pt machine but has struggled most of the year.  Against the Hoyas, he was 2-3 from beyond the arc, a perfect 6-6 from the foul line, and no turnovers.  If he can be counted on to come off the bench for 15 minutes every game and contribute like that, it will be a huge benefit for this team.

 

Granted, the Friars couldn’t contain Georgetown’s freshman phenom, 6’10” Thomas Sorber, who had a monster game with 23 points and 15 boards.  But, hey, this dude is going to be the Big East rookie of the year and all Big East at the end of the season.  He reflects the kind of Cooley magic in recruiting that can make a difference in a team.  We’ll see if Cooley can keep him for at least one more year.

 

Seton Hall vs PC Preview

If PC can bring the same formula of success in the Georgetown game to the Seton Hall game—45%+ field goal shooting, less than 10 turnovers, more than 12 assists, 79% free throw shooting, and solid rebounding from its three big men, they should have no problem with Seton Hall in a New Jersey away game.

 

The Hall is having one of its toughest years in recent memory, with a 6-14 overall record and a dismal 1-8 Big East record.  Here’s the current tale of the tape for Seton Hall and PC.

 

 

The Friars are playing better than the Pirates in a number of areas—points, assists, rebounds, and in 3 pt shots made.  The Pirates, much like the Friars, are led by a three-guard offense—Isaiah Coleman (15.8 pts/game), Chauncey Jenkins (11.4 pts/game), and Dylan Addae-Wusu (9.6 pts/game.  Their best big man is Prince Aligbe, who only averages 7.2 pts/game and 3.6 rebounds/game.

 

The 6’5’’ sophomore Coleman is their main stud.  In addition to his scoring almost 16 points/game, he also leads the Hall in rebounds with 5.1/game.  He will be a tough guy for PC to guard as he is taller than PC’s starting guards.

 

Seton Hall has beaten DePaul for its only Big East win and played Butler (77-82) and Georgetown (60-61) close in two of its Big East losses.  But in their last 3 games, the Pirates have been hammered with losses to St. John’s (51-79), to Marquette (59-76), and to Creighton (54-78).

 

Seton Hall lost the battle of the transfer portal last year.  Their best player, Kadary Richmond, transferred to St. John’s, and they got Garway Dual from PC, who this season is averaging 4.1 pts/game while shooting 18% from 3-point land and 54.5% from the free throw line.

 

Seton Hall, who won 25 games last year, beat PC last year at home 61-57.  PC has already beaten Seton Hall at home this season 91-85. The Friars have a great chance to avenge last year’s away loss, to win two Big East games in a row, to reach a .500 record in the Big East, and to build momentum for their next game against St. John’s next Saturday.