Seton Hall basketball romped at Marquette, has back to the wall
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Seton Hall basketball has opened the Big East schedule 0-3 for the first time since 2009-10, Bobby Gonzalez’s last season at the helm.
After Tuesday’s 83-69 shellacking at Marquette, the Pirates (7-7 overall, 0-3 Big East) are staring at a must-win situation when St. John’s visits Prudential Center Saturday.
Marquette (10-4, 2-1), which has beaten the Hall three straight times since Shaka Smart took the reins, jumped out to a 16-5 lead and controlled things from there.
“Don't know how we start the game like this,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway told his team in a first-half huddle, as broadcast on Fox Sports 1. “There is no sense of urgency with this team at all…We have too many older guys to be playing the way we are."
THREE THOUGHTS
1. Starting lineup backfired
Holloway has been tinkering with his starting five in an effort to find the right combination. Starting Dre Davis for KC Ndefo was not it. The Hall fell into a 13-5 hole with Davis, Kadary Richmond, Al Dawes, Femi Odukale and Tyrese Samuel on the floor. Only when the second unit came in, led by Ndefo and Tray Jackson, did the contest stabilize.
Ndefo tallied 6 points, 3 blocks and 2 rebounds in his first six minutes of action. He needs to be on the floor at the tip. Holloway recognized this, sending him and Jackson out there to start the second half over Davis and Samuel.
2. Defensive meltdown
It’s one thing to lose games because you miss shots. That’s been the issue most of this season and remained unsightly here; the Hall shot 12-of-22 from the free-throw line (54 percent) and 7-of-23 from 3-point range (30 percent). But the larger problem vs. Marquette was on the other end. There is no way the scouting report was to push the ball and go shot for shot with the explosive Golden Eagles. Possessions needed to be deliberate and grinding, not rushed (think the game at Rutgers).
Marquette outscored the Hall 18-6 in points off turnovers, shot 54 percent from the field and racked up 46 points in the paint. And Seton Hall only turned the Golden Eagles over seven times. Marquette's ball movement cut the Pirates to shreds.
It seems like this squad lost its composure. Did the gut-wrenching losses against Providence and Xavier break them? It’s too long of a season for that. One hallmark of Kevin Willard’s tenure was the team’s ability to bounce back from rough stretches. It’s on Holloway to figure this out.
3. We’ve reached The Alamo
It’s do or die vs. St. John’s (11-2 overall, 1-1 Big East) Saturday at noon (Fox Sports 1). The Johnnies have won just once ever at the Prudential Center, and that was a one-point decision in an empty arena during a 2014 snowstorm. Yes, the aforementioned 2009-10 Pirates started 0-4 and finished 9-9 in the league, but that still wasn’t good enough to Dance.
The game is trending toward a lower-bowl sellout (10,500). No excuses for a slow start or unfocused effort.
3 QUOTES
From assistant coach Ryan Whalen’s postgame radio interview (Holloway passed the responsibility to Whalen for this game).
On the defense: “A lot of times we were disconnected defensively. We were locked in on the wrong things. That will get better. It will. When you let a team make nine 3-pointers and shoot 54 percent from the floor, you’re not going to win basketball games like that…I know we talked about this after the Rutgers game -- defense has to carry us. Defense has to be our bread and butter.”
On the lineup changes: “With guys coming off injuries, we’re still trying to learn this team and they’re still trying to learn us. There’s no excuses, but we’re still trying to see what lineups work for us.”
On freshman Jaquan Sanders getting 19 minutes: “His shot wasn’t falling tonight (he was 1-for-5) but he’s a shot-maker. The more shots he gets, it’s going to fall.”
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball romped at Marquette, backs to the wall
