Seton Hall basketball's 2022-23 schedule set

Shaheen Holloway's first Big East basketball game as Seton Hall's head coach will take place in the spotlight as the Pirates play host to defending conference champion Providence Dec. 17 on the main FOX network.

It's one of two FOX national broadcasts for the Hall. The other is a Feb. 17 trip to Connecticut.

Here is the Pirates' full schedule, followed by some analysis:

Wed., Nov. 9 vs. Monmouth, 8 p.m. (FS 1)

Sat., Nov. 12 vs. Saint Peter’s, noon (FS 2)

Wed., Nov. 16 vs. Iowa, 7:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sun., Nov. 20 vs. Wagner, 3 p.m. (FS1)

Thurs., Nov. 24 vs. Memphis in Orlando, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN News)

Fri., Nov. 25 vs. Oklahoma or Nebraska in Orlando

Sun., Nov. 27 vs. TBD in Orlando

Thur., Dec. 1 at Kansas, time TBA (network TBA)

Wed., Dec. 7 vs. Lincoln at Walsh Gym, 8:30 p.m. (FS2)

Sun., Dec. 11 at Rutgers, time TBA (network TBA)

Wed., Dec. 14 vs. Drexel, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., Dec. 17 vs. Providence, 12:30 p.m. (FOX)

Tues., Dec. 20 at Xavier, 8:30 p.m. (FS1)

Tues,, Dec. 27 at Marquette, 8 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., Dec. 31 vs. St. John’s, noon (FS1)

Tues., Jan. 3 at Creighton, 8:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., Jan. 7 vs. Butler, 8:30 (FS1)

Tues., Jan. 10 at Georgetown, 8:30 (FS1)

Sat., Jan. 14 at DePaul, noon (FS1)

Wed., Jan. 18 vs. Connecticut, 6:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., Jan. 21 vs. Marquette, time TBA (CBS SN)

Sat., Jan. 28 at Butler, 4 p.m. (FS1)

Wed., Feb. 1 at St. John’s/Carnesecca, 8:30 p.m. (CBS SN)

Sun., Feb. 5 vs. DePaul, noon (FS1)

Wed., Feb. 8 vs. Creighton, 6:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., Feb. 11 at Villanova/Wells Fargo, 8 p.m. (FS1)

Tues., Feb. 14 vs. Georgetown, 6 p.m. (CBS SN)

Sat., Feb. 18 at Connecticut/Gampel, noon (FOX)

Fri., Feb. 24 vs. Xavier, 7 p.m. (FS1)

Tues., Feb. 28 vs. Villanova, 8:30 p.m. (FS1)

Sat., March 4 at Providence, time TBA (network TBA)

4 TAKEAWAYS

1-Tough stretches: Five of the Hall’s first eight games are on the road but the biggest gauntlet is the final seven, which include two against Villanova, plus Big East favorite Creighton, at UConn and at Providence. That’s move-it-or-lose-it time.

2-St. John’s intrigue: Expect a big turnout for St. John’s at the Rock at noon on a New Year’s Eve Saturday. These teams played on Dec. 31 in 2014 (a Tuesday, attendance: 9,100) and 2017 (a Sunday, attendance: 8,500), with the former tipping at noon and the latter at 5 p.m. In the rematch, the Pirates will visit Carnesecca for the first time since 2015 (with fans in attendance).

3-Upper decker? If the Pirates play well early in the slate, you could see the Prudential Center's upper deck opened for Providence and St. John's. Athletic department officials will be monitoring early ticket sales closely. The decision has to be made about a month in advance.

4-Saturday blues: The Pirates’ final Saturday home game is Jan. 21. Not great because Saturdays are the marquee day for ticket sales and home-game atmosphere.

3 NON-CONFERENCE TAKEAWAYS

1-On paper, there are zero NET-drains.

The eight known Division I opponents all were ranked in Kenpom’s top 160 at last season’s end (Wagner was 149, Drexel 153 and Monmouth 158). Obviously that could shake out differently this season (Saint Peter’s is in rebuilding mode, for example), but this follows Kevin Willard’s formula for gaming the NET. Scheduling a bunch of 300-plus cupcakes drags your net down, especially if you don’t rout them. The Pirates won’t be feasting on low-majors.

Also, give Holloway credit for resuming the series with Saint Peter’s, which was a long-standing tradition before Willard shelved it. Most coaches who step from the mid-major to high-major ranks would rather chew tin foil than face their previous team. It’ll be an emotionally charged environment, but Holloway wanted to do right by the place that gave him a chance.

2. There’s a Division 2 opponent. Here's why.

Lincoln, in Pennsylvania, is where recently hired assistant Corey Lowery served as a head coach the past two seasons. While it’s never a great look for a high-major to schedule sub-Division I, the game does not impact the NET and, because it’s in Walsh Gym, won’t be tacked onto season-ticket holders’ bill. It’s basically an exhibition sandwiched between the two most anticipated non-conference games to avoid an unnatural 10-day layoff.

3. The Memphis game looms large.

A win in the opening round of the eight-team ESPN Events Invitational likely sets up a semifinal against Oklahoma, which is a much better opponent than a lousy Nebraska squad, and probably locks up a quality foe in the third game. The point of entering a Feast Week tournament is not just to roll up wins. It’s to build a resume.

More on Orlando

Memphis returns one starter from an overhyped team that went 22-11 and exited in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are bringing in five transfers, three of whom project to start (including star guard Kendric Davis, formerly of SMU).

The winner advances to face the winner of Oklahoma vs. Nebraska Nov. 25. Oklahoma returns two starters from a squad that finished 19-16 and advanced to the NIT's second round. The Sooners bring in an impact transfer in guard Grant Sherfield from Nevada. Nebraska was 10-22 last season and projects to be lousy again.

Florida State, Ole Miss, Stanford and Siena are on the other side of the bracket. The event is wide open. On paper, Florida State probably ranks as a slight favorite.

Showdown at Kansas

The Pirates' slate also includes the highest-profile non-conference game imaginable: A trip to defending national champion Kansas as part of the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The matchup will mark the Hall’s first trip to venerable Allen Fieldhouse. These programs have met three other times.

1988: Seton Hall prevailed 92-81 in the final of the Great Alaska Shootout thanks to 18 points from Andrew Gaze and 16 from Ramon Ramos.

2001: Seton Hall lost 80-62 in the fifth-place game of the Maui Invitational. Andre Barrett paced the Pirates with 18 points.

2018: Seton Hall fell 83-79 in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 in Wichita as Angel Delgado racked up 24 points and 23 rebounds.

The matchup is a sign that the powers-that-be consider the Pirates to be a noteworthy draw under Holloway. Last year they also had a prime matchup in this series, beating seventh-ranked Texas 64-60 at home.

More notes

There will be good story lines right off the bat. The Pirates open with Monmouth as Shaheen Holloway faces good friend King Rice in a rematch of the coaches who met in last March’s MAAC Tournament final. Then comes a visit from Holloway’s old team, Saint Peter’s, on Nov. 12 -- eight months after he guided the Cinderella Peacocks to the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight.

On Nov. 20 Wagner comes in under the leadership of former Hall assistant and point guard Donald Copeland, who’s in his first year at the helm.

In the Gavitt Games, which pits the Big East vs. the Big Ten, Seton Hall drew a home game against defending Big Ten Tournament champion Iowa, which appears to be headed for a transition season after losing stars Keegan Murray and Jordan Bohannon.

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's 2022-23 schedule set