On Sunday, DePaul came into Seton Hall to claim a dominant 96-65 victory, which put the Blue Demons at a perfect 5-0 in Big East play. DePaul coach Doug Bruno was the first to remind us that no championships have been secured, or as he said, “the conference regular season is a marathon.” If he sounds old school, that is fine - Bruno prefers taking them the traditional one at a time.
On the opposite side, Seton Hall’s situation reminded us of the demands of conference competition. The Pirates began with a great effort to defeat St. John’s in the conference opener. Since then, a lack of intensity and effort equal a three-game tailspin.
Conference play is not simply competing with teams and styles you are somewhat familiar with. It is a competitive situation with its own set of demands. At the risk of citing cliches, conference play dictates no nights off and coming to play night and and night out.
In Seton Hall’s case, the lengthy nature of the league schedule is an opportunistic situation. There is time to turn things around and get back on track. Right now, the good things are happening to DePaul, the other things to Seton Hall. There is time, but as Pirate coach Tony Bozzella noted, it’s all within the realm of the players. All part of the conference play dynamic.
The Seton Hall library, located across from historic Walsh Gymnasium:
DePaul coach Doug Bruno makes an in-game point:
Seton Hall coach Tony Bozzella studies the action:
The Seton Hall Sapphires in action:
Seton Hall's JaQuan Jackson makes the pass in the open court:
Lauren Prochaska directs the DePaul offense:
DePaul's Kelly Campbell, a product of St. John Vianney in New Jersey, takes a free throw break:
Ray with St. John Vianney coach Dawn Karpell, who was on hand to support Kelly Campbell:
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