NEWARK, N.J. — It was a matchup that was highly anticipated all offseason long since a debacle of a Big East Tournament semifinal game at the Garden last March. There was bad blood after Seton Hall edged Marquette in that contest, a foul-filled, physical war that ended up with a Pirate win, but without anyone really happy about it on either side.
After a chippy start that saw Marquette race out to a double-digit lead on Saturday, however, Seton Hall turned up the screws on defense, and surged forward to its sixth straight win by a final score of 69-55 at Prudential Center.
Here are the Thoughts:
Myles Powell and Markus Howard combined for 50 points Saturday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
1. Living On A Lighted Stage
The promoting of this game could not have been easier to do: Markus Howard and Marquette vs. Myles Powell and Seton Hall. The two Associated Press Preseason All-Americans went tit-for-tat all game long, with each one displaying exactly why they have received such accolades from all sources. It was Howard who got things started, scoring 11 of Marquette's first 14 points while finally having a decent shooting night against the Pirates after struggling in all three meetings last year.
For Powell, it was more gradual, but he eventually put up his 23 points. He had an off night from the floor, going 8-for-22 and just 2-11 from three, but he did other things as well, notably leading the Pirates in rebounds with seven. In fact, before he even scored a point, he recorded a block on Marquette big man Theo John, and also ended up with three steals at the end of a well-rounded performance.
There's a healthy respect between the two scorers, who embraced after the game.
"We just said a quick prayer together," Powell said after the game. "That's my guy. We told each other we love each other, and I want to keep seeing him succeed."
"I just told (Pirates radio broadcaster) Gary Cohen that I would have paid to come watch those two guys play," Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard said. "Especially since they've been doing it at such a high level their whole careers. It’s not just a flash in the pan.
"Markus Howard is as good a player in college basketball as there's been in a long time, and obviously I'm going to be biased, but I think Myles Powell is arguably the best player in college basketball," Willard added. "So when you get the chance to watch those two guys play in a high-level game with their teams playing hard, I think it's pretty fun."
But after pouring in his 21st, 22nd and 23rd point on a three-pointer that drew the Golden Eagles within 45-43 at the 14:41 mark in the second half, Howard was limited to just four points the rest of the way on 1-for-8 shooting. How in the world did that happen?
2. His Reserve, A (Not So) Quiet Defense
Shavar Reynolds’ defense of Markus Howard led to offensive chances for Seton Hall. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
Let's talk about Shavar Reynolds. As Pirate fans know, the junior guard joined the program as a walk-on, was upgraded to a scholarship player after his freshman year, and has certainly had his moments in the sun since then, notably a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer against St. John's last year.
But he's had no greater game on the defensive end than the one he had today. With Seton Hall down 11 points with about 10 minutes gone in the first half, Reynolds changed the entire game with his defensive energy. It allowed the Pirates to turn Marquette over, and score off those turnovers to get right back in the game and eventually lead at halftime by three.
Then, in the second half, he took on the All-American Howard head-on, and continued to affect the game on the defensive end just by staying glued to his assignment.
"First, I'd like to say that it's about time Shavar guarded somebody else like that," Powell said. "I get that treatment every day in practice. So to see him come out and make someone else work like that, I'm happy for him. I feel like he's starting to make a name for himself."
How many times have I seen a box score where a player plays 18-19 minutes off the bench, scores just five points, and yet leads the entire box score in plus-minus with a plus-twenty-one? That would probably be zero times.
"He's on scholarship for a reason, he's a good player," Willard said. "Is he Myles Powell? No, but he brings a lot of intangibles that don't show up on stat sheets. And he's a terrific kid, too. I've always loved him because I can put him out there defensively on anybody."
3. Drawn Like Moths...
Seton Hall and Marquette were tied at 45-all after Marquette went on a 7-0 run. The Pirates were in need of a spark.
And it was Anthony Nelson that gave it to them. The sophomore point guard orchestrated a game-breaking 11-0 run with brilliant precision, driving into the paint to suck the defense in like moths to a flame before dishing to a teammate for an open look, or scoring for himself. He either scored or assisted on every one of the first nine points of the run, leading the second unit to arguably their finest stretch of play all year (more to come in a second).
"It was 45-45 and they had (Jayce) Johnson in the game, so I wanted to go at him," Willard said. “Ant's our best bet with pick-and-rolls, and I thought he did a great job of getting in the lane and finding guys, and change the complexion of what we were doing offensively."
4. Seems To Me It's Chemistry
It wasn't just Nelson and Reynolds who played great today from the Pirates' bench. Tyrese Samuel and Ike Obiagu also had a big hand in Seton Hall's big second-half run.
Here's the play-by-play of the run itself, with the Pirates in bold:
Nelson made jumper
Howard missed jumper, Seton Hall team rebound
Reynolds made 3-pointer (Assist: Nelson)
Bailey missed jumper, rebound Samuel
Nelson made layup
Howard missed 3-pointer, rebound Samuel
Obiagu made jumper (Assist: Nelson)
Timeout Marquette
Nelson missed 3-pointer
Offensive rebound Obiagu
Samuel made dunk
What a sequence. It won the Pirates the game in a contest that could have gone either way at that point, and as usual, it was borne out of practice.
"Tyrese, Ike, Shavar and Ant, those guys all play with each other in practice, so I have a lot of confidence in them out there," Willard said. "They're very familiar with each other. I think that's one thing about why I mass sub, sometimes I put guys out there and they haven't played with each other. Those four guys play with each other every day, and have a good feel for each other."
5. Tough Times Demand Tough Talk, Demand Tough Hearts...
This is the best start to Big East play the Pirates have had in 27 years, the only other time they began 4-0 in the conference was the 1992-93 season, the Glory Days of the program that spawned the uniforms the Pirates wear pretty much every single game. That team won both the Big East regular season and tournament titles as well.
But next on the docket is yet another tall task. The Butler Bulldogs have lost only once the entire season, and are one of the top teams in the country right now. Hinkle Fieldhouse will be a madhouse as the Pirates and Bulldogs battle for first place in the Big East on Wednesday night.
And if there's one thing I know, it's that both teams better bring their hard hats and lunch pails to the arena, because I can almost guarantee that it's going to be that type of game between two programs who pride themselves on toughness.
"This is a big one," Willard said. "Just because tonight you had Markus and Myles and now you're going to have Kamar (Baldwin) and Myles go at it in one of the best venues in college basketball. (Butler) is really good. They aren't just Kamar Baldwin, they have guys that can get at you, and they are as good defensively as anybody in the country."
"We have to stay consistent," Reynolds commented. "Knowing that we're two tough teams, and we're playing on the road as well, we have to make sure we bring our toughness and our grit."
"This is what you come to this conference for," Powell added. "This is what you want to play high-level basketball for. They'll probably be top-five when we go there. We get another chance at beating a top-five team. We slipped up against Oregon and Michigan State, but I feel like we learned a lot from that. We're battle-tested now, so I have a lot of confidence going on the road with this team."
Tipoff on Wednesday night is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. eastern time as the Pirates look to make it lucky number seven in a row in Indianapolis
Note: The Thoughts today are dedicated to the late Neil Peart, lyricist and drummer for Rush (the author's favorite band), who passed away Friday. May he rest in peace.
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