Pirates’ stifling of Villanova a reminder of just who Seton Hall is

Shaheen Holloway exults as Seton Hall moved closer to NCAA Tournament after win over Villanova Wednesday. (Photo by Vincent Carchietta/USA Today Sports Images)

NEWARK, N.J. — Wednesday’s penultimate regular season contest was the definition of a must-win game for Seton Hall, something Shaheen Holloway clarified and embraced minutes after the final buzzer.

After a two-game road trip that resulted in blowout losses to Creighton and UConn put a significant dent in his team’s already tenuous resume, it was imperative that the Pirates stopped the bleeding against longtime adversary Villanova, itself responsible for one of the black marks on the Seton Hall ledger.

And on the heels of two days of pregame practices described by both Holloway and Kadary Richmond as chippy, the message was received, and carried out to the letter for the majority of Seton Hall’s 66-56 victory over the visiting Wildcats.

“I look at every game as a must-win game this time of year,” the coach shamelessly declared as his Pirates improved to 19-11 for the year and 12-7 in Big East play, with only bottom-feeding DePaul standing between Seton Hall and a likely NCAA Tournament appearance. “I don’t look at it and say, ‘okay, we need to win this game more than that game.’ Obviously we want to come back and play better than we played the last two games on the road, right?”

Outside of the first four minutes, when Villanova got off to a torrid pace and threatened to repeat last month’s 26-point drubbing of the Pirates, Seton Hall took the fight to its guests and refused to relent.

“This is the Big East, right?” Jaden Bediako remarked after he battled his way to a double-double and made life difficult for Villanova big man Eric Dixon. “Every game’s physical. This is no different. They told us from the get-go that it was going to be a physical game, like it always is. Good old Big East basketball, that’s all I’m going to say about that.”

Bediako’s rock-solid presence under the rim is a major contribution to the Pirates being constructed and honed in Holloway’s own image, a senior stalwart unfazed by the beating and banging under the boards. The Canadian has been one of the many glue guys this season, and although no awards are bestowed upon unheralded pickups in the transfer portal, the Santa Clara castoff is certainly one of the bigger hits in the madness of the offseason.

“Jaden understands who he is,” Holloway said, unveiling the simple secret to his center’s success. “He’s not trying to do things he can’t do. He sets screens, gets offensive rebounds, rolls to the basket when we get him some shots, plays hard defensively. He’s embraced his role, and when you have a guy who embraces his role, that’s what happens.”

“I’ve been seeing it since June,” Richmond added. “I’m just glad you guys got to see it, too.”

Richmond, as he has been for most of the year, also played a part in the story behind the victory. Leaving the court against his will due to a cramp early in the second half that looked much worse than it actually was, the point guard returned about a minute later to finish the job. The resilience of Richmond, and to a similar extent, Al-Amir Dawes and Dre Davis, is the driving force in Seton Hall arriving — returning, actually — to the national stage somewhat ahead of schedule. But in an era where quick fixes are en vogue, experience and cohesiveness remains undefeated.

“Those three guys believed in my vision, believed in what I was selling and talking about,” Holloway shared. “And they came back. When I took over the program, everybody was saying it was a rebuild and everybody wanted to win right away.”

“I never talked about a rebuild. I never talked about any of that. I just go out there and just coach. They helped because they came in and understood my vision, they understood me and they put up with a lot of my stuff.”

With one more game before Seton Hall’s Big East tournament run begins a week from today, the Pirates are fully aware of what they are up against. The time for rah-rah tactics and pep talks has come and gone, replaced now by an innate sense to meet the moment head-on and define it, not let it define them.

“There was no speech,” Richmond said of his team’s situation. “I’m pretty sure everybody in the locker room knows what time it is and what we have to do, so that’s all there is.”