5 Thoughts: Cale, Rhoden erupt to lead Seton Hall past Georgetown

 

Myles Cale exploded for career-high 30 points as Seton Hall got back in win column Wednesday. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

If I would have told you in the fall that Sandro Mamukelashvili would be a total non-factor for the Seton Hall Pirates, and yet they would lead by as many as 19 points in a Big East game and never have that lead seriously threatened, you probably would have thought I was crazy.

But that's exactly what happened, as Myles Cale and Jared Rhoden each had career nights as the Pirates jumped out to a sizable early lead and cruised to a 78-67 victory over the Hoyas, bouncing back after the heartbreaker against Providence this weekend.

Here are the thoughts:

1. Two-Man, Blue Man Group (Part 1)

No, that wasn't Myles Powell and this wasn't MSG, but it had that feel for the Pirates and Hoyas because Cale just could not be stopped. He poured in a career-high 30 points, shattering his previous high of 23, on 10-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-9 from deep. Not only was he locked in, he played with a level of confidence he's never shown before. He got a couple early shots to drop, and it was all downhill from there.

You could see a little swagger in the way that he was looking for his own shot in the second half, pulling up both off the catch and off the dribble with vigor. With Mamukelashvili saddled with foul trouble early, it was Cale who got the Pirates going, and then kept them going.

"What I liked about Myles tonight is that he stayed aggressive," head coach Kevin Willard said. "I think that's the biggest growth I've seen in Myles."

2. Two-Man, Blue Man Group (Part 2) 

Even with Cale's amazing game, the Pirates would have had a difficult time if not for Rhoden's 26 points and 12 rebounds, an effort which tied his career-best in points and set a new benchmark in boards. Rhoden did this on 10-of-19 shooting (3-of-7 from deep), and added four assists and a pair of steals. 

There were a couple instances that showed his maturity as well. With the Pirates up a comfortable margin in the second half, Rhoden caught a pass from Mamu behind the 3-point line, and was semi-open. If he had shot it from there, no one would have questioned the look. But instead, with a defender in the general area, he faked out the defender, and drove to the basket for a layup, plus got fouled in the process. Turning down a good shot for a great shot is something all coaches love to see.

The second time was when Georgetown had gone on a 9-0 run to cut the Pirates' lead to nine in the waning stages of the game. Rhoden had the ball in his hands with the shot clock winding down, but instead of tossing up a long two-pointer or settling for a three, he took two power dribbles to the elbow, rose up, and canned the mid-range jumper that has become a big part of his game. 

It was a critical basket to officially slam the door on the Hoyas, and showed just how far he's come. The scary thing for the rest of the Big East is that he's only getting better.

3. Ike's Block Party

Willard said after the game that part of Seton Hall’s game plan defensively was to chase the Hoyas off the 3-point line and make them go inside. However, when they went inside, all they found in the first half was 7'2" Ike Obiagu, and the big man feasted. Though he only scored four points in the game on two dunks, he blocked seven shots in the first 10 minutes, and almost ended up with the strangest double-double of nine rebounds and nine blocked shots.

"Ike's continuing to get better and better," Willard said. "He's improving, getting more confidence every game. I think (Georgetown) got a little hesitant getting around the rim, and that's what you want."

Obiagu was a pretty big reason the Pirates made the Hoyas' offense look bad in the opening stages of the game, getting them out to that early lead that they never relinquished. Obiagu became just the fourth Seton Hall player ever to record that many blocks in a game in the process, after Samuel Dalembert (twice), Eddie Griffin, and Glenn Mosley.

4. Aiken For Some Baskets

Bryce Aiken played 22 minutes off the Seton Hall bench tonight, and put up six assists against just two turnovers while looking smooth running the offense. He was moving well as he continues to work his way back into peak form following a twisted ankle.

The thing he hasn't gotten going yet is his shot- the graduate transfer shot just 1-for-9 from the floor and 0-for-5 from deep. Most of his misses from 3-point land were well beyond the arc, and a couple may have been a tad forced. But according to his teammates and coach, he can knock it down from that distance.

"He's shooting it with confidence," Cale said. "We'll take (him) stepping in and shooting it with confidence and without hesitating."

"I've seen Bryce make, like, ten shots behind the NBA line in practice," Rhoden added. 

The head coach in particular says that he's coming along.

"The last two days — yesterday's practice and today's game — have given me tremendous confidence in Bryce just from a standpoint of getting into a rhythm and finding a rhythm," Willard said. "His ankle looks good, his knee looks good. I think right now, he just needs more game shots. We can do individual workouts all day long, but you get in a game, and your heart starts beating a little bit different, the defense is a little bit different. I think he's starting to trend in a good (direction). I'm excited about where he is."

5. Mamu Quiet?

Mamukelashvili picked up two early fouls, sat for a while, and never really got going offensively in this game. Of course, Seton Hall didn't need it with Cale and Rhoden playing so well, but for those wondering why the Pirates' best player had such a poor game, Willard chalked it up to being mentally drained.

"Sandro's been our workhorse," Willard said. "We've played 10 games in 28 days, and he's playing 38 minutes a game, taking 17 shots a game. To be perfectly honest, I think he was just mentally taxed. When you're 6'11" and you don't have the ball in your hands as much as a guard would, I think he was just a little burnt out. I think this break is coming at a great time for him."

The Pirates now do have a nice chunk of time off for the holidays, resuming action December 30 at Xavier.