5 Thoughts: Seton Hall knocks off No. 7 Texas to set up Garden State showdown Sunday

 

Bryce Aiken’s clutch shot pushed Seton Hall past No. 7 Texas for Pirates’ second signature non-conference win. (Photo by Bob Dea/Daly Dose Of Hoops)

By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)

NEWARK, N.J. — For the Seton Hall Pirates, they had an opportunity to knock off a second top-10 team Thursday, with the Texas Longhorns rolling into Newark.

Thanks to a stingy defense and some big-time shot making from their seniors, the Pirates did just that, beating Texas, 64-60. Not only did it tie Kevin Willard for second place on the Hall's all-time wins list by a coach, it is the first time the Pirates have ever beaten two non-Big East Top 10 teams in the same year.

Here are the thoughts:

- Big D

No, not Dallas. Seton Hall's defense and toughness (as Pirate fans know) are trademarks of the program under Willard, and have been for years. Tonight, the defense brought its hard hats to the yard, holding the Longhorns to 32 percent shooting in the second half and 1-for-13 from 3-point range for the game.

Texas shot 56 percent in the first half, but Willard was pleased with what he saw nonetheless.

"I have a philosophy that I live by in first halves," Willard said. "If you're making guys take tough shots, and they're going in, they're not going to go in in the second half most of the time. I thought we made them work really hard even though our defense didn't look good, they hit a lot of tough shots in the first half. I went in the locker room and I said, 'guys, just keep doing what you're doing defensively.'"

Ike Obiagu leaving the game after turning his ankle in the first 10 minutes didn't help things in this regard, and in the first half, Tre Mitchell (19 points, 11 rebounds) gave the Pirates a really hard time inside. But both teams gave credit to the job that Alexis Yetna (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Tyrese Samuel (7 points, 11 boards) did after halftime, with Mitchell and Yetna both mentioning that Seton Hall was a little more active on that side of the ball down the stretch.

- Big Shot Bryce

Bryce Aiken has been a very interesting player for the Pirates since he first transferred in from Harvard. Last season, injuries dogged him so much that he wasn't even close to being the player he was for the Crimson, and it was well documented that it cost Seton Hall as the season wore on.

This season, he's been able to show off the shiftiness and skill with the ball in his hands that made him great for Harvard. For the first 30 or so minutes of the game, however, Aiken struggled with his jumper, going 0-for-7 from deep with a couple forced shots from the outside. 

But with the Pirates up one with under a minute remaining, Seton Hall cleared out the floor for its point guard up top, and he took a gutsy 3-pointer that, naturally, went in, essentially putting the dagger in Texas. He then hit two free throws to ice the game.

"I always tell the bench, 'I know when it's going up,'" Willard said of Aiken's huge basket after the game. "He's been with me for two years now, and I've watched him forever. He's great off the bounce, so I'd rather see him shoot off the bounce in that situation. He's worked hard to get back, and I think everyone in the locker room now has confidence in that shot. I know I do."

When asked what went through his mind as he took the shot, Aiken got a big smile on his face.

"Honestly, I don't even really think that much during the end of a game," he said. "Those are the (most fun) moments for me. All I know is at that moment, we do whatever we have to do to win. The shot presented itself, and I took it. It's kind of just instinctive. We're just playing ball at that point."

- Blue Beards 

What made this a great basketball game was the fact that it was two outstanding teams that battled their hearts out, and it was a close game all the way (Texas' largest lead was five points, and Seton Hall's was eight, with both occasions taking place in the first half).

What also made it great was Seton Hall's fans, who turned out in droves, wore blue, and were about as loud and into it as can be. There were 10,461 people in the house tonight, and down the stretch of the game (even with a long stoppage, more on that in a second), I don't think many people sat down.

And that's to say nothing of the student section. Once the very few late arrivals found their seats, not only did they fill up the main two sections behind the basket, but they also filled the adjacent sections on the left and right sides, making for a wall of blue that amped things up to 10.

"Our student section was phenomenal," Willard said. "I don't think I've ever seen that many students at a game."

Tre Mitchell was asked to describe the Pirates' students tonight to Gonzaga's (who the Longhorns played earlier this year in Spokane), and he gave an honest answer.

"At Gonzaga, it felt like they were a little bit closer to us because their student section lines one whole side of the court, so you heard them on both ends the entire game," Mitchell said. "But here, the environment was just as loud. There were moments where it was deafening and you couldn't hear anything."

An A-plus job by the Blue Beard Army, who has another big test ahead of it on Sunday.

- Delay of Game, Stripes

Coming out of the under-4 media timeout in the second half in what was a very close ballgame, both teams were ready to go, but were called back to their benches as the officials checked something at the scorer's table.

Then it happened again, and what ended up taking place was about a 15-minute stoppage to confirm how many fouls each team had committed. The fans, who were in a frenzy all night, were not pleased on a night where they had plenty to gripe about to John Gaffney, James Breeding, and Ron Groover.

Regardless, I have worked with Seton Hall official scorer Danny Fishbane for years, and he's outstanding in his correctness at all times. I can't speak to the actual difficulties the officials had at the table, but it should not have taken as long as it did just to check team foul totals.  

Give Seton Hall credit, therefore, for staying locked in and finishing the game strong.

"I think at that point in the game, no one's subbing, and the kids are on adrenaline," Willard said. "I think it hurts both teams, to be honest with you. I was surprised how high of a level we played at on both ends after the stoppage."

"I thought our guys were a little tired there at the end," Texas head coach Chris Beard added. "I thought the extended timeout where we had a problem with the book or something, that gave those guys a little more rest, and so the last four minutes of the game, that was a factor, too."

- Enter The Scarlet Knights

Tonight was one of the most memorable nights of New Jersey basketball in the history of the sport, as Rutgers knocked off No. 1 Purdue at the buzzer in Piscataway. That sets up a showdown of epic proportions in Newark Sunday night between Seton Hall and Rutgers, a rivalry that's as intense as it comes in all of college basketball.

The Pirates will have the home court advantage for the first time since 2018, and have the edge all-time as well as in recent years since Rutgers left the Big East. Rutgers, however, has beaten a ranked Seton Hall team the last two times that the game was held on the Scarlet Knights' home court.

Then there's the accusation that Seton Hall "ducked" Rutgers last year in the pandemic, which doesn't hold a ton of weight given the scheduling conditions that existed everywhere last season, but nonetheless is a focus point of Rutgers fans. Add all of it together, and I am certain Sunday night’s contest will be one of the most intense atmospheres of the season.

On paper, Seton Hall has the advantage as Rutgers is just 5-4 with a couple head-scratching defeats on its resume, but Seton Hall-Rutgers has a long and well-documented history of shenanigans as well as classic games. It will be a fascinating matchup to be sure, and if you can't be in Newark that night, be sure to tune in on TV.