Budd Clark was one of two Seton Hall players with 16 points as Pirates defeated Creighton in Big East tournament quarterfinals. (Photo by Seton Hall Athletics)
By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)
NEW YORK — Heading into the Big East tournament, the Seton Hall Pirates had no choice but to, in the words of their coach, “go in and take it.”
In the second half on Thursday afternoon, however, it was the Creighton Bluejays who were taking it, going on a big run and making the Pirates look like they were stuck.
But heroes in March in college basketball can take many different forms, and one of the most unlikely heroes of the season stepped up today in the form of Jacob Dar, who scored a season-best 16 points off the bench (all in the second half) to lead the Pirates to a 72-61 victory at Madison Square Garden, advancing them to the semifinal round on Friday night.
Here are the Thoughts from the World's Most-Famous Arena:
1. Survival and Advancement
For the most part in the first half, Seton Hall came out engaged defensively. They were able to stick in front of drivers and not get caught ball watching, and while the Bluejays (of course) were able to knock a few threes down, the Pirates made it difficult on them most of the time, holding them to 28 percent from deep (5-for-18).
Budd Clark, after an early offensive foul, continued to reward the trust from Shaheen Holloway and not pick up a second foul, and the combo of Stephon Payne and Najai Hines were able to control the paint. All told, The Hall led by seven at the break, and went into the locker room feeling pretty good about itself.
The second half started out in the exact opposite way. Greg McDermott’s team had it rolling on both ends, starting off with a Josh Dix three-pointer that Mike Williams was just a hair late in contesting, and rolling from there to a 14-2 run. This time of year, things aren’t going to go your way all of the time, and credit to Holloway for pushing the right button at the absolute perfect time (more on that in a second).
What transpired was a great March basketball game, full of twists and turns, and it was a great way to introduce this Seton Hall team to the wildest month of the season. Heading into a conference tournament setting, the first game is always about survival, and the Pirates were able to weather the storm.
They also had to fight down the stretch for the third time this year against the Bluejays, persevering thanks to one of their mainstays, and one veteran who got his chance on the big stage and shone the brightest....
3. The Dar Knight
Time and again, Shaheen Holloway has said that the Pirates can beat you with several different guys, and it could be a different player nightly. In dire need of a spark as Creighton was rolling to start the second half, he inserted Jacob Dar into the game.
The Omaha native proceeded to provide one heck of a spark, scoring seven points in his first four minutes, getting The Hall back on track. Then, he kept right on doing it, ending up with 16 points on 5-for-6 shooting, 2-for-3 from deep (he was 2-for-15 this year before that), and 4-for-5 from the free throw line, eclipsing his previous season-best point total by 60 percent.
Dar did it on both ends of the floor, too, with his rangy style of defense helping Seton Hall tremendously. In fact, once he entered the game at the 14:56 mark, he never left the court again.
While he’s not been a main player in the lineup for the entire season, he’s had his moments for the Pirates, and had received double-digit minutes off the bench in four of the last six games coming into the Big East tournament. The effort Dar provided didn't exactly come out of nowhere, but the production certainly did, and it can definitely be said that without Dar, the Pirates would be going home.
It was a Coach of the Year-type move.
3. Coach Sha-f the Year
Yesterday, it was made public that Shaheen Holloway won the Big East Coach of the Year award unanimously, with every other coach in the league voting for him. To say that it’s well-deserved is an understatement, as the Seton Hall alum led one of the biggest turnarounds in recent Big East history.
Holloway put on a masterclass in this game, with the Dar move of course standing out. But the Pirates also drew up great plays out of timeouts several times in this game, one telltale sign of a great coaching staff. As someone who had yet to win a game at the Big East tournament, it represented a fitting way to earn his first one.
In the process, Holloway became the fourth person in Big East men’s basketball history to both play in the conference and win the Coach of the Year award, all of whom have a connection to the Pirates. Syracuse alum Louis Orr was Seton Hall’s coach in the 2000-aughts, Dan Hurley played for the Pirates before taking the UConn job, and Kevin Willard coached in South Orange for over a decade after playing at Pittsburgh.
Must be something in the water in North Jersey.
4. Budd-y System
One of the biggest keys in my mind to winning for Seton Hall today was that Budd Clark had to control the game, and he did. The point guard’s first Big East tournament game ended up as a 16-point, seven-rebound, six-assist affair, along with a plus-11 on the box score. He warded off an early charge, and was able to remain on the floor through several instances of near-fouls.
Clark had previously scored 20 points against the Bluejays in Omaha, and had eight points, four steals, and a plus-10 against them in Newark, and generally speaking is a very difficult matchup for Creighton, so it was good to see him continue the trend.
One of the other things you need to win in March historically is a point guard who can put the team on his back when needed, and Seton Hall has that. He had help from Mr. Dar, no doubt about it, but the Hall is going to need more of that from Clark tomorrow.
5. Red Storm Rivalry Renewed
The first time Seton Hall and St. John’s matched up this season at MSG, the Pirates had a 15-point lead, but could not hold it as the Red Storm rallied back to win. Last week in Newark, the Pirates gave the Johnnies everything they had, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Big East Player of the Year Zuby Ejiofor.
The third meeting tomorrow for the right to go to the Big East title game should be a very physical, very entertaining affair. After proving they can hang with the best in the Big East, playing St. John’s, UConn, and Villanova tough for large chunks of games, the question is can the Pirates overcome that and get over the hump?
It won’t be easy, but you can bet we’ll be watching it.
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