Location: South Orange, NJ
Nickname: Pirates
Conference: Big East
Last Year’s Record: 17-15
Why they’ll make it: There may not be a more underrated player in the country than Jeremy Hazell. The Harlem product put up huge scoring numbers last season in the Big East. The junior guard scored over 30 points on six occasions last season on his way to finishing second in the conference in scoring. Led b;y Hazell, the Pirates showed flashes of what they were capable of last season with wins over USC, Virginia Tech, and Georgetown. However an upgrade in talent with transfers Keon Lawrence (Missouri) and Herb Pope (New Mexico State) along with highly touted freshman, Ferrakohn Hall should make Seton Hall more consistent. Coach Bobby Gonzalez is finally getting the talent to fit his system and has Seton Hall going in the right direction.
Why they won’t make it: This conference chews up inexperienced teams and spits them out. While the Pirates aren’t necessarily young, they’ll be incorporating a lot of talent in their attack that are newcomers to their system and the Big East. The conference ate Notre Dame and Georgetown alive last season. It is not expected to drop off too drastically in talent and can do the same to Seton Hall if it’s not prepared. Most of the guys on this team will be playing with expectations they haven’t had at this level. We’ll see if the Pirates become West Virginia and thrive under that pressure or succumb to it as Notre Dame and Georgetown did.
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