Seton Hall Pirates
Record: 25-8 (12-6 Big East)
Head Coach: Kevin Willard (6th season)
Season Recap: Seton Hall enters the NCAA tournament on a roll after winning its first Big East championship since 1993, taking down conference powerhouses Xavier and Villanova in the semifinals and the title game, respectively. The Pirates flew under the radar for much of the regular season but quietly constructed a solid resume, tallying quality wins against Wichita State and Georgia in nonconference play before taking down the Musketeers and Providence in Big East play.
Seton Hall is led by a dynamic sophomore class, and point guard Isaiah Whitehead is second in the conference in scoring with 18.4 points per game and connects on 38.9 percent of his 3-point attempts to go along with five helpers per contest. Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado—all Whitehead’s classmates—average double-figures in scoring, and Delgado leads the team with 9.4 boards per game.
How they make a run: Whitehead continues the dominant stretch that made him the MVP of the Big East tournament and takes over games with his speed and playmaking ability to carry the Pirates into the second weekend.
How they falter: Seton Hall cannot overcome its lack of size with nobody taller than 6-foot-9 on its roster—a bad problem to have when matched up against Gonzaga’s towering frontcourt in the first round—and the Pirates are overwhelmed on the glass, failing to notch a tournament win.
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