Seton Hall basketball ends Villanova hex, moves on the verge of NCAA Tournament berth

NEWARK – To an outsider, Seton Hall’s basketball team looked gassed in blowout losses at Creighton and UConn.

To head coach Shaheen Holloway, they needed to be pushed harder.

So that’s exactly what Holloway did, preparing for Wednesday’s high-stakes showdown with Villanova by putting his players through two days of pedal-down practices.

“Very chippy, a lot of guys getting after it,” senior guard Kadary Richmond said. “No whistles involved.”

That approach left a mark as the Pirates locked down Villanova 66-56, moving to the cusp of an NCAA Tournament berth as a full-throated crowd of 10,000 rocked the Prudential Center.

“It needed to be chippy,” Holloway said of the practices. “I knew we were gonna come out and play hard. You can’t come out and say, ‘okay, we’ll come out and win.’ Obviously, you prepare to win.”

Richmond, who chalked up 20 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals while scoring his 1,000th collegiate point as a Pirate, was asked if any players-only meeting or big speech took place leading up to Villanova.

“There was no speech,” he said. “I’m pretty sure everybody locked in on what time it is.”

Holloway made sure of it.

“Probably a little bit extra sauce was added to it, and that starts at the top,” he said. “These guys have to understand, and they understood.”

Seton Hall (19-11 overall, 12-7 Big East), which was picked to finish ninth in the Big East coaches' preseason poll, now can clinch a spot in March Madness by beating last-place DePaul at home Saturday. The Pirates also are guaranteed to finish no worse than fourth in the conference and have earned a bye into the Big East Tournament, either as the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the quarterfinals Thursday at Madison Square Garden.

Defense and physicality led the way. Villanova (17-13, 10-9) shot just 35 percent from the field. After opening up 5-of-9 from 3-point range, the Cats shot 4-of-18 from deep as Holloway adjusted his defense to run Nova's shooters off the line. The Pirates also outrebounded them by 10.

"There was a focus on locking down the 3-point line," said senior wing Dre Davis, who posted 18 points, 7 boards and 4 blocks. "We knew if we controlled the 3-point line, we could control the game."

They did, and as a result earned their sixth Quad 1 win, becoming only the 16th team to accrue at least that many. It's resume gold and telling about this squad’s ability to rise to the occasion against the toughest foes.

"It’s just understanding who we are as a team," Davis said. "As long as we put a big emphasis on our defense, that’s going to take us a long way."

On the offensive end, it took the Hall a while to get going. They finally grabbed the lead on a 3-pointer by postgrad guard Al-Amir Dawes with 2:59 left in the first half. The shot came off one of Holloway's favorite plays, running Dawes around a screen to his favorite spot atop the arc.

The play requires a strong screen. Center Jaden Bediako set it, Richmond delivered the flip pass, Dawes knocked the shot down and the crowd exploded.

It was a galvanizing sequence; the Pirates never relinquished the lead.

“When Al hits shots, it’s a big thing for us because it spaces the floor,” Richmond said. “It makes us all play harder, seeing that go through the net and hearing the crowd roar.”

The roars came early and often on a momentous night for the program.

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. A master class in grit

All season, the underlying question for this group was how long it could thrive with a seven-man rotation, especially with the level of physicality they exert.

That question was in the spotlight Wednesday as all five starters logged 17-plus first half minutes, with Davis and senior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu going the full 20 (with some help from Dawes, Addae-Wusu bottled up standout Villanova guard Justin Moore for much of the night). There would be no fatigue factor. This group dug deep and put on a master class in toughness, keeping Nova at arm's length despite all five starters playing 32-plus minutes.

"That starts in June, man, on the treadmill," Bediako said. "And in practice, too, We’re conditioned."

Holloway said he demands intense practices deep into the season to prepare his guys for moments like this.

"I’m not one of those coaches that takes it light the day before a game," he said.

Incredibly, Davis played all 40 minutes and shot 5-of-10 from the field, 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and committed just two turnovers. It was an iron-man effort.

“Dre’s been doing that the whole year for us," Holloway said. "He’s kind of been our backbone anytime I need a big bucket, anytime we need some toughness. He’s playing out of position (at the four) and I’ve asked a lot of him."

2. The exorcism

This was more than an enormous win for the Hall. It was an exorcism. Villanova had won eight straight in the series, and seven of the last eight meetings at the Rock. The Cats embarrassed the Pirates by 26 points last month in Philadelphia. They've had this program's number long before the current players arrived in South Orange.

This marked Seton Hall's largest margin of victory over Villanova since a 13-point triumph in 1998.

"It feels good to finally get one," Richmond said.

It was far from a fluke. The Pirates have now beaten UConn, St. John's, Butler, Xavier and Villanova by double figures in Newark, took down Marquette here, and pushed Creighton to triple overtime in this building.

3. Jaden Bediako owned the paint

Was there a better unheralded transfer-portal find anywhere in the country last offseason? Bediako tallied 11 points and 12 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, while bodying Villanova’s bigs.

“I’ve been seeing it since June,” Richmond said with a smirk. “I’m glad you guys get to see it, too.”

The 6-foot-10, 240-pounder got the better of versatile Wildcats postman Eric Dixon (14 points, 6 boards, 5 turnovers) as the game wore on.

“He’s a physical beast down there,” Davis said. “I’m happy and proud for him because he’s been having a great year.”

The postgrad's emergence after averaging modest numbers at Santa Clara is proof that fit is more important than stats, hype or (gasp) where you rank on some yahoo's "top transfers" list.

“Jaden just plays hard, understands who he is,” Holloway said. “He’s not trying to do things he can’t do. He sets screens, gets offensive rebounds, rolls to the basket when we get him some shots, plays hard defensively. He’s embraced his role, and when you have a guy who embraces his role, that’s what happens.”

Asked about the key to his performance, Bediako put it perfectly, like he's been here forever: “It was good old Big East basketball.”

4. Crowd came through

They were streaming into the arena over the first 15 minutes, rushing against the 6:30 p.m. start, but once fully arrived, the crowd filled the lower bowl and brought the juice from the start.

With the university on spring break, the student section was about 75 percent full, but its denizens stood the entire game and made their presence felt.

It’s been a mixed bag for crowds at the Prudential Center this season, but Pirate faithful met the moment for the biggest game. There's a different kind of crowd energy for the old-school league rivals like UConn, Nova and St. John's.

As for Villanova fans, who appeared here in droves in seasons past, were a silent minority. Their occasional appearance on the video board was booed lustily.

Afterward, the triumphant Pirates waded into the student section to celebrate, exchanging high-fives and hugs with their classmates. That's what college hoops is all about.

"Appreciate the crowd a lot," Davis said. "They give us a big boost of energy. Having them out there, it feels like there’s another player on the court for us."

5. Senior Night ahead

It’s undetermined how many players will be recognized during Senior Night ceremonies before Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. season finale against lowly DePaul (3-27, 0-19). Could be all five starters – certainly Dawes (who earned his degree in December), Richmond and Davis (both of whom are graduating in May).

Ticket sales have been surprisingly slow for the contest. That has to change. A win locks up an NCAA Tournament bid, and this group of seniors deserves a memorable send-off.

"For us to be in the position we’re in right now, it’s a credit to those young men," Holloway said.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball ends Villanova hex, on the cusp of NCAA Tourney