Seton Hall basketball looking to 'show who we are' at Rady Children’s Invitational
Seton Hall basketball has taken care of business so far, going 4-0 against mid- and low-major competition at home.
Now comes the hard part.
The Pirates will find out where they stand in two games at the Rady Children’s Invitational Thursday and Friday in San Diego. They open against a ranked USC squad on Thanksgiving (5:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1) and then face either Iowa or Oklahoma Friday (3:30 p.m. or 6 p.m., on FOX or Fox Sports 1).
This is a quality field. The other three teams are ranked in the top 40 by the analytics website Kenpom.com, with Seton Hall at No. 52.
“It’s definitely exciting to be able to travel, new atmosphere, and play against different teams,” senior wing Dre Davis said. “It’s a good opportunity to show who we are on a bigger stage. At the end of the day it’s about us – it’s about how we’re playing. We’re going to put our best foot forward.”
Sizing up the field
Here’s a glance at the field, listed in order of Kenpom ranking as of Monday.
Oklahoma (4-0, Kenpom 27)
The Sooners have romped unchallenged through four home games against low-majors, hence the soaring analytics. They were picked to finish 12th of 14 teams in the Big 12’s preseason poll. They sport a balanced, guard-oriented offense with just one starter returning from a 15-17 squad that beat Seton Hall during Feast Week 2022 in Orlando. Oklahoma is even more of an unknown than the Pirates.
USC (3-1, Kenpom 34)
The 23rd-ranked Trojans have been injury-riddled, hence the loss to UC-Irvine, which is a quality mid-major. They opened with a 13-point neutral-court win over Kansas State. On Sunday star guard Boogie Ellis and wing Kobe Johnson returned to action during an 11-point win over Brown. Forward DJ Rodman (Dennis Rodman’s son) sat out with an injury, and guard Bronny James (LeBron’s son) is sidelined while recovering from cardiac arrest. Freshman guard Isaiah Collier projects as a lottery pick in June’s NBA Draft. Despite the analytics, USC is favored to win this event.
Iowa (3-1, Kenpom 38)
Picked to finish ninth in the Big Ten preseason poll, this perennial NCAA Tournament squad has been tested once – an eight-point loss at eighth-ranked Creighton. Two starters are back from the squad that thumped Seton Hall in Newark last November. The Hawkeyes are averaging 95 points per game, led by 6-foot-9 senior forward Ben Krikke (20.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg).
Seton Hall (4-0, Kenpom 52)
The Pirates are getting elite point-guard play by senior Kadary Richmond (14.0 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 4.5 apg). They’re shooting well from the free-throw line (77 percent) and inside the arc, but just 31 percent from deep as the burden falls on streaky senior guard Al Dawes to connect from long range (.385 so far). It’s hard to say where the defense, last year’s calling card, stands so far.
'The ball is going to find you'
How well did the four-game tune-up serve a Seton Hall team that is integrating a bunch of newcomers into the rotation?
“I guess we’ll see when we get there, right?” coach Shaheen Holloway said. “I’m hoping that it set us up pretty good, just to kind of get a feel for each other…The two games we’re playing out there is gonna really show who we are right now, but it’s still early.”
So far, the group seems to be sharing the ball better than last year.
“I feel like that’s what we’ve been trying to preach, to give up good shots for great shots,” Richmond said. “If everyone is playing as hard as they can, the ball is going to find you – don’t go hunting for the ball.”
Knowing that foes are going to throw the kitchen sink at Richmond defensively, Holloway has been utilizing Dawes and St. John’s transfer Dylan Addae-Wusu as alternate ball-handlers initiating offense.
“I want three playmakers on the court at all times,” Holloway said. “That’s kind of how I built this team, so you can’t take one guy away. You take one guy away and then the next guy’s got something, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do, and also trying to get Malachi (freshman guard Malachi Brown) some more minutes because I think he’ll help us down the stretch.”
Holloway is a tough critic, but he’s been bullish on this team’s potential from the start of preseason. What’s his general impression of its performance so far, as the first big test awaits?
“I like it,” he said, “because I think I can still put my imprint on these guys.”
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: Rady Children’s Invitational preview
