by Ray Floriani
NEWARK, NJ - The previous post by greyCat covered everything from a tempo-free and Four Factors perspective. Here are a few added thoughts and some ‘Manley’ numbers...
outside the Rock
Seton Hall needed some help inside. Herb Pope was saddled with foul trouble putting up numbers reminiscent of November not of late. Pope had 7 points 4 rebounds. Jeff Robinson the likely candidate to play Billy Swan (sang a ‘75 hit “I can help’) came up short with 4 points, 7 boards in 35 minutes.
Groundhog Day?
Maybe Jay Wright thought about that during the final possession, as Seton Hall trailed by three and Jeremy Hazell had a good look beyond the arc. The shot missed and Villanova after two tough losses in a row had a road victory in the books.
Pace, A Factor
Villanova did not want to get in a running game with Seton Hall. Paramount was stopping the Hall’s transition. For the game the Wildcats did a great job of turning this into a more pedestrian 63 possession affair. The Hall did have a 12-6 edge in fast break points but virtually the only transition opportunities they had available was off a few, but not many, of Villanova’s 22 turnovers. Simply, Villanova even made sure their turnovers didn’t translate to a track meet tempo.
our press row view at halftime
As noted Bell, with 21 points in 29 minutes, provided appreciable offense with Corey Stokes sidelined. The 6-5 guard also took up some of the slack for Corey Fisher. Seton Hall defended Fisher very well, limiting his touches as he scored 12 points (4 of 4 shooting). To his credit the veteran Fisher did not force the issue. Rather the flow dictated that opportunities were there for Bell. He took them and responded.
Entering the game, Bell had four three pointers on the year. He was shooting 4 of 14 (29%) from beyond the arc. A fact not lost on Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard who could only shake his head in near disbelief as Bell (6 of 6 for 67%) equaled his three point field goals made total in one contest.
Flagman during a time out
10 laps...
The Manley Efficiency Numbers
Warning: Scoring points can, but does not always equate to a great efficiency. Players with 10 or more minutes logged are listed:
| Manley | ||
| Villanova | Pts. | Eff. |
| J. Bell | 21 | 23 |
| A. Pena | 10 | 14 |
| C. Fisher | 12 | 12 |
| I. Armwood | 2 | 8 |
| M. Yarou | 8 | 7 |
| D. Cheek | 0 | 3 |
| M. Wayns | 5 | 2 |
Pena’s solid 10 point 12 board effort helped his numbers. Fisher only scored 12 but didn’t miss a shot (4-4 field and 3-3 from the line).
| Manley | ||
| Seton Hall | Pts. | Eff. |
| J. Hazell | 25 | 14 |
| J. Theodore | 10 | 10 |
| H. Pope | 7 | 7 |
| J. Robinson | 4 | 6 |
| F. Edwin | 7 | 5 |
| E. Polynice | 2 | 4 |
| P. Auda | 2 | 4 |
Efficiency does not hide Pope and Robinson’s struggles. Hazell could have been higher but his 9 of 23 from the field chipped into the numbers.
* Efficiency = Pts + R + A+ S +Bl - missed shots -to
3. Too Many Threes
The Pirates shot 4 of 26 from beyond the arc for a 15% showing. “That is way too many threes at home,” Willard said. On the night Seton Hall was 19 of 58 from the floor for 33%. Adding it up, 45% of Seton Hall’s field goal attempts were from three but only 21% of their scoring was dialed long distance.
Final Notes
Seton Hall is 11-15 (5-9 in the Big East). Villanova improves to 20-6 (8-5). Villanova visits DePaul Saturday and hosts Syracuse on Monday. The Hall is at Marquette Saturday and at Notre Dame the following Saturday. Jeremy Hazell led all scorers with 25 points. Hazell shot 9 of 23 from the field (4 of 13 from three). Tough home coming for Dominic Cheek. The Villanova sophomore forward out of St. Anthony’s High School did not score. Cheek was 0 for 5 from the floor but did grab 6 rebounds. Attendance was 9,408.
"This was big for us. For our resume,
"We gutted it out.
Seton Hall is playing well and I liked our effort.
It (the game) was a little ugly
but it's a Big East road win." - Jay Wright
greyCat notes -- I noticed the Hall had opened the upper bowl. The Rock's lower bowl holds about 9,000 & the Hall normally uses just the lower bowl, content to draw a series of curtains to mask the additional seating. The University has been eager to open the upper bowl as a sign that they are building their fan-base, and I recall seeing those seats available for the Syracuse game, and maybe the Georgetown game. Opening the upper bowl for a midweek game is plus for both Seton Hall and Villanova. Appropriate for their 100th meeting.
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