NEW YORK – Thirty minutes after the loss, Seton Hall’s basketball locker room was almost empty. The starters remained there to reply questions from a number of reporters, then headed to the bus again to South Orange.
There was one particular person nonetheless making an attempt to course of St. John’s’ 91-72 win within the Big East match quarterfinals on Thursday.
Head coach Shaheen Holloway sat subsequent door within the coach’s workplace, hooded and hunched over, trying like he was about to get sick.
“My abdomen is popping proper now,” he stated on stage in an interview a couple of minutes in the past. “I can not consider we had been capable of play like this in such an essential sport.”
In the identical interview session, when requested about the way forward for the Pirates as they await Selection Sunday and a near-certain NCAA Tournament berth, Holloway dropped what seems to be the second F-bomb in Big East Tournament press convention historical past.
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“I’m at all-time low proper now,” he stated. “Honestly, I do not know what is going on to occur tomorrow or later tonight, and I do not care in any respect. You know, I’m very, very disenchanted. I’m sorry for the dangerous language. I’m sorry if I offended you. I’m sorry if anybody did that, however I’m very depressed proper now.”
For the report, the primary F-bomb got here courtesy of Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim in 2006, when he changed much-maligned level guard Jerry McNamara. He guarded it passionately.
“I needed this crew to enter Friday night time and perceive that Friday night time we’re enjoying at Madison Square Garden within the Big East Tournament (semifinals). We have an unbelievable alternative. I feel I missed it,” Holloway stated.
It occurred as No. 5 seed St. John’s University (20-12) used superior depth, a red-hot offense, and an aggressiveness that exuded desperation to defeat the fourth-seeded Pirates (20-12). Because he defeated (defeated). The Johnny’s bubble would burst in the event that they misplaced, however they performed like a good crew. Seton Hall did not, so which will have demoted them from the Big Dance primary slot to Dayton’s first 4.
It was additionally a nasty reminder that the Pirates haven’t any margin for error with regards to effort.
“We weren’t enjoying basketball like Seton Hall, we had been simply making an attempt to be a more durable crew and play the fashion of basketball that obtained us to this place,” senior guard Cadary Richmond stated. ” he stated. “We’ve obtained to deliver toughness. We cannot be robust on groups and do what we usually do.”
Richmond’s proper knee was coated in ice. It’s okay,” he stated. When requested in regards to the worth of the Pirates’ dance efficiency, he replied: “I feel we did our job, however as we speak we forgot.”
Seton Hall completed two video games forward of St. John’s within the league standings and swept the Red Storm within the common season, successful 80-65 at Newark and 68-62 at Long Island. In the latter, the Pirates rallied from a 19-point deficit.
This was totally different. St. John’s shot 60 p.c from the sphere within the first half, constructed a 15-3 benefit in second-chance factors and had a 37-7 edge in bench factors, ending its shedding streak to Hall at 4.
The Pirates, who completed the Big East common season with a 13-7 report, can take solace in the truth that no crew within the league was eradicated from the Big Dance after ending 5 or extra video games above .500 in convention play. .
They’ll take a number of days off to consider it and deal with the problems that plagued them of their largest sport of the season.
5 factors
1. What St. John’s brings
Give credit score to Rick Pitino and the Red Storm. They had been left for useless after a gaggle of pirates rallied and overtook them final month. But Pitino’s postgame rant in regards to the crew’s lack of athleticism and toughness, which was extensively ridiculed on the time, sparked Johnny’s crew. Since then, the crew has received six straight video games, exhibiting as soon as once more why he’s a Hall of Fame coach.
“College basketball is all about marching,” Pitino stated.
They definitely seem like an NCAA Tournament crew, which is what everybody anticipated at the beginning of the season.
As the clock ticked down, a St. John’s fan yelled at Pitino, “Great speech, coach.”
It’s going to be the stuff of legend.
2. Depth points once more
Seton Hall ranks 353rd nationally in bench minutes, and it confirmed towards St. John’s. In the primary half alone, the Johnnies confronted 11 gamers to the Pirates’ seven, and people subs outscored Hall 20-0.
St. John’s depth fueled an uptempo tempo out of the gate, which was precisely what Pitino hoped for.
“I need you to play racehorse basketball,” he instructed his crew.
Seton Hall does not want a lot from the subs, however that does not imply they will not get something. And Holloway was compelled to maximise his beginning minutes after getting nothing within the first 20 minutes. Al Dawes and Dre Davis had 20 minutes, and Richmond and Dylan Addai-Us had 18 minutes.
Backup heart Elijah Hutchins-Everett scored seven factors within the second half, however the gap was too deep at that time.
No matter who Seton Hall performs subsequent week, Holloway might want to squeeze extra out of his secondary or decelerate the tempo.
3. Poor protection
This was the Pirates’ worst defensive efficiency this season. But the issue was that he could not cease the three-ball, as he has at instances this season. Once the St. John’s guard obtained to the rim, the massive guard simply outmaneuvered the Seton Hall guard, established his place, and completed at will. The storm additionally consumed the pirates throughout the transition interval.
“There was a miscommunication. We did not do a adequate job of getting again into the transition interval,” Davis stated. “They targeted on offensive rebounding and did a superb job of that. It harm that they beat us on the boards.”
Bediako grabbed only one rebound in 29 minutes, which is unbecoming for top-of-the-line offensive rebounders within the nation.
“They had been the more durable crew on the glass,” Bediako stated. “Personally, I’ve by no means had a rebound. I’m disenchanted in myself. It begins in apply. I’ve to be more durable, bodily and mentally. But… Right now, this actually hurts.”
Added senior guard Al Amir Dawes, who scored a team-high 22 factors: “We have to manage what we are able to management. That’s who we’re. Mentally, defensively, rebounding is our accountability. It wasn’t our protection. We did not defend the ball like we often do. ”
4. Garden, electrical as traditional
On Thursday afternoon, the world’s most well-known area was full of 19,812 followers and the place was buzzing. Many school followers stayed put after the top-seeded Huskies defeated Xavier 87-60 within the first quarterfinal. Although the variety of St. John’s followers clearly outnumbered the Seton Hall followers, each representatives made their voices heard.
There’s nothing towards the league’s Midwest applications, which have typically introduced good basketball to the desk, however the Big East Tournament at all times brings extra enchantment when Northeastern colleges take the court docket.
5. Wait for the subsequent match
Bracketologist Brad Wachtel stated Seton Hall stays the No. 10 seed within the bracket’s projections for now, believing will probably be protected barring a lightning strike, however stated it has a superb probability of ending within the First Four.
“I feel our resumes converse for themselves,” Holloway stated. “We received 13 video games in the most effective convention within the nation.”
Dre Davis, whose left forearm was coated in ice from the collision, made a heartfelt plea.
“We’re a crew that may go far, however we nonetheless have a number of basketball left in us,” he stated. “I feel we’ve a superb resume. We’ve had a number of Quad 1 wins (5 of them). We’ve confirmed that when you play Seton Hall basketball, you possibly can beat any crew within the nation. .We want to grasp, that is totally different.” That’s the top of us. ”
Davis continued, “Obviously that is disappointing. This will not be the present we needed, however remembering the feelings we felt as we speak and utilizing that as motivation to work on the subsequent You wish to get the job completed whenever you step on the ground,” he added.
That’s the important thing. This is used as gas. If the Pirates did that, nobody would bear in mind this sport. The Big East Tournament is enjoyable, however that is simply the appetizer. The NCAA Tournament is the principle course.
“It could be large for all of us if we may try this,” Richmond stated. “Everyone within the locker room has been underdogs their entire lives, and that is what obtained us to the place we’re.”
Jerry Carino has coated the New Jersey sports activities scene since 1996 and school basketball since 2003. He is an Associated Press prime 25 pollster. Please contact us at jcarino@gannettnj.com.