NIT Season Tip-Off
Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
Thursday, November 23, 2017
6:00PM - ESPNU
Media
TV: ESPNU
Radio: 101.5 AM
Previews:
Projo: Win Over Pirates Would Boost Rams Tournament Resume
gorhody: Rams Set To Face Seton Hall on ESPNU Thursday Night
Vegas: URI +4
Opponent
Record:
4-0, 0-0 in the Patriot League
Neutral: 0-0
Last season: 21-12, 10-8 in the Big East
Rankings:
RPI: 41
BPI: 24
KenPom: 28
Leaders:
Points - Desi Rodriguez, 17.0
Rebounds - Angel Delgado, 8.5
Assists - Khadeen Carrington, 5.3
Preview
The last time URI saw a Big East team, it was sending Creighton home for the summer while advancing to the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. The next time it sees a Big East team, it will be hated cross-state rival Providence. In between, we get Seton Hall. Hardly an afterthought, Dan Hurley's alma mater has its sights set on its second Final Four appearance. Led by three terrific seniors in guard Carrington, wing Rodriguez and big man Delgado (who passed on a chance to enter the NBA draft with the stated intention of getting the Pirates to the final weekend), Seton Hall enters the Thanksgiving Day nationally televised contest undefeated and in the top-25 in both polls.
This team is experienced, coming off of two straight NCAA tournament appearances (both first round exits), but it is has not been tested much to this point in the season. Through four games, the Pirates have not played outside of the Prudential Center in Newark, and while Indiana is a name brand program the Hoosiers appear to be deep in a rebuild under former Dayton coach Archie Miller. The rest of their opponents have been in-state cupcakes Monmouth, Farleigh Dickinson and NJIT, and The Hall has dispatched all of them easily. URI will present the Pirates with their first real test of the season.
How stiff of a test that will be may be known in part even before tip, whenever we get final word on Cyril Langevine's status. Even with Langevine, URI will be somewhat shorthanded without senior leader EC Matthews. With the three seniors plus versatile sophomore Myles Powell, Seton Hall can score at all three levels and will seemingly have a big advantage on the glass, whether Rhody is with or without Langevine. One key to the game will be to minimize the rebounding deficit, minimize second chance points and play honest defense against Delgado while recognizing he will probably get his share of boards and points.
Another key for me will be the turnover battle, where URI comes in with a slight edge (1.5:1 A/TO vs. 1.33 A/TO for SHU) despite having played more capable competition. I don't see any way URI can win this game without winning the turnover battle and converting some of those turnovers into easy points. This is one area where the loss of Matthews isn't as significant as you'd imagine - although a small sample, EC's 1:7 ratio was problematic; as usual, URI is led in this area by sophomore Jeff Dowtin (19:3), although Jeff has not yet found his perimeter game this season and needs to be at least a threat from outside.
The key guy for URI will be Jared Terrell, who has been URI's clear best player through three games and will likely draw the tough matchup with Desi Rodriguez, where he will be giving up some size. I don't know that Rodriguez will be the guy that they game plan to shut down (as we frequently do), but I think this is another area where we have to win the game within the game to have a chance - if Rodriguez dramatically outplays Terrell it is hard for me to see a way that URI wins.