Seton Hall Basketball Returns From Maui As a Contender

A week ago, Seton Hall basketball was heading to the Maui Invitational as a rebuilding project, barely on the national radar. Now they're returning to New Jersey with legitimate postseason aspirations. The Pirates wrapped up their 2-1 trip to Hawaii with a 75-61 victory over Washington State in Wednesday's third-place contest. This followed a potential quad one victory over N.C. State and a loss that shouldn't have been too damaging against USC.

Now, Seton Hall (7-1) has already matched the number of wins they had all last season. They secured this win through defense, holding Washington State (3-5), an offense-first team picked to finish sixth in the West Coast Conference’s preseason poll, to just 5-of-24 shooting from 3-point range while scoring 27 points off 15 Cougar turnovers. They also had a 13-6 edge in second-chance points.

Postgrad guard A.J. Staton-McCray led the Hall with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting, adding four rebounds and three steals. Senior center Stephon Payne contributed 11 points, seven boards, and two blocks.

After the final buzzer, the Pirates went into the stands to personally thank the loud Seton Hall fan contingent who supported them throughout the three days in the Aloha State.

3 THOUGHTS

1. Showed maturity

Playing a third game in three days, coming off a heartbreaking and controversial loss to USC in the semis, the Pirates could have come out flat. They did not, seizing a 15-2 lead with the same defensive intensity that was their calling card all week. That's a sign of maturity, of guys with winning DNA, and good coaching. Shaheen Holloway specifically targeted point guard Budd Clark and Staton-McCray in the transfer portal because they came from winning programs, and he weighed coachability heavily into his consideration while roster-building this past offseason.

On the coaching front, Holloway has always been a motivator, but there's a difference between being hard-driving and pushing the right buttons. The latter is taking place. He's got a good rapport with this group and he's growing into the job, too. We saw this with Kevin Willard after Willard bottomed out in year three at the Hall. Holloway learned a lot about program management from last year, and it shows.

2. Depth delivered

This was a breakout tournament for Staton-McCray and junior guard Mike Williams (13 points, and held Washington State star Ace Glass to 15), but Seton Hall's strength is in numbers. Clark was the star against USC, bigs Payne and Najai Hines did their jobs in the post against N.C. State, and backup forward Jacob Dar came through with 6 points and 3 boards in key minutes against Washington State.

The Maui format was always going to be a depth test, and the Pirates’ 10-man rotation – which will only get better whenever sophomore center Godswill Erheriene returns from a foot injury – allowed them to keep the pedal pressed all week (unless the officials intervened).

3. Full steam ahead

The Pirates come home with a clear identity – pressure defense, push with the turnovers, share the ball, protect the rim – and some real juice for the first time in the non-conference schedule during Holloway’s four seasons at the helm.

They resume action Wednesday against Central Connecticut State, which just won at Rutgers by 13 points, before heading to Kansas State Dec. 6 for a huge resume opportunity.

It looked like fan support was great in Maui – Seton Hall’s die-hards always travel well during Feast Week – and thanking them in the stands was a nice touch, the kind that makes college sports special. Now it’s time for the students and the rank-and-file supporters to do their part and breathe some life into what has been a morgue-like atmosphere at the Prudential Center.

5 QUOTES

From Shaheen Holloway’s postgame radio interview with Dave Popkin:

Overall impression: "I’m very proud of these guys. It was so easy after yesterday’s loss to have a letdown, with three games in three days. We came out with passion, we came out with juice. Our legs were good – I want to give credit to our training staff for that."

On Mike Williams: "He played at a high level for two years at LSU, so he understands playing big-time basketball. I think he really feels at home here because I’ve got confidence in him. The thing I really like about him is he’s defending – he’s defending everybody’s best guards."

On the players going into the stands and thanking fans

"I told them to do that. You have people who paid their hard-earned money to come out and support -- go say thank you…Hats off to Pirate nation. They were unbelievable all three days."

From Holloway’s ESPN postgame interview:

On AJ Staton-McCray: "He’s one of our captains, he’s a senior, he’s been through it. He’s a kid you’ve got to give constant confidence to. I’m telling him: ‘You’re OK to shoot that thing.’"

On how good this team could be

"We could be as good as we want – as long as we keep the main thing the main thing. We’re a defensive team, so as long as we keep scrapping and fighting and playing together – what you’re seeing right now is guys who like playing together. It shows on the court."

GAME 2: USC 83, Seton Hall 81

There was no hangover for Seton Hall basketball coming off its upset of 23rd-ranked N.C. State in the Maui Invitational quarterfinals. There was, however, a major obstacle in Tuesday’s semifinal against USC.

The whistle. The Pirates saw a 13-point first-half lead disappear amid a parade of foul calls and lost 83-81, falling from the unbeaten ranks and into Wednesday’s third-place contest. Two whistles that went USC's way in the final minute were particularly egregious.

The game was tied at 78-78 when Hall center Stephon Payne was whistled for a highly questionable foul on the left baseline with 29 seconds remaining. It looked like Payne didn't make contact with USC wing Chad Baker-Mazara, who made both of the ensuing free throws.

Then, as Hall point guard Budd Clark tried to hit Payne on a lob and the ball went out of bounds under USC's basket, officials gave the Trojans the ball even though it clearly hit Baker-Mazara last.

It was an unsightly end to a compelling game as Seton Hall (6-1) got 18 points and 7 assists from Clark but USC (6-0) took full advantage of 38 trips to the free-throw line, converting 31. The Hall, by contrast, made just 18 trips to the stripe.

Senior forward Ezra Ausar, whom Seton Hall pursued heavily in the transfer portal during the 2024 offseason, paced the Trojans with 25 points and eight boards. Baker-Mazara, a Colonia High School grad who came in averaging 20.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, added 18 points but zero boards.

Seton Hall will face Washington State (3-4) in the third-place game Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Eastern on ESPN2.

The Pirates were seeking their first appearance in a Feast Week final tournament final since 2018 when they won the Wooden Legacy with triumphs over Grand Canyon, Hawaii and Miami – the first hint of promise in what would become a surprise NCAA Tournament season.

3 THOUGHTS

1. A brutal whistle

Unlike during league play, you don’t know what you’re going to get officiating-wise in these early season tourneys. Seton Hall got a crew with a tight whistle, and it hurt the Pirates much more than USC.

The most critical call in the body of the game came early in the second half, when Mike Williams picked up his third foul. The junior guard (13 points) had done a good job blanketing Baker-Mazara, who then went off after Williams hit the bench.

No doubt Holloway will use it as a teachable moment for his group about adjusting to the whistle – for example, Clark had to back off going for a loose ball mid-court in the closing seconds of the first half, but instead picked up his third foul. That said, it’s hard to play the kind of in-your-face defense the Pirates strive for if things devolve into a ref show. This group could be very whistle-dependent as the season unfolds.

The blown out-of-bounds call at the end could have been reversed by a coach's challenge, but Seton Hall was out of timeouts. That rule needs to be tweaked. At the game's end, the officials spent five minutes reviewing footage to change the clock by two seconds. If they can do that, they can conduct an auto-review for something of that magnitude in the final 30 ticks.

Last point about the officiating: UConn coach Dan Hurley went berserk about the refs in Maui last November and vowed to skip Feast Week events moving forward. No doubt he'll be placing a call, very soon, to his old friend Holloway about what just transpired in Hawaii.

2. Beat on the boards

After going plus-7 in rebounding against N.C. State, the Pirates were minus-14 against USC. The Trojans posted an 11-5 edge in offensive rebounds and an 11-4 advantage in second-chance points. This was a game when the Pirates really could have used the roster’s third interior presence – 6-foot-9 sophomore Godswill Erheriene, who remains sidelined by a foot injury. The lack of a true power forward doesn't help. Elijah Fisher, a 6-foot-6 wing who is standing in for a four, grabbed just one board in 28 minutes.

If you’re going to be the team that beats down foes in the hustle department, then winning the battle of the backboards -- or at least not getting crushed there -- is essential.

3. Key opportunity ahead

Losing a close game to USC, which came in as a big favorite, doesn’t change what Seton Hall has accomplished this week in terms of changing public perception about the program. That said, there is much at stake in the third-place game. Coming home to New Jersey 2-1 instead of 1-2 makes a world of difference.

What will this squad have in the tank for a third game in three days after that kind of gut-punch loss? It’ll be a good window into the roster’s character and leadership.

3 QUOTES

From Shaheen Holloway’s postgame radio interview with Dave Popkin.

On his message to his team

"I told them to keep our heads up. Tournaments like this, you’ve got to have a short memory. Want to get out of here at least 2-1. Tough way to lose."

When asked about Seton Hall getting whistled for so many more fouls than USC: "I can’t say that, but you can…I don’t want to get into all that stuff, but clearly these refs don’t know our team, don’t know how we play, they’ve never seen us before. I don’t know man; tough, tough way to lose. Guys played hard, that’s all you can ask for, gave ourselves a chance. Got to learn from it."

On Budd Clark (and Seton Hall’s final play, a lob to Stephon Payne that got knocked out of bounds): "That last play, I called for him (Clark). He’s so unselfish, he wants to make the right play and that’s what I love about him. But I told him on that one, ‘You’ve got to go’ (and attack the lane). I put the ball in his hands to make plays and you’ve got to go. But I’m not blaming him for this loss at all – he’s the reason we’re in every game."

On the rebounding disparity: "We got our butts kicked on rebounds and that’s what jumped out. We’ve got little boys and they were grown men, and they just threw us around. That’s the ball game right there."

GAME 1: Seton Hall 85, No. 23 N.C. State 74

Seton Hall’s basketball program, left for dead as free agency swept across the collegiate landscape, sent a message to the sport in the opening game of the Maui Invitational Monday.

Time to retract that obituary.

The Pirates stunned 23rd-ranked N.C. State 85-74 in the quarterfinals, earning a spot in Tuesday’s semifinal against USC (5-0), which edged Boise State 70-67 in the quarterfinals. The semifinal tip time is 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN/ESPN2.

The message wasn't so much that the Hall triumphed. It was how it happened -- with a throat-punch that leveled the Wolfpack, who came in as the favorite to win the three-day Feast Week event.

It’s Seton Hall's best out-of-conference win in head coach Shaheen Holloway’s four-year tenure and the best since the Pirates took down top-10 squads Michigan and Texas in 2021, the start of Kevin Willard’s final season.

Senior guard A.J. Staton-McCray set the pace with 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds as the Pirates improved to 6-0. Junior point guard Budd Clark commanded the court in the second half and tallied 13 points, four rebounds, five steals, three assists and furnished a team-high plus/minus of plus-21. From tip to buzzer, they beat N.C. State (4-1) in all the hustle categories.

This looked nothing like last year’s Big East cellar-dweller, because it is nothing like it. The entire 10-man rotation is new, with Holloway stocking up on transfers with experience of production, regardless of the level. That showed throughout the lineup in this first real test after five wins over soft competition.

3 THOUGHTS

1. Brought the hard hats

This was a physicality beat-down in every respect. The Hall outmuscled N.C. State for most 50/50 balls, swatted them at the rim, harassed them at the perimeter, dictated tempo and just looked like they wanted it more.

Some key stats: Seton Hall posted edges of 13-8 in second-chance points, 22-7 in fast-break points, 19-13 in points off turnovers, 37-30 in rebounds, 9-2 in blocks and 11-5 in steals. Most important, N.C. State came in as the nation's third-best 3-point shooting team and staggered out hitting just 8-of-24 (33 percent). Most of those were heavily contested.

The Wolfpack seemed genuinely shocked at the haymakers that kept landing on their chin. This is the mentality Holloway’s Saint Peter’s teams brought, only with more talented players. That bodes well for the rest of this season.

2. Mike Williams emerges

At the start of the season the junior guard, who transferred from LSU in the offseason, was the surprise entry in the Pirates’ starting lineup. Now, the reason is obvious.

After coming into Feast Week averaging 7.0 points and shooting 46 percent from 3-point range, Williams set the tone against the Wolfpack. He tallied 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-5 from 3-point range, with six rebounds and two assists in just 19 minutes.

He’s been bothered by a left knee injury and had to leave the game due to cramping – although he valiantly tried to return. Assuming Williams can stay healthy, he’s a two-way weapon who is both efficient and explosive. Every winning team needs that guy.

3. Holloway approached this correctly

It’s understood that fans don’t want to see five games against cupcakes to open the season, but Holloway's scheduling gave 10 new players some runway to figure out their roles and each other, understand his in-game expectations, and gain some confidence.

It worked like a charm. There's a word coaches use for good team ball -- connected. That's what this group was on both ends.

3 QUOTES

From Shaheen Holloway’s postgame radio interview with Dave Popkin:

On the effort: "I told them threes could beat us and we came out a great, almost a 90 percent defensive effort. We made some shots early and then we started celebrating instead of being a team that’s used to this. The new guys are still learning. But all I want are guys to play hard and give me effort, and they did."

On AJ Staton-McCray: "He defended one of their better players who can make shots (Paul McNeil, who shot just 2-of-9 after coming in averaging 15 points and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range). He got timely rebounds, made free throws, made some shots for us. I thought he played big."

On Mike Williams’ injury: "His whole body is cramping. (Simpkins) is cramping too. We’re going to need everybody (the rest of the tourney). Mike got full-body cramps, it’s hot down here, we tried to give him electrolytes, we came down here early for this reason. Everybody who played, I thought did a good job. We’re going to need other guys tomorrow. We’re going to need Josh (Rivera) and Jacob (Dar). Every game it could be somebody different. That’s what makes us a decent team."

BONUS QUOTE (he draws the foul...) On what the win means for the program: "It’s a step, right? It’s still early in the season. I don’t want to downplay it, but it’s still early and it’s a journey. This is a good piece go keep it going. I just want to add: Pirate nation was unbelievable today. I want to give a shout-out to them, to thank everybody for coming out."