A day after the Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball program earned a No. 24 ranking in the latest AP Poll for the first time since 2001, they host the DePaul Blue Demons in a Big East Conference game (7 p.m. on ESPN3) at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. The Pirates (14-2, 3-1 Big East) are searching for their fourth consecutive victory, while the Blue Demons (10-5, 1-2) will be trying to rebound from a 87-71 loss Sunday at the Villanova Wildcats.
On Saturday, the Pirates followed up an upset victory, 75-63, over No. 17 (then No. 8) Connecticut Huskies by downing host Providence Friars, 66-57, at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The victory was enough for Seton Hall to crack the top 25 in the AP Poll, however, not enough to earn a spot in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll.
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Currently, senior forward Herb Pope is second in the Big East in scoring and rebound. However, it has been the play of sophomore forward Fuquan Edwin, who tallied collegiate-best 24 points, nine rebound and five steals against Providence, and senior point guard Jordan Theodore, who has averaged 17.0 ppg., a conference-best 9.3 assists per game and 3.7 steals per game in the Pirates last three games.
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Meanwhile, two sophomores, guard Brandon Young and forward Cleveland Melvin, pace DePaul which has already matched its league win total from last season. Melvin is pacing the Blue Demons in scoring (18.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.4), while Young is averaging 17.1 ppg and a team-best 5.1 assist per game.
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