The Seton Hall Pirates hope to continue their push for an NCAA Tournament bid Tuesday as they host regional and Big East Conference rival St. John's Red Storm in a men's basketball game at the Prudential Center (7 p.m. on SNY). The Pirates (17-8, 6-7 Big East) will be looking for their third consecutive victory and a move to .500 in league play, while the Red Storm (10-15, 4-9) would like to snap a three-game losing streak.
On Sunday, freshman guard Aaron Crosby netted a collegiate-best 19 points to propel Seton Hall past the Pittsburgh Panthers, 73-66. Senior forward Herb Pope collected his 13th double-double of the season with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Pope enters Tuesday's contest as the Pirates leading scorer (15.9 point per game) and leading rebounder (10.5 per game), while senior point guard Jordan Theodore isn't far behind, netting 15.8 ppg. Sophomore forward Fuquan Edwin is averaging 13.0 ppg and leads the nation in steals per game with. 3.0 per contest.
Meanwhile, the Red Storm are barely treading water, as it has lost three straight but have been competitive with a starting lineup that features five freshmen.
On Sunday, the Red Storm were edged by No. 10-ranked Georgetown Hoyas, 71-61. Freshman guard D'Angelo Harrison tallied a team-best 24 points, while teammate Moe Harkless added 20.
Currently, Harrison is netting a team-best 16.7 ppg, as Harkless is scoring 15.6 ppg and is tops in rebounding (8.4 per game).
In the last 10 match-ups between these two teams, Seton Hall owns a 7-3 record, including two straight. The Pirates also are 9-point favorites.
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