The Big East Conference Tournament 2012 tips off Tuesday afternoon at Madison Square Garden, and this SB Nation New York StoryStream is the place to come for every tidbit of information. For a full schedule with results and updates of the bracket, click here.
They say veterans are what is need for a successful college basketball season, and the Seton Hall Pirates men's program have been a perfect example of that this season.
With senior point guard Jordan Theodore and forward Herb Pope, the Pirates are now on pace for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth, however, there's still work to do heading into the Big East Tournament.
Head Coach: Kevin Willard, second season
After the tumultuous tenure of Bobby Gonzalez, Willard has taken over the Pirates and ushered in a new era of respectability and a team mentality. It’s a welcome change in South Orange, NJ.
Team MVP: Jordan Theodore, senior guard
Theodore is the one player the Pirates have that can take over a game. He’s one of the best point guards in the conference this season; he’s second in the conference in assists per game at 6.7 and is a top-10 scorer in the league at 16 points a pop.
Playing For: An NCAA Tournament Berth
After beating Georgetown at home on Feb. 21 to get to .500 in league play, the Pirates had their destiny in their hands. Wrap up wins against Rutgers and DePaul, and the Pirates would be dancing for the first time since the 2005-06 season. However, they collapsed with two bad losses to bottom feeders, and now they need to beat Providence in the first round on Tuesday to have a shot.
Breakdown: The expectations were low in Jersey this year, but the Pirates jumped out to a 15-2 start with impressive non-conference wins over VCU, St. Joe’s, Auburn and Dayton. But after the impressive start which earned a #24 national ranking, the Hall lost six straight games in conference. They seemed to right the ship with four wins in their next five including the Georgetown win, but finished with a whimper. If the Pirates don’t get in on Selection Sunday, they only have themselves to blame.
The Pirates have one of the better big men in the conference, when he wants to be, in Herb Pope. There are too many times where Pope disappears, and when that happens they struggle to score. Willard has turned the Hall into a good defensive team, with many thanks to sophomore Fuquan Edwin, who leads the Big East with 92 steals this season. Seton Hall can get hot from behind the arc, and when they are, they become tough to beat. They need secondary scoring from Edwin, freshman Aaron Cosby and Brandon Mobley to compete.
Big East Tournament Seed: No. 10, will play No. 15 Providence Friars
Roster and stats:
For a SB Nation New York preview of other Big East schools, click on its respective links: Syracuse, Marquette, Notre Dame, Cincinnati, Georgetown, South Florida, Louisville, West Virginia, Connecticut, Seton Hall, Rutgers, St. John's, Pittsburgh, Villanova, Providence, DePaul.