Louis Brown Athletic Center - Piscataway, N.J.

THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Rutgers will face each other for the second time this season on Saturday, Jan. 27. The Pirates won the meeting this season, 77-72, at Continental Airlines Arena. Seton Hall has lost two straight, while Rutgers has dropped five in a row.

TV: The game will be shown on the YES Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. Dave Ryan (play-by-play) and Jack Armstrong (analyst) will call the game.

RADIO: The game will be broadcast by WABC 770 AM, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst. The game will also be broadcast by WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall’s student radio station.

SHU ON THE WEB: Tune in for a live audio stream of all games on www.shupirates.com

BIG EAST CONFERENCE: www.bigeast.org

Rutgers has lost their last five games including a 62-40 loss to South Florida on Wednesday. Predicted to finish 14th in the BIG EAST pre-season poll, the Scarlet Knights have not been able to find consistent scoring since the departure of conference leading scorer Quincy Douby. Rutgers is led by JR Inman who is averaging 11.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. As a team, the Scarlet Knights are averaging 59.0 points per game and pulling down 33.6 rebounds per contest. They have shot 38.6 percent from the floor this season and are forcing 13.2 turnovers per game, but committing 13.0 turnovers themselves.

Seton Hall and Rutgers will meet for the 51th time, with the Pirates owning a 28-22 series lead. Seton Hall won the game held at Continental Airlines Arena on Jan. 3 this season, 77-72, but Rutgers has won the last two games held at the RAC. This game crucial to both team’s chances at making the BIG EAST Tournament.

Seton Hall fell to 11-8 overall and 3-4 in BIG EAST Conference play with an 89-76 loss at Marquette on Wednesday. The Pirates trailed by as many as 20 mid-way through the second half, but made a furious rally with the help of a 15-1 run to cut the deficit to only five. But Seton Hall could get no closer. Junior Jamar Nutter came off the bench to lead four Pirates in double-figure scoring with 18 points. Freshman John Garcia made his first career start and pumped in a career-high 10 points. Junior Brian Laing added 13 points and nine rebounds, while freshman Eugene Harvey scored 14 points despite being held scoreless in the first half. Seton Hall out-rebounded the Golden Eagles, 35-to-34.

After missing nearly a year and a half, it is a wonder how red shirt freshman John Garcia has been able to contribute on a high level so soon. He made his triumphant return vs. Providence and scored six points and tied his career-high with three rebounds in nine minutes. Against Georgetown, Garcia scored five points and grabbed three rebounds in a career-high 19 minutes. Then, at Marquette, Garcia made his first career start and scored a career-high 10 points.

In one of his better performances of the season, junior Jamar Nutter led the Pirates in scoring at Marquette with 18 points and helped spearhead Seton Hall’s furious comeback in the second half. Nutter shot well, going 7-for-12 from the floor, 2-for-5 from three-point range and hitting both of his free throws. He also added a team second-best seven rebounds in 32 minutes. It was only the second time all season that he did not start.

It wasn’t until Seton Hall’s 18th and 19th games of the season that the Pirates lost two in a row... and it took two BIG EAST powerhouses, Georgetown and Marquette, to do it. Seton Hall will look to bounce back at Rutgers on Saturday.

Senior Grant Billmeier will miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season due to an injury to his left knee in the first two minutes of the game vs. Providence. Billmeier tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A two-year team captain, he started 14-of-17 games this season and helded guide the Pirates to two NCAA appearances including a thrilling victory over Arizona in the 2004 event.

Aside from playing one another, Seton Hall and Rutgers have had two common opponents so far this season...Georgetown and Providence. The Scarlet Knights went 0-2 against those teams, while the Pirates went 1-2. Rutgers defeated Princeton earlier this season, and Seton Hall will face the Tigers on Monday at Continental Airlines Arena.

Bobby Gonzalez became the 18th Seton Hall University head basketball coach in the program’s history earlier this year and comes to the Pirates after a tremendous seven-year run as the head coach at Manhattan College. He led the Jaspers to four 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournaments in seven years, including finishing .500 or above in the league in each season. His record at Manhattan was 129-77, and his team won the MAAC regular season championship three times and the tournament title twice.

Gonzalez is widely known as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA, an intense competitor, outstanding game coach and tireless recruiter.

Manhattan went 20-11 this past year and Gonzalez was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Jaspers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament and won two games, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and winning at Maryland. Gonzalez led the team to a 14-4 record and the MAAC regular season title.

His best season came in 2003-04, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Gonzalez received numerous accolades following the season, being named NABC District 2, USBWA, and NYBCA Division I Coach of the Year as well as receiving Metropolitan Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year.

Gonzalez coached Luis Flores, Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer, who was drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2004. Flores played with both Denver and Golden State in 2004-05.

In 2002-03, Gonzalez led Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and league championship with a 23-7 record, 14-4 in the league. Named the MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, Gonzalez took Manhattan College to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. The Jaspers fell to eventual national champion Syracuse in the first round.

Gonzalez is no stranger to the BIG EAST and to big-time college basketball. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier (1993-94), Providence (1994-98) and Virginia (1998-99).

Known for his strong recruiting classes, Gonzalez possesses outstanding contacts and ties to the metropolitan area. He was assistant high school coach at Rice High School in the Bronx in 1992-93 and assistant at St. Nicholas of Tolentine from 1988-91. He was also an assistant coach at Binghamton University (1987-88) and Broome Community College (1986-87).

Former Seton Hall great, John Morton will be inducted into the New Jersey Sports Writer’s Association Hall of Fame on Sunday, January 28 at the Pines Manor in Edison, N.J. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to ever wear a Pirates jersey, Morton ranks 11th all-time at Seton Hall with 1,621 career points and was instrumental in guiding the team to the national championship game in 1989. He is currently an assistant coach at St. Peters College.

Seton Hall’s loss at Marquette on Wednesday ended a streak of 12 games in which the Pirates had not put together a two-game streak of wins or losses. Since defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates had followed every win with a loss and every loss with a win. It is the longest streak of it’s kind in the 104-year history of the Seton Hall basketball program.

No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 19 games. His 15.6 points and 4.7 assists per game lead all BIG EAST rookies and only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 19 games this season and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. Harvey has scored in double-figures in 16-of-18 games. In his first BIG EAST game, he scored 21 points, including four clutch free throws with under 20 seconds remaining to seal a victory over rival Rutgers. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a tremendous all-round game vs. St. John’s. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 34.9 minutes per game.

The Pirates are back on the road for two games this week. After dropping a tough 89-76 decision at Marquette they’ll travel to Piscataway to take on in-state rival Rutgers on Saturday. So far this season, Seton Hall is 1-4 on the opposing team’s floor. Earlier this year, they beat Morgan State in Baltimore, 83-63, on Nov. 25, and lost to BYU in Provo, 77-68, on Dec. 30, at Providence, 91-69, on Jan. 6 and at Notre Dame, 88-76, on Jan. 14. Seton Hall will return home for three straight games the following week, starting with non-conference Princeton on Monday, Jan. 29.

Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has twice been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and currently ranks sixth in the conference in scoring with 16.7 points per game. Laing was the only Pirate in double-figures with 19 points vs. Georgetown. He nearly recorded his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and nine rebounds at Marquette. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 12 of the team’s 19 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team.

Through 19 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 207 steals as a team. They recorded 15 steals a piece in their final two games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Their average of 11.1 steals per game leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks among the national leaders. Sophomore Paul Gause has led the Pirate charge in this category. He recorded a career-high five steals at Morgan State and tied his new mark with five more vs. St. Peter’s. Then, against St. Mary’s he re-recorded his career-high and tied the Seton Hall single-game record with eight steals. He chipped in six vs. Penn State and five more vs. Virginia Tech and Liberty. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.32 steals per game and freshman Eugene Harvey is 11th in the conference with 1.79 steals per game.

Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 12 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with five 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had three, junior Jamar Nutter has had two and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Against Rutgers, Laing and Harvey topped 20-point mark. Laing nearly bested the mark again with 19 points vs. Georgetown. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Laing is averaging 16.7 points per game, while Harvey is averaging 15.6.

Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made three starts this season, but has shined in coming off the bench this season. In a tremendous performance against St. Mary’s, Gause scored a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes of action and picked up eight steals, tying the Seton Hall single-game mark for steals held by former Pirate Levell Sanders. Against Liberty and Rutgers, Gause made a steal in the final moments of the game which sealed the victories for the Pirates. Gause finished that game with 14 points and five steals. Currently, he leads the BIG EAST lead in steals per game (3.32) and ranks among the national leaders.

Junior Brian Laing has clearly found a second home...Utah. In three games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, he averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Laing led the Pirates in scoring in all three games and added career double-doubles #3 and #4. For his efforts, Laing was named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. BYU’s Keena Young was named the tournament’s M.V.P.

Seton Hall lost five players from last season’s roster, including their top two scorers, Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney. Copeland and Whitney graduated, while Marcus Cousin, David Palmer and Mike Pilgram transferred. Copeland and Whitney combined for 31.3 points per game and were both named Second Team All-BIG EAST last season. Whitney also led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.

Seton Hall will have at least 17 regular-season games televised nationally or regionally in 2006-07, starting Dec. 9 with a game on YES against Penn State. The Pirates will be on MSG seven times, YES and Fox Sports New York three times, ESPN 360 twice and a game a piece on ESPN and ESPNU.

The Pirates will once again be on WABC 770 AM, or its affiliates ESPN Radio or Radio Disney. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for their fourth season of coverage on the broadcasts. Cohen will handle play-by-play duties with Popkin as the analyst. WABC will carry 15 games this season. WEPN, ESPN Radio 1050 AM will broadcast four, and Radio Disney WQEW 1560 AM will carry 10.

Go to www.shupirates.com to hear a live web audio stream of all Seton Hall men’s basketball games this season. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring you all the action.

The Pirates have recorded six double-doubles this season. Brian Laing picked up his third and fourth double-doubles of the season against Oral Roberts and Liberty in the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Laing’s first career double-double came with a 25-point, 12-rebound performance vs. FDU. Remarkably, Laing has been one rebound shy of a double-double five times this season. Two Pirates, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, both recorded their first career double-doubles in a win over Pennsylvania on Dec. 23. Harvey had 14 points and 11 assists. Davis had career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds.

The highest scoring output by a Seton Hall player this season was 27 points accomplished by a pair of freshmen against Pennsylvania teams. Eugene Harvey scored his career-high 27 points against Penn State on Dec. 9. He played all 40 minutes and also pulled down five rebounds. Larry Davis matched Harvey with 27 against Penn on Dec. 23. He also added 10 rebounds for his first double-double. The totals are the highest individual point totals for a Seton Hall freshman since John Allen scored 31 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31, 2001.

Seton Hall has taken advantage at the free throw line all season. Their best recent performance was at Notre Dame when they hit 21-of-23 shots for a season-high 91.3 percentage. The Pirates rank third in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage, shooting at a 74.6 percent clip. Senior Stan Gaines leads Seton Hall in the category, making 36-of-42 free throw attempts for a percentage of 85.7. Freshman Eugene Harvey is 79-for-97 (81.4) which ranks him 10th in the BIG EAST, while freshman Larry Davis is 33-for-39 (84.6), which would rank him high among the leaders if he had one more made free throw.

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that three marquee recruits, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Seton Hall University beginning in the 2007-08 academic year. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Glover is the gifted brother of former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover and will provide the Pirates with a strong rebounding presence and good finisher around the basket. Last season, he guided his prep school, Boys to Men Academy (Ill.), to a national championship. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hazell was ranked in the nation’s Top 20 by Scout.com among post graduate players. A standout for coach Chris Chaney at Patterson School (N.C.), he is widely regarded as an excellent shooter and will provide the Pirates with great depth at the guard position and the top scoring punch in this class. Augustine Okosun is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior college transfer who will have junior eligibility when he joins the Pirates next season. The Nigeria native comes from well-respected Harcum College (Pa.) and coach Drew Kelly and will add some much-needed size and experience to the Pirates’ frontcourt.

Seniors Grant Billmeier and Stan Gaines as well as junior Brian Laing will serve as team captains for Seton Hall during the 2006-07 season. Billmeier was the lone Pirate captain last season and brings his hard work and unselfishness to the leadership position again. Gaines, a former transfer from the University of Minnesota, is playing in only his second season with the Pirates, but his infectious energy and enthusiasm make him an excellent choice as captain. Laing, the lone non-senior of the trifecta, is a real breakout candidate this season and will provide an experienced leader when it is time to look towards next season.

Seton Hall will play at least nine games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year, but only three of the games will be on the road (Monmouth, Pennsylvania, Georgetown, at Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, at Connecticut, at West Virginia and Pittsburgh... The Pirates will play 18 night games and 12 day games this season... SHU will face Rutgers, West Virginia and Providence twice, but will not see Syracuse or DePaul as part of the BIG EAST’s unbalanced schedule... Pittsburgh (#4), Georgetown (#8), Marquette (#16) and Connecticut (#18) are Seton Hall opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.

The Pirates added three highly talented freshman to the roster for the 2006-07 and all three look to make a difference immediately. Larry Davis, Eugene Harvey and Kashif Pratt are three guards that come from well-respected metropolitan high school programs. Davis led Christ the King to a 24-5 record and the New York City Catholic High School title game while averaging 13.2 points per game his senior year. Harvey joins Seton Hall as one of the nation’s most highly regarded point guard prospects and could be running the Pirates’ offense sooner than later. Pratt averaged 15 points and six rebounds for Rice High School, but is even better known as a defensive specialist. The SHU backcourt is in good shape for years to come.

Four former Seton Hall players are now playing in the NBA - Andre Barrett and Adrian Griffin (Chicago Bulls), Sam Dalembert (Philadelphia 76ers) and Eddie Griffin (Minnesota Timberwolves). Barrett, Dalembert and Eddie Griffin all played on the same Seton Hall team in 2000.

At Notre Dame, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 557 and ranks for 85th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 703 points for 65th all-time.

The Pirates saw an offensive explosion in scoring 94 points against Penn. With only a couple of games to the contrary, the Pirates have had no difficulty scoring points so far this season. Games at the B.Y.U. Classic were no different, as they scored 74 against Oral Roberts, 85 vs. Liberty and 68 against BYU. In 19 games, the Pirates are averaging 76.6 points per game which ranks them fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense. They have topped 90 points three times and 80 points seven times. Seton Hall has three players averaging in double-figures and Paul Gause (8.9) and Larry Davis (8.6) are inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shooting 42.7 percent from the floor this season.

Joining head coach Bobby Gonzalez on the bench this year are three experienced and talented assistant coaches that will surely prove to be a positive influence on the 2006-07 Pirates. Kevin Murphy followed Gonzalez to Seton Hall after three years as his assistant at Manhattan. There, he helped guide the Jaspers to the 2004 MAAC title and NCAA Tournament berth. Geoff Billet joins the SHU staff after five seasons as an assistant at Monmouth. As a player, Billet scored 1,480 career points for Rutgers and graduated as the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Dermon Player brings a standout basketall acumen and remarkable recruiting skills to the Pirates. As a coach and athletics administrator, Player is no stranger to the metropolitan high school and AAU scene.

* The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo.

* Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament.

* The program’s all-time leading scorer is Terry Dehere (2,494 points, 1989-93). Leading rebounder Walter Dukes (1,697, 1950-53) still holds the NCAA single-season rebounding record of 734 in 1952-53. CBS analyst Bill Raftery coached Seton Hall from 1970-81 (154-141 record).

Continental Airlines Arena • East Rutherford, N.J.

TV: None

Radio: WQEW 1560 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will face Princeton in a rare late season non-conference game on Monday, Jan. 29. The Pirates have won eight-of-11 contests all-time against the Tigers, but haven’t faced them since a 64-46 Seton Hall victory on Dec. 22, 1988. The last Princeton victory came on Dec. 16, 1987.

Despite a record of 9-6, Princeton does not have a player averaging in double-digit scoring. They are led by Kyle Koncz, who is averaging 9.6 points per game. As a team, the Tigers are averaging just 52.6 poitns per game and are shooting 43.0 percent from the floor this season. Princeton has a record of 3-3 on the road this year.