Freedom Hall - Louisville, Kentucky

THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and Louisville will meet for the first time ever in BIG EAST Conference play on Sunday. The Pirates are coming off an overtime loss at Cincinnati, 70-67, while the Cardinals have won five straight and most recently defeated Connecticut, in Storrs, 76-69.

TV: The game will be shown on the MSG Network as part of the ESPN Regional package. Dave Sims (play-by-play) and Bob Wenzel (analyst) will call the game.

RADIO: The game will be broadcast by WABC 770 AM, with Dave Popkin on play-by-play and Terry Dehere 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

Predicted to finish sixth in the BIG EAST Conference pre-season poll, Louisville has exceeded expectations this season. Currently they are in position to earn the third seed in the approaching BIG EAST Tournament. Winners of their last five, the Cardinals currently rank 16th in the nation. Although Louisville has only two players scoring in double-figures, they have spread the ball around well and have six players averaging more than 8.0 points per game. Terrence Williams leads the way with 12.1 points per game. As a team, they are averaging 71.0 points per game and are shooting 43.1 percent from the floor.

Despite the fact that Louisville has been a member of the BIG EAST for nearly two seasons, this will be the first time that Seton Hall and the Cardinals have met in a conference matchup. Seton Hall has lost their last two games at Freedom Hall. The Cardinals won the last meeting between schools, an 80-71 victory on Dec. 10, 2003.

Seton Hall lost a hard-fought overtime heartbreaker at Cincinnati, 70-67, on Wednesday. With the loss, the Pirates were officially eliminated from BIG EAST Tournament contention. A thin frontcourt was made thinner in the first half when senior Stan Gaines left the game due to an apparent concussion. He did not return. Three Pirates scored in double-figures. Freshman Eugene Harvey had another specacular performance, netting 24 points, grabbing four rebounds and handing out four assists. Junior Brian Laing scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds. Red-shirt freshman John Garcia had his best career as a Pirate, setting career-highs with 12 rebounds, four blocks and 27 minutes played. Seton Hall is now 1-2 in games decided in overtime this season.

Red-shirt freshman John Garcia enjoyed the best game of his young collegiate career at Cincinnati on Wednesday. The 6-foot-9 center scored only six points, but he grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds and blocked a career-best four shots. After missing nearly a year-and-a-half to injury, it appears Garcia is finally catching his wind and is contributing mightily for the young Pirates.

Seton Hall will finish out the 2006-07 campaign against a team they have never faced before in BIG EAST play...Louisville. Although the Cardinals entered the league over two years ago, due to the conference’s unbalanced schedule, this will be the first time the two teams have met as conference rivals. Louisville owns an all-time record of 6-3 against the Pirates, but they haven’t played since December 10, 2003 - an 80-71 Cardinals victory at Freedom Hall.

Seton Hall will wrap up the 2006-07 regular season with a pair of games on the road. The Pirates dropped a tough overtime decision at Cincinnati on Wednesday, 70-67. They will wrap up the 2006-07 season when they travel to #16 Louisville on Sunday. Game time is scheduled for noon.

Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 18 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with seven 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had six, junior Jamar Nutter has had three and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Twice both Laing and Harvey topped the 20-point mark in the same game, vs. Rutgers and West Virginia. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Harvey is averaging 16.5 points per game, while Laing is averaging 16.1.

With four steals against West Virginia on February 17, sophomore Paul Gause passed former Pirate great Dan Callandrillo, to become Seton Hall’s all-time single-season leader in the category. He now has 89 on the season. Earlier this year, Gause tied the Seton Hall single-game mark with eight steals against St. Mary’s.

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).

With one game remaining in the regular season, Seton Hall has several players with realistic chances to take home some BIG EAST Conference hardware.

Freshman Eugene Harvey has taken the conference by storm. He leads all rookies and ranks fifth overall with 16.5 points per game, while being amongst the league leaders in assists per game (4.1) and steals per game (1.79). He has started all 28 games this season and has been named BIG EAST Rookie of the Week three times. He also ranks among the leaders in minutes played.

Junior Brian Laing ranked fifth on the team in scoring with 5.8 points per game during the 2005-06 season. This year, he ranks second on the team and seventh in the BIG EAST with 16.1 points per game. He has recorded six double-doubles, was named to the BYU Holiday All-Tournament Team and is a three-time BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll member.

Sophomore Paul Gause has been a nightmare for opposing team ball-handlers all season. He has led the BIG EAST in steals per game virtually all season and is currently averaging 3.18. This season, he became Seton Hall’s all-time single-season steals leader and tied the single-game mark with eight steals vs. St. Mary’s. Currently, he has 89 steals on the season.

Junior sharp-shooter Jamar Nutter is making his way up the three-point shooting record lists at Seton Hall. With 149 career made three-pointers, Nutter already ranks eighth on Seton Hall’s all-time list. His 422 career attempts rank him 10th all-time. This season he has fired up 211 attempts which ties him with Shaheen Holloway for seventh on the single-season list. On Feb. 3 vs. West Virginia, Nutter attempted 15 "three’s" which ranks him third on the single-game list.

Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times and is currently seventh in the conference in scoring with 16.1 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 15 of the team’s 28 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Most recently, he scored 18 points and grabbed five rebounds at Cincinnati.

No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 28 games. His 16.5 points per game leads Seton Hall, all BIG EAST rookies and ranks fifth in the conference overall. Only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 28 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 26-of-28 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. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 35.61 minutes per game. Most recently, he scored a team-high 24 points at Cincinnati.

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.

At West Virginia, two Pirates recorded double-doubles for the second time this season. Junior Brian Laing scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, while senior Stan Gaines had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Against Pennsylvania earlier this season, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis both picked up their first career double-doubles. It marks the first season since the 2000-01 campaing that Seton Hall has had two games in which two players have recorded a double-doubles. In 2000-01, it happened three times.

Earlier this season, Seton Hall had a streak of 12 games in which the Pirates had not put together a two consecutive games of wins or losses. After defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates 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.

Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made six 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 (3.18) 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 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 season’s final two games will feature Dave Popkin providing the play-by-play and former Seton Hall great Terry Dehere as the analyst.

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 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.

At Notre Dame, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 689 and is in 66th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 802 points ranking him 56th all-time. Freshman Eugene Harvey, in only one season, is now creeping up on the milestone as well. He currently has 463 career points.

Through 28 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 297 steals as a team. Their average of 10.6 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. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.18 steals per game, freshman Eugene Harvey is tied for eighth in the conference with 1.79 steals per game and junior Brian Laing is 12th with 1.71 per game.

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 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.

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.

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.