SETON HALL GAME NOTES

#7 NOTRE DAME (21-10) vs. 
#10 SETON HALL (19-11)

SECOND ROUND

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Madison Square Garden - New York, N.Y.

7:00 p.m.

TV:  ESPN

Radio:  WABC 770 AM, WSOU 89.5 FM

Internet:  Hall Pass - Live Audio Stream - www.SHUpirates.com

SETON HALL STATUS

Seton Hall won their third straight and second in a row over Providence in the first round of the 2010 BIG EAST Championship last night, 109-106.  The Pirates built a 29-point lead, but had to hold of a frantic Friars rally to pull out the victory.  Seton Hall's game with Notre Dame in the second round is considered by many as possibly a play-in game for the NCAA Tournament.  For the season, Jeremy Hazell leads Seton Hall and ranks third in the conference with 21.1 points per game.  Herb Pope became the first Pirate to finish a season leading the BIG EAST in rebounds per game (11.1). 

NOTRE DAME'S STATUS

Notre Dame enters Wednesday's game on a four-game win streak.  Most recently, they won at Marquette, 63-60 in overtime.  Senior leading scorer Luke Harangody, who was injured in the Irish's game against Seton Hall earlier this year, has returned to the court.  The First Team All-BIG EAST member led the conference in scoring this season with 23.3 points per game.

The winner will face #2 Pittsburgh in the second round.

PIRATES SURVIVE AND ADVANCE

Seton Hall opened the 2010 BIG EAST Championship with a 109-106 first round victory over #15 Providence.  The Pirates built a 29-point lead, but had to hold on in the final minutes.  Five players scored in double-figures for Seton Hall.  The Pirates shot 53.7% from the floor in this historic offensive effort.

109 POINTS

The 109 points Seton Hall scored in their first round game of the BIG EAST Championship set a school record for most points in the tournament and most points in any BIG EAST game.

POPE'S BIG EFFORT

Sophomore Herb Pope scored a career-high 27 points in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship vs. Providence.  Additionally, he grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season.  He also dished out five assists and blocked two shots.

HAZELL'S HONORS

On March 9, junior Jeremy Hazell racked up two additional honors.  The 6-foot-5 guard was named to the USBWA All-District II Team for a second straight year and the Sporting News named him to their BIG EAST All-Second Team.

PIRATES DOWN FRIARS IN FINALE, 92-80

Seton Hall won their second consecutive road game to close out the 2009-10 regular season with a 92-80 victory at Providence.  The win was the second straight at the Dunkin' Donuts Center for Seton Hall.  Jordan Theodore led six Pirates in double-figures in scoring with 21 points.  Sophomore Herb Pope notched his 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

.500 IN CONFERENCE

For the first time in the Bobby Gonzalez era, Seton Hall finished at .500 (9-9) in the BIG EAST Conference schedule.  Their nine wins mark a new high following two straight campaigns of 7-11 records.

19 WINS

Seton Hall's 19 overall wins also mark a new high in the Bobby Gonzalez era.  Each of the last two seasons, the Pirates amassed 17 total victories. 

THEODORE CAREER-HIGHS

Sophomore Jordan Theodore had a career game at Providence on March 6.  The point guard scored a career-high 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting and dished out a career-high eight assists against only one turnover.  Against Providence in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship, Theodore scored 21 points again and was a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range.

SECOND TEAM FOR HAZELL

Junior Jeremy Hazell was named to the BIG EAST All-Second Team on March 8.  The 6-foot-5 guard earned Third Team status last season.  Hazell led the BIG EAST in three-pointers made per game (3.34) and finished third in the conference in scoring (21.2 ppg).

A SETON HALL FIRST

Sophomore Herb Pope became the first Seton Hall player in history to finish the regular season as the BIG EAST leader in rebounds per game.  The Aliquippa, Pa. native pulled down 11.1 rebounds per game, which was more than a full rebound ahead of the second place individual (Harangody, 10.0 rpg).

POPE'S THIRD HONOR ROLL

For averaging 17.5 points, 14.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks per game in a week resulting in a pair of Seton Hall wins, Herb Pope was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the third time this season.

2010 BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP

Seton Hall will be competing in their 30th BIG EAST Championship tournament.  The Pirates are 20-27 all-time in the event and are 9-10 in first round games.  The Pirates have faced Providence five times before in the tournament and own a slim 3-2 advantage among those games.  Additionally, Seton Hall is 72-92 all-time at Madison Square Garden.

METROPOLITAN SWEEP

For the first time in the Bobby Gonzalez era, Seton Hall won all of its games with New York/New Jersey metropolitan area teams.  The Pirates went 7-0 against such teams and were 3-0 against Rutgers and St. John's.