Pirates Host No. 10 Golden Eagles

Published: Tuesday, January 21, 2025

by Victor Gonzalez

A tough three-game stretch for the Seton Hall Pirates (6-12, 1-6) continues Tuesday night at the Prudential Center when they play host to the No. 10 Marquette Golden Eagles (15-3, 6-1).

The Pirates are coming off a loss Saturday as they were routed by the St. John’s Red Storm, 79-51, in former Pirate guard Kadary Richmond’s first time back at the Rock since he left for the Red Storm in the transfer portal this offseason.

The Golden Eagles are also coming off a loss, as they were upset Saturday in front of a sold-out Fiserv Forum by the Xavier Musketeers, 59-57, after nearly coming back from a 19-point deficit in the second half.

The Pirates will need to play near-perfect basketball against a team like Marquette, which will be hungry to get back on track after the upset. They will welcome one of the best starting lineups in the country, which features Kam Jones, David Joplin, Stevie Mitchell, and Ben Gold.

Senior guard Kam Jones, who was a unanimous Preseason All-BIG EAST First Team selection, leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game while shooting 49.1% from the field. Jones facilitates the ball well for the Golden Eagles, averaging 6.7 assists per game. Jones also impacts the game defensively and could get some opportunities to clash with Isaiah Coleman.

David Joplin is another player for the Pirates to watch. The senior forward averages 15.1 points per game while shooting 41.9% from the field. Joplin is another key part of this Golden Eagles defense, collecting 5.5 rebounds per game and blocking 1.2 shots per game. He led Marquette in scoring last game with 18 points and will most likely be guarded by defensive-minded forward Prince Aligbe.

The key for the Pirates to snap this three-game losing streak will be consistency on both sides of the ball. The Pirates were great defensively in nonconference play but couldn’t find a rhythm offensively. Now, in conference play, the Pirates have been finding somewhat of a rhythm offensively, but defensively, they find themselves in a funk, having let six of the seven BIG EAST teams they’ve faced score 79 or more points.

The Pirates will also need to get Isaiah Coleman going early. Although scoring double-digit points for the ninth straight game with 11 points against St. John’s, Coleman shot 1-for-13 from the field and 0-for-5 from the 3-point line, with all but two of his points coming from the free-throw line, where he went 9-for-10. Getting Coleman quality looks early and often should be a focal point in the Pirates’ game plan.

The Pirates will look to play spoiler against the Golden Eagles, with tip-off set for 8 p.m. Spencer Gonzales and Brian Henderson will be on the call for WSOU 89.5 FM. Pregame coverage begins at 7:30 p.m., with analysis from CJ Weipz and Pat Corsello.

Victor Gonzalez can be reached at victor.gonzalez@student.shu.edu. 

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