Pirates Open BIG EAST Tournament Against Villanova

Published: Wednesday, March 12, 2025

by Bobby Steiner

The Seton Hall men’s basketball team (7-24, 2-18) will open its 2025 BIG EAST Tournament run against Villanova (18-13, 11-9) on Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

This No. 6 vs. No. 11 matchup marks the first postseason meeting between the teams since the 2019 BIG EAST Final, when Villanova won a back-and-forth game, 74-72.

Going into this opening-round game, both teams are looking to right the ship following losses in their regular-season finales.

For The Hall, they dropped their finale at Gampel Pavilion with an 81-50 loss to UConn. Despite the result, two Pirates shined: Prince Aligbe and Garway Dual.

Aligbe led the team with 15 points on an efficient 55.6% shooting from the field. It was his first double-digit scoring performance since the last matchup with Villanova on Feb. 26, when he had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Dual continued his hot streak over the weekend, scoring 12 points. He knocked down three of his four 3-point attempts, adding a much-needed deep threat to the Pirates’ offense.

He had a team-high four assists, along with a block and a steal. In the final weeks of conference play, Dual has shown he can make an impact on both ends of the floor as just a sophomore.

Another Pirate sophomore, Isaiah Coleman, once again reached double figures, marking his eighth consecutive game with 10 or more.

Outside of the Aligbe-Dual duo stepping up against a premier BIG EAST team, the Pirates also did a great job forcing turnovers. The Huskies finished the afternoon with 18 turnovers—nearly seven more than their season average.

Seton Hall’s press defense forced errant passes and caused some of the conference’s top players to make uncharacteristic mistakes.

For the Wildcats, their regular season ended with a 75-73 loss to Georgetown in the nation’s capital.

Eric Dixon, the nation’s leading scorer, lived up to that title with a game-high 24 points. Two other Wildcats, Jordan Longino and Jhamir Brickus, also scored in double figures with 17 and 10 points, respectively.

The other starters for Villanova made a bigger impact on the boards, with Enoch Boakye grabbing 11 rebounds and All-BIG EAST third-teamer Wooga Poplar pulling down 10.

Villanova had the advantage in offensive rebounds and second-chance points against Georgetown, but four Hoyas starters scored in double figures, and the team shot over 45% from 3-point range.

For the Pirates on Wednesday night, their offense needs to be firing on all cylinders. Dual’s improved 3-point shot is a great complement to Coleman’s usual double-digit performances, but Dylan Addae-Wusu is equally important. He’s primed for a big game after going scoreless against the Huskies.

Joseph Morales and Michael Bellifemini will be on the call live from New York City, with tipoff set for 9 p.m. Pregame coverage begins at 8:30 p.m., hosted by Jack Pine, Lauren Reese, and CJ Weipz on 89.5 FM WSOU.

Bobby Steiner is Programming Director at WSOU and can be reached at robert.steiner@student.shu.edu. 

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