Syracuse, which is coming off its third straight season of winning all of its non conference games, will open up Big East play by hosting Seton Hall.
POPE AND THEODORE LEADING THE WAY: Seton Hall has raced out to an 11-1 start, thanks to auspicious starts from Herb Pope (20.2 ppg, 11.4 rpg) and Jordan Theodore (15.8 ppg, 7.3 apg). Pope has even extended his shooting range out to the 3-point line while Theodore is one of the best passers in the Big East. With the exception of a Nov. 20 loss against Northwestern, the Pirates have beaten all comers, including Auburn and Wake Forest. That being said, the Pirates’ only two road games of the season have been at Dayton and Longwood.
SCOUTING THE PIRATES: While Pope and Theodore are having All Big East caliber seasons so far, there isn’t much depth behind them. Seton Hall really only runs six deep, with those six players averaging 20 minutes or more. The key for the Pirates will be the development of sophomore Fuquan Edwin, who has become a more reliable scorer at 14.0 points a game.
IN SETON HALL’S LAST GAME: The Pirates had no problems in its final tune up before Big East play, as they defeated Longwood 87-61. Theodore led the way with a game high 26 points and six assists, while Edwin chipped in 20 points. Seton Hall shot 57 percent from the field.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING: It was ugly the last time these two teams met. The Pirates trounced the Orange, 90-68, in one of Syracuse’s worst losses in years. Jeremy Hazell had 28 points as the Pirates shot 54 percent from the field and 10-for-17 from downtown. SU has a 45-16 overall record against the Pirates, and is 22-7 against Seton Hall in the Carrier Dome.
GAME INFORMATION: Thu, Dec 28. 7 p.m. BIG EAST Network/MSG. Syracuse, NY.
