The Seton Hall Pirates are dancing for the fourth year in a row. Despite recent success making the tournament, Seton Hall has not advanced to the second weekend since March 2000. After beating the top two teams in the Big East to end the regular season, the Pirates carry some positive momentum into the NCAA tournament. Are Myles Powell and his teammates the team that can get over the hump and sneak into the Sweet 16 and beyond?
ESPN+ has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: vs. Kentucky, at Maryland, vs, Villanova, vs. Marquette, at Creighton, at Xavier
Worst losses: vs. DePaul, vs. Saint Louis
Regular-season conference finish: 3rd, Big East
Polls and metrics: BPI and KenPom each place Seton Hall 59th, with NET not far behind at 62nd.
All-time tourney record: 16-12 (1 Final Four, 0 National Championships)
Coach (tourney record): Kevin Willard (1-3)
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 12.)
Starting lineup
C Sandro Mamukelashvili (8.8 PG, 7.7 RPG, 1.3 BPG)
F Michael Nzei (9.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG)
G/F Myles Cale (10.4 PPG, 4.3 RPG)
G Quincy McKnight (9.4 PPG, 4.1 APG)
G Myles Powell (22.6 PPG, 2.7 APG)
Key bench players
F Jared Rhoden (3.4 PPG, 2.4 APG)
C Romaro Gill (2.0 PPG, 2.8 RPG)
F Taurean Thompson (4.8 PPG, 2.3 RPG)
Biggest strength: Seton Hall plays active, aggressive defense on the perimeter. Opposing Big East teams are shooting the second-lowest field goal percentage in the conference, at just over 43 percent. Without a true-rim protecting center in the paint, Willard coaches his guards to apply on-ball pressure and cut off penetration. Other aggressive defenses gamble for steals, but Seton Hall instead prioritizes forcing bad shots and making opposing ball handlers uncomfortable.
Biggest weakness: Seton Hall struggles to find scoring opportunities. The Pirates are among the worst-scoring teams in the Big East, with issues sprouting from cold outside shooting and questionable shot selection. Everything Seton Hall does offensively starts with Powell, who is a streaky shooter with a penchant for step-backs and fadeaway jumpers.
Best player: Despite his misgivings, Powell is an electric scorer and creator. His absolute lack of fear leads to some eyebrow-raising shots at times. Powell is comfortable pulling up from 30 feet, shooting with a hand in his face, or driving at the biggest, tallest shot-blockers. When he's making shots, he's one of college basketball's most compelling players to watch. On the defensive end, he's an eager defender, capable of jumping a passing lane at a moment's notice.
X factor: Cale gives Seton Hall a desperately needed injection of outside shooting. As a team, the Pirates shoot only 32.5 percent beyond the arc. Remove Cale's contributions to those numbers and the rest of the Pirates shoot just 30.7 percent from long range. Cale's shooting, at just under 40 percent, stretches the floor and buys Powell some room to slash or gives Mamukelashvili an extra second to score on the low block.
SCOUTING REPORT
How they beat you: Seton Hall wins games on the defensive end. The Pirates apply pressure in the half court and force their opponents into difficult shots. With active hands and quick rotations, Seton Hall forces teams to make jump shots late in the shot clock. When the Pirates do force a turnover or missed basket, they love to get the ball into Powell's hands in transition, allowing him to create a scoring chance for himself or a teammate.
How you beat them: Teams that are patient offensively have been able to find the right kind of shots to beat Seton Hall. Forcing up contested jump shots against the Pirates is not ideal, but working the ball into the paint has proven successful. Defensively, teams key on Powell and make sure any shot he takes are heavily guarded. The rest of the Seton Hall rotation struggles to create offense without Powell as the catalyst.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 12.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 92nd (108.7)
Defensive efficiency, 50th (97.0)
3-point percentage, 267th (32.5)
3-point percentage D, 146th (33.9)
Free throw rate, 152nd (34.2)
Free throw rate D, 115th (30.5)
TO percentage, 135th (18.0)
TO percentage D, 85th (20.1)
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Second weekend
There's no one single recipe to guarantee a Cinderella run. Willard is hoping his team's mix of Powell's heroics and solid all-around defense is good enough to get it done this March. If the Pirates can ratchet up their defensive intensity to another level and if Powell can be truly special, Seton Hall has a chance to make some noise.
Worst-case scenario: One and done
Defense goes a long way, but it's not easy to advance in the NCAA tournament without a reliable offense. When things get difficult or the Pirates find themselves in a scoring drought, they have few answers beyond Powell. If Powell gets bottled up or goes cold, Seton Hall's offense isn't built to keep up with a better shooting team and the Pirates will head home early again.