NEWARK – In the wake of Seton Hall basketball’s wipeout at Villanova Sunday, head coach Shaheen Holloway asked his staff to edit a game tape just of the Pirates’ offensive performance.
“I took that personally on the chin, not having my team ready to go,” Holloway said.
He showed the tape to his players. Then he showed it to them again.
“The more we move the basketball,” Holloway told them, “the easier it’s going to be for guys to have driving lanes.”
The message got through. The Pirates’ surgical ball-sharing cut visiting Xavier to ribbons Wednesday, sparking an 88-70 victory that enhances their NCAA Tournament resume. Kadary Richmond led the way with a tour de force of 20 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds while committing just one turnover in 36 dominant minutes.
“It was like a wakeup call for us,” Richmond said of the Villanova loss. “We can’t coast. We’ve got to bring it every night. That’s what we did with our preparation the last two days.”
Richmond said he was motivated “just to show everyone that’s not the team we are, that’s not the team we’ve been. We can play with anyone in this league when we bring it.”
Seton Hall (16-9 overall, 9-5 Big East) remains tied for third in the conference. Against Xavier (13-12, 7-7), which walloped the Pirates by 20 in Cincinnati Dec. 23, this was payback.
“You don’t know me if you thought my team was gonna come out and play like they did on Sunday again,” Holloway said. “That’s never gonna happen. I’m not gonna say we’re gonna make shots all the time, but just as far as having no energy and not playing hard, that’s not happening.”
With Richmond dealing nine assists in the first half alone, the Pirates jumped out to a 47-25 lead by halftime and never looked back. He was flawless in his pick-and-roll action with postgrad center Jaden Bediako (12 points, 9 rebounds). It’s clear they have a strong rapport.
“It started in the summer welcoming the new guys in, taking time to know each other,” Richmond said. “And he’s a big vibes guy, so that’s a big part of it.”
In the second half Richmond took over the scoring, mixing in driving layups with his mid-range jumper. Whether Xavier showed zone or man, he dissected it. The Musketeers had no chance.
“I was just taking what the defense gave me, and that was to score after setting people up,” he said.
This was a reminder that Richmond's 'A' game is just about impossible to defend. As he checked out for the final time, he received a much-deserved standing ovation.
“He’s a playmaker,’ backcourt mate Al-Amir Dawes said. “When he’s out there doing his job, everything falls in place."
Holloway, a former Hall point guard whose career-high in assists was 14, was pleased that his ball-movement message got through.
"That’s how I want it to be, and that’s how it should be," he said. "That’s beautiful to see because now everybody’s feeling involved.”
FIVE TAKEAWAYS
1 . Dre Davis injured
The senior forward (13.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg) slipped and fell on a wet spot on the floor midway through the first half. He checked into the locker room, then jogged back onto the court and finished the period, but was sidelined for the second half with an ankle injury. It was not the ankle that suffered a high-ankle sprain last season.
"His ankle kind of swelled up," Holloway said. "He tried to come out in the second half and warm up, and he couldn’t do too much, so (athletic trainer Tony Testa) shut him down.”
Davis tallied nine points, two rebounds and two assists in 13 first-half minutes. He did stand and cheer from his spot on the bench throughout the second half, walked to and from the timeout huddles with no limp, and did not have any boots or visible wraps. He even did some coaching from the bench, pulling aside teammates to share observations during breaks in the action.
2. Dawes set the tone
Dawes swished 3-pointers on the Hall's first two possessions and that opened the floodgates -- you could see the confidence it infused in his teammates, the driving lanes it opened for Richmond, and the energy it sparked from the crowd.
"It spaces the floor very well for the rest of us because they’re worrying about him," Richmond said. "That’s a great start for our team."
It's amazing how much better the offense flows when Dawes is on target. The Pirates are 14-4 this season when he scores in double figures. He finished this one with 18 points and hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range.
3. Isaiah Coleman does his part
The freshman wing has been the Hall’s most reliable sub, and he filled in for Davis like a grizzled veteran. He tallied 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting, grabbed three boards and held his own defensively.
"As the three captains, me, Dre and Kadary, we’re focusing on making sure he knows where he’s at on the defensive end and the offensive end, and making sure he puts in the work," Dawes said. "He stepped up to the plate."
With such a thin bench and so many guys fighting ailments, Coleman’s importance down the homestretch cannot be overstated.
"I feel like those games he started when I was out, that was big for him," Richmond said. "That’s what you're seeing right now, the continuation of that – him getting those reps and being able to help us down the stretch."
Holloway echoed that thought, with a twist.
“He played big for us tonight, and we need him to continue that," the coach said. "It can’t just be this game, so the message to him was, ‘why are you taking a step back because Kooks is back?’ He came back and you just kind of said, ‘alright, let me go back (to contributing less).’ No, keep playing that same way you were playing when (Richmond) wasn’t playing.”
Coleman put it this way: "It's really just next man up."
4. Fan turnout remains poor
This was the third straight home game with a disappointing crowd. No more than 6,000 fans showed up – including a shockingly small student section. How small? Maybe 100 of them attended. There were more students in lowly Georgetown’s student section when the Pirates visited there last month – way more.
That’s an embarrassing look for a fan base of the Big East’s third-place team. It’s worth reiterating: The Pirates routinely face a tougher environment on the road than their opponents do here. Just sad for a program that is on verge of posting its ninth straight Big East record of .500 or better.
What can be done about it? A Greek Night promotion should change the dynamic for the next home game, Feb. 24 vs. Butler. A good-sized crowd is expected for that Saturday-night tilt. But that won’t change what appears to be a culture problem on the campus.
It was so egregious Wednesday, Seton Hall University's official Twitter (X) account posted a jab at the students who stayed home.
"Roses are red, Pirates are blue, if you are a student, where were you?" it read.
One thing is certain: This team deserves better.
5. Quad 1 opportunity next
Sunday’s visit to St. John’s at Long Island’s UBS Arena (5p.m., Fox Sports 1) is the best chance the Pirates will have to bank a fifth Quad 1 win – the most important pieces to an NCAA Tournament resume.
The Johnnies (14-11, 6-8) have been struggling for weeks, and they got hammered by the Hall 80-65 last month in Newark. Richmond, a New York native, always seems to bring it against them.
A win there and Seton Hall will be on the doorstep of a Big Dance berth.
Asked about the challenge of playing St. John's on the road, Richmond's answer was as deft and succinct as his finest pass.
"Is the hoop 10 feet?"
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball bounces back, hammers Xavier as Richmond stars
