As Seton Hall hopes to come back from its bye week both healthier and sharper, it will host a Georgetown team searching for answers amid a six-game losing streak on Wednesday in Newark, N.J.
The Pirates (14-8, 7-4 Big East) last played Jan. 30, when they thrashed last-place DePaul 72-39 on the road to end a three-game slide. The biggest development that day was Kadary Richmond’s return from a two-game absence for unspecified “soreness.”
Richmond, a Big East Player of the Year candidate, averages 15.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. The guard came off the bench against DePaul and had six points and seven rebounds but committed six turnovers.
“I thought he was rusty,” Seton Hall coach Shaheen Holloway said in his postgame radio interview. “Made some passes that were not great. This break is a time for him to get back sharp.”
Al-Amir Dawes (14.2 points per game) and Dre Davis (13.8) also are key to Seton Hall’s offense. Dawes had 25 when Seton Hall beat Georgetown 74-70 on Jan. 9, while Davis has scored in double figures in 12 straight games.
The Hoyas (8-13, 1-9) have defended poorly since holding the Pirates to 74 points that night, which was the start of their six-game skid. They’ve allowed an average of 87.4 points in the five games since, most recently a 91-57 setback to Marquette on Saturday.
Georgetown gave up a 19-2 run midway through the first half to let the game get out of hand.
“Very disappointed in our energy, effort and connectedness,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said postgame. “We have to figure it out. … We have to do a better job as a staff, I have to do a much, much better job as a head coach to get our guys connected, to buy into where we’re trying to go. We take five steps forward and 32 steps backwards.”
Rowan Brumbaugh scored 12 points to lead the Hoyas in that game. Jayden Epps, the team’s leader with 18.5 ppg, scored seven on 2-of-8 shooting.
–Field Level Media