Seton Hall and Saint Peter’s will always be linked by geography and the events that led to their coaching changes following the 2021-22 season.
But the two teams will look far different Monday night than they did the last time Seton Hall and Saint Peter’s opposed one another 12 months ago.
The New Jersey rivals will begin their seasons Monday in Newark, N.J., when Seton Hall hosts Saint Peter’s in the 90th meeting between the schools.
Seton Hall was picked to finish ninth in the 11-team Big East after going 17-16 (10-10 Big East) and falling in the first round of the NIT last season under first-year head coach Shaheen Holloway. He took the job at his alma mater after leading Saint Peter’s during its Cinderella run to the Elite Eight in 2022.
Saint Peter’s was picked to finish 10th in the 11-team Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference after going 14-18 (7-13 MAAC) and reaching the conference tournament semifinals under Holloway’s replacement, Bashir Mason.
Seton Hall’s lone returning starters are leading scorer Al-Amir Dawes (12.6 points per game) and Kadary Richmond, who ranked third on the Pirates with 10.1 ppg while adding 5.2 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Holloway hopes he bolstered the Pirates’ frontcourt by adding three players 6-foot-9 or taller in transfers Jaden Bediako (Santa Clara), Elijah Hutchins-Everett (Austin Peay) and Sadraque NgaNga (Boise State). Seton Hall also added guard Dylan Addae-Wusu, who played the previous three seasons at Big East rival St. John’s.
“I thought last year, we couldn’t shoot the ball well and it kind of hurt us offensively, so I just wanted to get more size and depth,” Holloway said of the Pirates, who ranked second in the Big East with 65.1 points per game allowed last season but finished ahead of only Butler with 68.4 ppg.
Saint Peter’s lost its top three scorers from last season in Isiah Dasher (13.0 ppg) and Jayden Saddler (7.6 ppg), each of whom graduated, as well as Jaylen Murray (12.5 ppg), who transferred to Ole Miss.
Corey Washington (6.8 ppg) is the top returning scorer and is joined by Mouhamed Sow, who shared the team lead in rebounding with Washington at 4.9 per game. The Peacocks welcome eight new players, including Division I transfers Roy Clarke (St. Francis NY), Elijah Perkins (Austin Peay) and Marcus Randolph (Richmond).
“I’m going to use what’s kind of changing the landscape of college basketball — I think the roster’s now made of my NIL: My name, my image, my likeness,” said Mason, who replaced Holloway after spending 10 seasons as the head coach at nearby Wagner. “Talented offensive players, really tough defenders, really good guys. This is probably — it’s still early — this is one of the closest groups that I’ve coached.”
–Field Level Media