If you enjoyed Marshon Brooks’ scoring outburst against Notre Dame last Wednesday, there’s a chance you’ll see Act 2 when Jeremy Hazell leads the Seton Hall Pirates into Purcell Pavilion to play the #9 Fighting Irish on Saturday evening.  Like Brooks, Hazell is a tall, athletic guard who never eschews a shot.  He is capable of being unstoppable like he was in SHU’s upset victory over Syracuse in the Carrier Dome when he made 10 of 17 shots en route to 28 points.  He’s equally capable of repeating the 7 for 22 game he had in the Hall’s two point loss to UConn in Newark.

Once again, one man will determine how interesting the game is.

What you need to know about Seton Hall

• #15 scoring offense in the Big East, 63.8 ppg
• #8 scoring defense in the Big East, 66.6 ppg
• #9 free throw percentage in the Big East, 69.1%
• #16 field goal percentage in the Bg East, 40.2%
• #12 field goal percentage defense in the Big East, 44.4%
• #16 three-point percentage in the Big East, 24.3%
• #15 rebounding margin in the Big East, -4.1
• #13 assists per game in the Big East, 12.5
• #1 turnover margin in the Big East, +2.6
• #7 assists/turnover ratio in the Big East, 1.1 (6 teams tied)

Hazell is the Pirates’ scoring leader with 17.5 points per game.  That average would be 5th in the Big East with enough games to qualify for the leader board, but he missed the first four conference games, as well as the entire non-conference season, due to injuries.  Senior forward Jeff Robinson (11.9) and junior forward Herb Pope (11.7) also carry double digit averages.  Pope is the leading rebounder with 8.4 per game, 3rd in the Big East; and super-quick point guard Jordan Theodore runs the offense for Seton Hall.

Those are good ball players, but production from the rest of the roster drops dramatically.  One of of the key guys must play beyond beyond his averages, as Theodore did with 19 points against Syracuse, for Seton Hall to succeed.

What you need to know about Notre Dame

• #4 scoring offense in the Big East, 71.1 ppg
• #10 scoring defense in the Big East, 67.8 ppg
• #5 free throw percentage in the Big East, 71.8%
• #2 field goal percentage in the Big East, 46.4%
• #9 field goal percentage defense in the Big East, 43.4%
• #3 three-point percentage in the Big East, 37.9%
• #6 rebounding margin in the Big East, +0.5
• #4 assists per game in the Big East, 15.1 per game (tied with Marquette)
• #10 turnover margin in the Big East, -0.3
• #1 assist/turnover ratio in the Big East, 1.1 (3 teams tied)

Ben Hansbrough’s team leading 20.0 points per game are good enough for 3rd in the Big East.  Tim Abromaitis (13.4), Scott Martin (10.3), and Carleton Scott (10.2) add double-digit averages.  Scott’s 7.6 rebounds lead the team and would rank 4th in the conference with more games played.  Nash, Martin, and Abromaitis  each add between 5 and 6 boards per game.  Freshman guard Eric Atkins has maintained his 3.1 assist/turnover margin while other leaders have faltered.  He now has a 0.5 lead in that category over #2 Kemba Walker of Connecticut.

The Matchup

I realize this might earn a hale and hearty “Duh!” but Notre Dame’s defense will determine the outcome of this game. If the Irish can keep the others at or below their scoring averages, Hazell would have to drop 50 points on the Irish to make it a game; and nobody scores 50 in a Big East game… err… It doesn’t happen twice in a season anyway.  The point is that SHU doesn’t have a lot of firepower after Hazell, and it’s up to the Irish defenders to make sure a bit player doesn’t become a star for one game.  Good position, help, and a workmanlike effort on the boards will do the job.

On offense, patience and ball security are the order of the day.  Seton Hall defends well on the perimeter.  The Pirates have the Big East’s best three point percentage defense – 29.5%.  However, SHU’s overall field goal percentage defense ranks 12th in the conference, allowing 44.4% of shots to be made; and the excellent three point defense is blended into that percentage.  If the Irish work the ball to the post, SHU’s small front line (6’8″, 6’6″, and 6’6′) will be at a disadvantage.  They’ll have to double Nash, which plays to his passing strength, or foul, which the Pirates do an average of 17 times a game.  Three point shots are great, but they shouldn’t be necessary on Saturday.

Game Information

• Seton Hall ( at #9 Notre Dame (22-5/11-4)
• Saturday, February 26th, at 7:00PM (ET)
• Purcell Pavillion at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN
• Television: ESPNU
• Internet: ESPN3.com

(Note: All cited statistics are for conference games through Thursday, February 24th

– Kevin O’Neill