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Seton Hall’s annual midseason swoon appears to be over. Just as important, it looks like Jared Rhoden could be past his struggles as well.
With the senior star leading the way, and the Pirates owning the glass, they won for the third straight time, holding off No. 25 Xavier, 73-71, at Prudential Center on Wednesday night to further solidify their NCAA Tournament standing.
“I’ve been putting in a lot of extra work. I’ve been really killing myself, just grinding it out, getting a lot of shots up, watching a lot of film,” Rhoden said. “I’m so happy this game turned out that way because I worked hard for it.”
Rhoden scored nine of his game-high 25 points in the final 3:58 as Seton Hall withstood multiple Xavier runs after building a 14-point, first-half lead. Rhoden, who had struggled mightily during the Pirates’ four losses in five games in late January, also had eight rebounds and reached the 20-point plateau for the first time in seven contests. He sank five 3-pointers — as many as he had made in his previous six games.
“I think Jared’s starting to get back to the way he was playing before the COVID-19 shutdown,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said, referring to his star’s bout with the virus in December. “He’s playing really simple basketball, letting the game come to him. … He’s stepping in, shooting the basketball, and he’s just playing simple basketball, which when he does that, I think he’s as good as anybody.”
His 3-pointer with 3:15 left pushed the lead to six and, while Xavier got close, it never was able to get even. Paul Scruggs’ full-court heave at the horn was just off to the right.
The Pirates (15-7, 6-6 Big East) have begun to look like the team that was so impressive during the non-conference season, winning these last three games despite the continued absence of star guard Bryce Aiken (concussion). They crushed Xavier on the glass, 41-28, and held it to 4 of 14 shooting from 3-point range.
“When we rebound and defend the 3, we’re pretty good,” Willard said.
Alexis Yetna added 12 points and five rebounds and Kadary Richmond had seven points, eight rebounds and five assists for Seton Hall. Jack Nunge had 22 points for Xavier (16-7, 6-6).
Seton Hall picked up where it left off in Friday’s 19-point win over Creighton by owning the first 20 minutes. It was the more physical, desperate and disciplined team. It owned the paint, forced 10 turnovers and controlled the glass. The second half was a different story, with Xavier coming out hot and the game devolving into a free-throw shooting contest due to three whistle-happy referees.
But the Pirates never lost their lead, making just enough plays down the stretch. Now they head into a brutal two-game road trip at No. 15 Villanova and No. 24 UConn with ample momentum.
“It’s definitely going to be a measuring stick,” Willard said. “I think it’s the two toughest road places [in the Big East].”
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