Enter the 2011-12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame lost a great deal from last season’s team that entered the month of March playing about as well as any team in the country. Gone from that team are Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough and important role players Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott, the latter a big defensive leader for that team and a surprise early defection. Already, projections for this team were going to be that they were unlikely to contend for the top of the Big East. When they went 0-2 in Kansas City, including an 87-58 thrashing at the hands of Missouri, it looked like they would be who many thought they would be.

That wasn’t all. The Fighting Irish were not certain to have Tim Abromaitis back, as he played in two exhibition games in the 2008-09 season where he redshirted. But the NCAA granted him this year, so that helped as he was an experienced player and was second on the team in scoring last season. Then in late November, he tore the ACL in his right knee in practice, putting him out for the season.

At that point, the outlook was decidedly not good. But no one told head coach Mike Brey and his team that, and after Saturday’s convincing 76-59 win over Marquette, the Fighting Irish are alone in fourth place in the Big East.

“From the start of the season, no one thought we would be here,” said sophomore point guard Eric Atkins.

Notre Dame hasn’t compiled its record by beating up on the bottom feeders of the conference. Along the way, they have knocked off Louisville, Seton Hall and Connecticut on the road, and now Syracuse and Marquette at home.

“I am very proud of my group,” said Brey, who at this point looks like the runaway Coach of the Year in the Big East, if not nationally. “I told them in one of the final media timeouts that I felt like I was coaching men today. Last year’s team was men. That had a look of more than one fifth year senior on the court. I am thrilled where we are.”

Notre Dame can only get better given that this is a young team with a lot of players who are just finding themselves. Scott Martin is the only other senior besides Abromaitis on the team, while the emerging perimeter unit of Atkins, Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton are sophomore, sophomore and freshman respectively. Connaughton wasn’t expected to play much, but he scored 21 points on Saturday and now starts on the hardwood as well as the mound (the San Diego Padres drafted him last year).

“Right now, we’re really confident that we can beat any team – we can play with any team,” said Grant. “Our team confidence is really high right now, and I’d like to keep it that way because we are playing really well.”

That’s one thing no one can doubt at this point. The Irish have proven that to this point, and as a more confident team they will be even tougher to beat.

We take you coast to coast with news from around the college basketball nation.

Arizona had a big weekend, sweeping their trip to northern California after a 56-43 win at Stanford on Saturday. The Wildcats may be starting to come alive at a good time.

Syracuse got Fab Melo back for Saturday’s game, and they rolled to a 95-70 blowout win at St. John’s. The win was the 879^th in Jim Boeheim’s career, tying him with Dean Smith for third on the all-time list.

Seton Hall’s struggles continued as Connecticut annihilated them 69-46 in Hartford.

Kentucky had an easy time at South Carolina, committing just three turnovers in their blowout win.

The Big 12 gets a little more interesting at Missouri rallied to knock off Kansas in a big rivalry showdown. Both teams are now 8-2 in conference play.

Who’s on top of the ACC? No, not Duke, although the Blue Devils will be tied if they beat Miami on Sunday. North Carolina is in a tie after a big 83-74 win at Maryland to move into a tie for that spot. The team they are tied with is Florida State, as the Seminoles are 7-1 after a 58-55 win over Virginia.

Temple is now alone in first place in the Atlantic 10 after a 73-56 win at Rhode Island, combined with Saint Joseph’s knocking off La Salle earlier in the day. Temple’s perimeter trio continues to be the driving force for this team.

Wyoming knocked off road-weary UNLV in a close one after the Runnin’ Rebels ran into snow-related travel delays en route to Laramie.

Northern Iowa beat Creighton on a buzzer-beater, right after Creighton had tied it on a big shot.

Iona won a big showdown against Manhattan for the lead in the MAAC.

George Mason grabbed a share of the lead in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 54-50 win over Old Dominion in a first-place showdown. The Patriots are joined by VCU, 59-56 winners over Northeastern, and Drexel, 65-57 winners at Towson, at 11-2 in the conference.

Mississippi Valley State is now 10-0 in the SWAC and two games ahead in the standings, after knocking off Alabama State.

Sunday’s key matchups:

• Michigan at Michigan State
• Miami at Duke
• Northwestern at Illinois
• Stephen F. Austin at McNeese State
• The biggest one of all: New York Giants vs. New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLVI

• Boston University was not rebounding well in the early portion of their seven-game winning streak. But in the last two games, the Terriers have dominated the glass, and keeping that up will only help. Granted, it came against two of the worst teams in the conference, but one of them (UMBC) is normally a decent team on the glass. Part of that has come from an emphasis on rebounding of late, but not just at the defensive end.“The last two games, we’ve done a much better job on the glass,” said head coach Joe Jones. “We’re just trying to make a concerted effort to be a better offensive rebounding team as well.”
• One of the keys to Marquette‘s play has been the play of transfer Jamil Wilson. The Oregon transfer isn’t putting up big numbers, but he had 16 points on Saturday night at Providence to go with three blocked shots. Three nights later, he blocked three more shots to help the Golden Eagles shut down USF, and he is filling the stat sheet more and more.”I think he’s become incredibly, incredibly important to what we’re doing,” said head coach Buzz Williams. “I think with each passing day, regardless of game day or practice day, I think his confidence continues to grow. I think he helps us hide some of our deficiencies because of his intelligence, particularly on the defensive end.”
• Northeastern somehow pulled out a win on Wednesday night over Delaware that may make a difference for them. The Huskies had lost two straight after a good start, but came home for a win that may get them going again. Joel Smith hit his second game-winning basket in less than a month, having made a buzzer-beater at Vermont on December 30, and looks to be playing much better although he struggled in the two recent road losses. The big key, he said, is being engaged at both ends of the floor, and head coach Bill Coen noted that they have only lost once when Smith has six or more rebounds.”I’m trying to be more involved, especially rebounding and defense,” said Smith. “Once you do the little things, the game just flows and it comes to you.”
• St. John’s showed on Wednesday night that although they are young, they will be able to beat a top team or two before the season is out. They beat West Virginia convincingly, and all along they have looked like a scrappy team that will not go down easily.
• Staying in the Big East, Notre Dame‘s win at Seton Hall is another solid win for the Fighting Irish. If they keep this up, Mike Brey should be in the mix for Big East Coach of the Year. Meanwhile, Seton Hall has come back to earth a bit of late as they are now 4-4 in Big East play.
• St. Mary’s picked up a big road win on Thursday night as they went to Los Angeles and came away with a 71-64 win over Loyola Marymount. There are more road tests ahead for this team, but getting a win in LA is a good way to keep up the winning.
• Five teams are tied atop the Atlantic 10 with 4-2 records, but Xavier and Temple are not among them. Instead, it’s Dayton, La Salle, UMass, Saint Louis and St. Bonaventure. Temple and Xavier are right behind them, but chances are few figured a five-way tie would not include those two.
• Iona heads to Fairfield on Friday night in a game that may have lost a bit of luster from before MAAC play began in earnest. The Stags are 5-3, and they could make things a little more interesting with a win as Iona is 7-2 and being talked about as a team that should be in one of the better BracketBusters matchups.

1. Winning three of the Four Factors does not guarantee a victory. Dean Oliver’s Four Factors tell us a great deal of why teams win or lose. Having the advantage in them is desirable but, as noted, getting three of four does not always mean a W in the ledger. The example:

The Blue Demons had slight advantages in free throw rate, Offensive rebounding percentage and turnover rate. They were though, badly beaten in the main objective of Dr. Naismith’s game. They did not put the ball in the basket as often or as proficient as Seton Hall. DePaul was 23 of 67 (5 of 20 from three) from the field. The Pirates were 37 of 63, including 11 of 21 (52%) from beyond the arc. That was a difference DePaul found too much to overcome.

1. The Hall has multiple choices. Fuquan Edwin followed up his 24-point performance at Providence with a game-high 28 points. Edwin had 24 at the half. The second half Aaron Cosby heated up, shooting three for five from deep and scoring 14 of his 15 points. Herb Pope had another solid 11-point, 13-board night and Jordan Theodore had another outstanding 26-point, 11-assist effort. Edwin’s emergence of late as a scorer and added offensive option couldn’t have come at a more opportune time.
2. DePaul is in the middle of a tough stretch. The game at Seton Hall was the second of three straight on the road. The Blue Demons will visit Louisville on Saturday. Still, after the Hall contest they stand at 1-3 in the Big East and 10-6 overall.
3. What DePaul did well. Compete and get to the line. Seton Hall head coach Kevin Willard was impressed with their constant full court pressure and the fact they kept working. The Blue Demons whittled the halftime deficit to a three-possession game midway through the second half before the Hall went on a game-clinching run. DePaul was able to draw fouls and made the most of their chances, shooting 22 of 25 from the line. Those 22 makes led to their impressive 33%  free throw rate (FTM/FGA). DePaul does have some young talent for Oliver Purnell to build with. Notable in that group is sophomore guard Brandon Young, who led the Blue Demons with 16 points. Cleveland Melvin, another sophomore, at forward, is an 18-points-per-game scorer. Cleveland did add 14 points but was held to 4 of 13 from the floor.
4. The Hall is not resting on laurels. That was a mantra repeated in post-game comments by players and the Seton Hall coaching staff. They have a ranking but are not resting on laurels. Chalk a lot of that up to chemistry. “We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores and it is easy to maintain their attention,” Willard said. “We also have two seniors (Theodore and Pope) who not only want to make their last season special and want to further their careers.” Translated, everyone is on the same page, focused and working hard.

• Earlier in the afternoon/evening it was officiating at Hudson Catholic. The Jersey City-based school coached by Nick Mariniello is building into a legitimate state power. Even the sub varsity teams are strong. My JV game saw Hudson win 106-34 (no misprint). At any rate a familiar face was in the stand: Mike O’Koren, who starred at Hudson with Jim Spanarkel and later North Carolina before an NBA career, was in attendance. As an alum of Hudson, he is happy regarding the program’s new found strength and to be a part of it. “Nick (Mariniello) has been wonderful inviting me back and keeping me involved and close to the program. O’Koren takes in as many games as he can, especially in the gym where he and Spanarkel lead the Hawks to county and state titles.

The Pirates are not going to win a contest for the most experienced team in college basketball. They have just two seniors who play and no juniors on a roster that features seven freshmen. That means five of the seven regulars are underclassmen, and that means the seniors need to be leaders more than with many teams. They have been just that, but the Pirates had to go without one of them for a lot of the first half.

Jordan Theodore might not be the first to come to mind among the top Big East point guards, but he’s starting to look the part. He’s having a big senior season, as he leads the conference in assists and is second in assist-to-turnover ratio. Just four games into conference play, he’s well on his way to blowing away his previous career high in assists for the season, and all of his numbers are up noticeably in early Big East play.

“I don’t think anyone is sleeping on Jordan anymore. I don’t think they can,” said Willard. “To press all game, to play defense all game against someone like Vincent Council, and then to run everything that we do, I think he’s proved to himself that he’s one of the elite point guards in the country.”

He showed his mettle on Saturday night as he calmly ran the show and hit some big shots en route to scoring 14 points and handing out nine assists with just two turnovers. None were bigger than the mid-range jumper he hit to give the Pirates some breathing room after Providence got within 54-53. It started a decisive 9-0 run.

With all of that, and the importance of the point guard spot, it’s not a surprise that the Pirates are 3-1 in the Big East at this point. Theodore said he understands the offense better, and feels that makes a big difference for him. Right now, it is showing up in his play.

“I definitely feel like he should be on any list for point guards, because what more can you ask for?” said senior forward Herb Pope, who had 11 points and 10 rebounds. “That’s what a point guard has to do, not to mention he scores 14 points per game.”

Pope is playing like the player he was reputed to be in high school. He’s been through quite a bit in college, but his talent was never in question and as such it’s not a big surprise that he’s averaging a double-double on the season. With the youth on this team, he’s been needed as a leader, and has provided that thus far.

As much as Theodore reaffirmed that he’s become one of the better point guards and the Pirates won without Pope having a big night, both players were quick to talk about what Fuquan Edwin did for the team. Edwin had 23 points, 16 of them in the first half when Pope had to go out with a minor eye injury on a scary play where it looked like both he and Providence’s Gerard Coleman could have come away seriously injured.

“He was huge,” said Willard. “We had three freshmen, a sophomore and a senior for nine minutes in the first half, and Fuquan pretty put us on his back and got us into the second half when Herb came back in the game.”

“Fuquan held us down tonight,” said Theodore. “He kept us alive in the first half.”

While Edwin’s scoring numbers are noticeable, Willard looks at the other end for where he can be at his best.

“There’s a reason he leads the country in steals because he’s a heck of a defensive player,” said the Seton Hall mentor. “I don’t look at the offense, he’s so fun to watch on defense.”

Seton Hall is 14-2 overall and 3-1 in the Big East. At this point, the Pirates have made a case to be ranked, although they feel it doesn’t matter save for being nice for the fans. More importantly, their NCAA Tournament profile is looking better all the time. The only losses are to Northwestern in the championship of the Charleston Classic and at Syracuse, while they have wins over Saint Joseph’s, Dayton, West Virginia and Connecticut. They are 3-1 in true road games and 5-2 overall away from home.

They know their work is far from done yet, and not just because it’s early in Big East play.

“Right now, we’ve got to continue to try to become an NCAA Tournament team,” said Willard. “We’ve given us a chance, we’ve got to continue to get better.”

With the improvement the seniors have made, and the continuing development of their youngest players, who aided a 47-33 rebounding edge on Saturday, the Pirates appear to be well on their way.

“We figured (Jeremy) Lamb would get his points,” Willard said. “It was pick your poison so we decided to defend Napier as tough as possible.”

The final line for the sophomore guard showed six points on 2 of 12 shooting (1 for 6 from three) in 35 minutes. Using the Manley formula, Napier came out with a -3. The 2 for 12 shooting coupled with five turnovers were major contributors.

The tempo free breakdown:

Among the Four Factors, turnover rate was the key. At the end of the first half UConn trailed 35-22. They had 13 turnovers in 34 possessions. A painfully poor 38% TO rate. “We didn’t discriminate on turnovers,” UConn coach George Blaney said. “They were well-distributed.” The second half saw only one UConn turnover. The damage though, was done. For the game the Huskies were over the 20 percent cutoff with a 21 percent rate while the Hall showed a commendable 17 percent.

Added notes/observations:

1. Lamb finished with a team-high 19 points but received little help on a consistent basis.

2. Seton Hall used a 2-3 zone with very good results. Kevin Willard is an admitted man-to-man defensive coach but his zone was very effective. It was not just in the defensive results. Teams that do not play much zone often react after the pass. The Hall did it as a good zone team should, they moved and shifted on the pass.

3. The crowd at the Rock was literally electric.

4. Student section cheered and jeered when Blaney received a second half technical. Many of those students were probably too young to remember his days on the sidelines at the Hall.

5. I was impressed with the hustle and take charge play of Seton Hall’s Jordan Theodore. Still, I feel he is more a shoot-first point guard. Regardless, can’t find much fault in his sterling 19-point, 11-assist outing.

6. Herb Pope had another ‘rock’ solid 15 points and eight boards (six offensive) for the Hall.

7. A freshman of note is Brandon Mobley of Seton Hall. The 6-9 forward had a nice eight-point, seven-rebound effort in twenty minutes. Look for his role to keep gaining prominence as the season progresses.

8. The win snapped an eleven game UConn win streak in this series. The last Seton Hall victory was March of 2001.

9. As excited as Willard was of the win, he was equally thrilled to meet Victor Cruz of the NY Giants. Cruz visited the Seton Hall locker room after the game.

10. On the baseline: It was nice to see the Hall players and coaches join the dance team, mascot and cheerleaders for the post game alma mater – and not just ‘join’ but sing. I ran into Seton Hall cheerleading friends Reyna and Christine (they were in one of my stories last season). They told me I made a good decision in passing up St. John’s to cover the Hall.

Ladies, you were 100% correct.

The NCAA is entering new levels of ridiculous mismanagement. The Associated Press reports that the NCAA might reconsider giving new scholarship student-athletes a $2,000 stipend, though it would have to allow players who have already signed letters of intent to receive the extra cash while banning those who sign later.

Ohio State superstar Jared Sullinger is still hurting from recurring back spasms, and coach Thad Matta didn’t want to say when Sullinger will be back in the lineup for the Buckeyes, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report. But Sullinger answered that question Wednesday night when the Buckeyes beat down USC Upstate 82-58 and Sullinger played 24 minutes and got 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Nobody will face criminal charges in the Xavier/Cincinnati brawl, the Associated Press reports. Joe Deters, a Hamilton County, Ohio, prosecutor, looked into the matter, deciding not to pursue charges against anyone. One of the factors was Xavier center Kenny Frease’s satisfaction with an apology from Cincinnati’s Yancy Gates, who decked Frease in the head during the debacle.

Seton Hall will gain some more depth this weekend with the return of freshman Brandon Mobley, who had been out with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum since the summer, according to the Associated Press.

Don’t skip your court appearances. Nothing good can happen. Just ask Kansas’ Ben McLemore. The freshman is under arrest after skipping a Dec. 6 court appearance for a citation related to underage alcohol possession, according to a CBS Sports.com wire report.

Also on the list of bad behavior is taunting fans by grabbing your crotch. New Mexico State sophomore Christian Kabongo did that, and now he’s suspended, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com’s “College Basketball Nation” blog.

Syracuse still has Melo — Fab Melo that is. If you thought I was talking about Carmelo Anthony, well, I kinda was. The NBA star who led the Cuse to a championship is convinced that Melo 2.0 and the rest of the crew have the talent to win another championship for the first time since 2003.

I’m not gonna lie — I love the fan experience. And if you tell me that a team in California’s tradition is to throw tortillas when a victory is in hand, I find it amusing. I mean, a flying tortilla — presumably uncooked soft tortilla — won’t hurt anyone. Except when your team is only up two and the officials consider giving the home crowd a technical. Yep, that’s how UC-Santa Barbara’s 65-61 win against San Diego went down, writes Diamond Leung for ESPN.com. When the fans started tossing tortillas, the officials considered tossing out a T. They opted to go with a public announcement that any more thrown items would produce two free throws for the Toreros. The fans settled down, and the Gauchos won.

Now that we are a week into the 2010-11 college basketball season, the Big East started the day as one of four conferences that could say every one of their teams made it through the opening weekend without suffering a loss; the ACC, Big 12 and Mountain West are the others.

Although you would expect most of the Big East to make easy work of their early season cupcake opponents, the parity of college basketball that has become prevalent in recent years showed itself once again with some big-time programs needing some solid play to hold off so-called mid-majors.

St. John’s kicked off the BE season with a pair of wins against William & Mary and Lehigh last Monday and Wednesday, respectively. Both games weren’t all that convincing for St. John’s, however, the Johnnies leaned hard on sophomore Nurideen Lindsey and junior college transfer God’s Gift Achiuwa, and both answered with big games.

Let’s take a look at some of the other close calls.

Friday, Nov. 11:

West Virginia 78, Oral Roberts 71: The Mountaineers opened their season facing a stout Oral Roberts squad that was the preseason pick to win Summit League. Kevin Jones led four West Virginia players in double-digits with 20 points. Truck Bryant added 17 points, including the Mountaineers last eight.

Rutgers 62, Dartmouth 56: Another young team, the Scarlet Nights jumped out to an early lead, only to be matched by Dartmouth. Rutgers got their lead up to eight in the second halfbut couldn’t close the door completely, mostly due to their lack of ball security. The Scarlet Knights turned the ball over 16 times. Dane Miller led the way for Rutgers with 12 points.

No. 4 Connecticut 70, Columbia 57

No. 8 Louisville 83, Tennessee-Martin 48

No. 11 Pittsburgh 89, Albany 56

No. 21 Marquette 91, Mount St. Mary’s 37

Villanova 106, Monmouth 70

DePaul 91, Texas-Pan American 72

Saturday, Nov. 12

South Florida 61, Vermont 59: A close game throughout, South Florida’s lead was cut to a point with 10.5 seconds remaining. Shaun Noriega made the second of two free throws, giving the Bulls a two-point edge. Vermont’s Four McGlynn missed a game-tying layup with one second remaining and Matt Glass’ putback came after the buzzer, allowing South Florida to escape. SF’s Noriega led the Bulls with 17 points, and both Augustus Gilchrist and Victor Rudd Jr. had 12 points.

Seton Hall 75, St. Francis (NY) 71 OT: The Hall’s senior guard Jordan Theodore scored a career-high 25 points, including a game-tying bucket with a second remaining in regulation to send the game to overtime. Herb Pope was a force down low for the Pirates recording his first double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Trailing most of the game, Seton Hall scored the last six points of regulation and took over in the extra period to get their first win of the season.

No. Syracuse 78, Fordham 53

Georgetown 83, Savannah State 54

Notre Dame 80, Mississippi Valley State 67

Providence 72, Fairleigh Dickinson 61

Sunday, Nov. 14

No. 8 Louisville 68, Lamar 48: The Cards didn’t have much trouble with Lamar but took a major hit as Mike Marra went down with a torn ACL. He’ll miss the rest of the season.  The injuries woes continue for Louisville who has already dealt with Peyton Silva, Stephan Van Treese, Rakeem Buckles and Wayne Blackshear all missing time due to injury.

No. 11 Pittsburgh 86, Rider 78: The high expectations of Pitt this year could have taken a hit as they played a sloppy opener against Rider that required a 16-5 to end the game to give the Panthers their second victory of the year. Ashton Gibbs scored 24 points and Nasir Robinson added 22

No. 22 Cincinnati 65, Alabama State 40

St. John’s 82, UMBC 59

Monday, Nov. 15

Providence 80, Fairfield 72: In a game that pitted new Providence coach Ed Cooley against his former team, the Friars got a big game from Vincent Council, who had 26 points and seven assists, and Bryce Cotton, who scored 24 points. Although the win is a good building block for Providence, it probably put a dent in Fairfield’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Already with the tournament, you ask? Yup.

Notre Dame 59, Detroit 53: Without their leader and top returning scorer, Tim Abromaitis, the Fighting Irish found themselves in a dogfight with Detroit. The Titans’ Ray McCallum lit up the Irish for 20 points. With 14 minutes left, McCallum scored giving Detroit a 41-33 lead. ND answered with a 14-0 run and kept Detroit at bay the rest of the way.

No. 4 Connecticut 78, Wagner 66

No. 5 Syracuse 92, Manhattan 56

No. 21 Marquette 99,  Norfolk State 68

Georgetown 86, UNC Greensboro 45

South Florida 81, Marist 67

DePaul 80, Mississippi Valley State 70

Game to look forward to:

St. John’s vs. (16) Arizona, 11/17, 9:30 p.m., ESPN2: The Johnnies will have their tallest task of the season Thursday when Arizona comes into Madison Square Garden for the 2K Sports Classic. Sean Miller’s Wildcats have been far from convincing in their first three games, and this is the type of game that Lavin can get his guys up for, especially playing in the Garden where the Red Storm thrived last season.

Last Year:

13-18 overall, 7-11 Big East (12th)

Coach:

Kevin Willard (2nd season, 13-17)

Projected starting five:

G: Jordan Theodore, Sr.
G: Fuquan Edwin, So.
G: Aaron Cosby, Fr.
F: Patrick Auda, So.
F: Herb Pope, Sr.

Important departures:

Jeremy Hazell 19.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 35.3 mpg
Jeff Robinson 12.1 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 31.7 mpg

Inside the numbers:

46 percent scoring returning
55 percent rebounding returning

Additions:

C: Kevin Johsnon, 6’9”, 225 – ESPNU Pos. #26
G: Aaron Cosby 6’2”, 190 – ESPNU Pos. #39
G: Freddie Wilson, 6’2”, 275 – ESPNU Pos. #83

Schedule:

Toughest nonconference game: 12/10 vs. Wake Forest
Toughest in-conference stretch: 1/28 – 2/4 vs. (8) Louisville, at (21) Marquette, at (4) Connecticut

Prediction:

13th in BE; 15+ wins; NIT berth

What to expect:

Seton Hall caught some bad luck last year with Jeremy Hazell and Herb Pope missing significant time due to non-basketball related injuries. Hazell was shot and Pope had a heart problem.

The Pirates lose Hazell and second-leading scorer Jeff Robinson, but Herb Pope showed signs at the end of last season that he could become the double-double machine he was as a sophomore. Helping Pope out with be senior PG Jordan Theodore, who anchored the backcourt last season while Hazell was out.

Seton Hall also has a host of newcomers who can make an impact, including Aaron Cosby and Freddie Wilson who will likely see playing time as the first guys off the bench. The Pirates will lean on Pope and Theodore heavily for their team’s success.

Next: South Florida Bulls

Back to Big East preview

Does this sound like a team that doesn’t have their best scorer? It was Seton Hall, playing without Jeremy Hazell, who averaged 24 points per game in three games before a broken wrist put him on the shelf. Those were some of the Pirates’ numbers in their 104-79 thumping of UMass on Saturday night.

The Pirates struggled early on without Hazell, who was 11-17 from long range in the first three games. They went 1-3 in the first four games without him, scoring no more than 69 points; twice they scored below 60. There is plenty of offensive talent on the team, but Hazell was the one who it largely was built around. If Saturday night is any indication, they may be turning a corner, and in quite a fashion.

“We’ve been struggling to score over the last seven, eight games,” said head coach Kevin Willard. “These guys continue to work hard, continue to believe in each other. I thought they did a great job of watching our Arkansas film and realizing mistakes they made. We have some really good players on this team, and they’re starting to play that way.”

Jordan Theodore was the best player on the floor Saturday night. The junior point guard scored a team-high 17 points and had eight assists, and he was in the middle of a lot of the action. While there was plenty of help, a key complement was Herb Pope (11 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocked shots) inside. The only Pirates to shoot less than 50 percent from the field for the game were two players who came off the bench in the final two minutes of the game.

Entering the game, the Pirates were shooting an uninspiring 34.1 percent on three-pointers. Their 11-22 effort on Saturday will raise that some, and leading the charge there was freshman Fuquan Edwin, who had made just one all season before Saturday.

“We like the three-point shot,” Willard said. “These guys are going to put them up, and I let them put them up. They work hard on their three-point shot, and they know if they’re open and it’s a good one, they’re allowed to take it.”

Add it all up, and one can see the Pirates starting to develop some depth. Ten players average double-digit minutes per game, and all of them contribute something. The least-used player of the group, freshman forward Patrick Auda, was the best player on the floor for a couple of minutes on Saturday night in a ten-point outing. The minutes will be a little different when Hazell gets back, but if they can continue to develop like this, they will be in a good place by then.

Seton Hall now heads home for four more games before Big East play starts with USF at home. They are 4-4, but have been well-tested thus far. Willard inherited the entire non-conference slate, one whose worst opponent is likely either Cornell or St. Peter’s, both of whom they played at home and the latter of whom should contend in the MAAC. The schedule gets lighter before two more Atlantic 10 tests as Dayton and Richmond visit before the Big East opener.

Not only has the competition been tough, but the Pirates have only played the aforementioned two games at home. They took fourth place in the Paradise Jam and have been on the road for other games.

“I’m not happy with being 4-4, but I’m not disappointed either,” Willard said. “We’ve played good teams, but we’ve just been away from home and not being able to get in a rhythm. These guys have really done a great job of being focused, taking on the challenge, and now we have five at home. Hopefully we can take care of that.”

The Pirates look to be in a position to do exactly that – at least, a better one than they were in a few weeks ago. Hazell could be back early in Big East play, and if he picks up where he left off and his teammates improve the way they have of late, they could be a tough out in a conference that has proven to be very strong in non-conference play thus far.

Donovan first thanked Phyllis Magina (seated near Donovan), who resigned after 25 years at the helm to take another position in the athletic department, for her years of outstanding service. A member of a number of halls of fame, including the one in Springfield, Donovan asked, “Who is watching the NCAA women’s tournament?” Hands raised. “are you tired of UConn blowing everyone out? I am.” Applause followed.

Donovan later said she wasn’t looking for bulletin board material in Storrs. “I have the utmost respect for UConn and what Geno Auriemma has done,“ she said. “But they give us all something to shoot for. Not every great player can go to UConn. We are going to try to get a few of those here to build something special.”

Willard will turn 35 on April 6th. In coaching experience he has a resume the envy of some mentors ten years older. Willard was an assistant with the Boston Celtics and Louisville before taking the reins at Iona three years ago. He came in to a program that won two games the year before and left it a 21-game winner with talent to make a run at a MAAC title next winter. Willard comes from solid coaching lines, as his dad Ralph is now an assistant at Louisville and the Cardinal mentor Rick Pitino was Kevin’s boss in Boston and Louisville. Pitino called Seton Hall Law School Dean Patrick Hobbs (who headed the search) and AD Joe Quinlan with a resounding endorsement.

Hobbs and Quinlan both spoke of passion and character. The latter quality is most important after the turbulent days of Bobby Gonzalez. In Willard they have both and a great work ethic.

Willard spoke of playing an “attractive high-energy style of basketball” – one that should be entertaining for fans and enticing to recruits. While the offense will entertain, defense is the priority. “It all starts with defense,” Willard said, “and we will defend hard every possession.”  He is bringing his Iona staff, which includes former Hall star Shaheen Holloway, very popular with Hall faithful and well-respected and knowledgeable in area recruiting circles. Willard looks to bring on former players Marcus Toney-El and Grant Billmeier (both were in attendance) in an assisting capacity.

On the possibility of losing Herb Pope, Jeff Robinson and Jeremy Hazell, who all recently cited an intention to enter the NBA Draft , Willard brought the house down saying, “this might be the first program that didn’t win the national title but loses three players to the draft.” On a serious note, Willard said he and his staff will assist the three who intend to go pro but welcome them back into the program should they have a change of heart.

Willard knows there is a great deal of work ahead but is excited. “Growing up in Long Island I followed Syracuse, St. John’s and Seton Hall,” he said. “When the offer came, I called my wife and said ‘looks like we are going to New Jersey.’ ” He toured the Prudential Center with Quinlan and Hobbs and had to hide his excitement. “I felt like a kid in a toy store looking at that facility,” he said. School President Monsignor Sheeran, Hobbs and Quinlan all felt a similar emotion regarding their two hires. “We are in it to win championships,” Hobbs said.  To which Willard said, “See those (championship) banners hanging in the rafters? We are out to add some more.”

The press conference in Walsh was open to the public. Besides media, alums and notables in the Hall community, students were encouraged to come. Even five members of the Seton Hall cheer squad showed up in uniform to pledge support.

Willard and Donovan , both personable and media friendly, not only enthusiastically greeted media members they knew but took the time to learn the names and affiliation of members of the press they were meeting for the initial time. In all, it was a day that left those in attendance impressed and certain better days are ahead in South Orange.

At Seton Hall, how could the sun not shine brightly on a day like that ?