Fansided

8 Cinderella teams to watch in the conference tournaments

By Andrew Garda

Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats celebrate as the defeat the Wichita State Shockers 78-76 in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men
Mar 23, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats celebrate as the defeat the Wichita State Shockers 78-76 in the third round of the 2014 NCAA Men /
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Mar 7, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Seton Hall Pirates forward Angel Delgado (31) saves the ball from going out of bounds in the second half against the Georgetown Hoyas at Verizon Center. The Hoyas won 73-67. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Seton Hall Pirates forward Angel Delgado (31) saves the ball from going out of bounds in the second half against the Georgetown Hoyas at Verizon Center. The Hoyas won 73-67. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports /

Seton Hall – Big East

I’ll admit, perhaps I’m biased a bit having covered them all season long. However, of the bottom section of the Big East, I think they have the most talent. The question is, can they finally put it together for 40 minutes?

They have a tough game Wednesday against Marquette at 7pm, and that’s a hurdle itself. However, they split the season series and when they lost (at home of all things), it was a close battle. Really, while Marquette played well, the Pirates played badly. If they can avoid the early issues that plagued them in the loss, it’s a game they can win.

Which would pit them against Villanova. You’d think they couldn’t beat Nova, the best team in the conference—especially not after the last meeting the two teams had. The Wildcats shellacked the Pirates and things were so tense that Sterling Gibbs elbowed Villanova’s Ryan Arcidiacono and was suspended for two games.

However, this situation looks a lot like last season’s Big East Tournament matchup—one which saw the Pirates upset Villanova, 64-63. After that, would it be shocking to see them make a run?

This is a team with some phenomenal parts. Gibbs (All-Big East Second Team) is an ice-cold 3-point shooter. Big East All-Rookie Team members Angel Delgado and Isaiah Whitehead are both incredibly talented—and there isn’t a better freshman interior guy at the board than Delgado.

The key is Whitehead though, who is going to be carrying the offensive torch next year anyway. A tremendously talented player, Whitehead has struggled with consistency since his return from a foot injury. He’s shaking off a thumb injury now, according to coach Kevin Willard, but he’s made strides.

“Coming off an injury into the thick of Big East play, it’s hard to get into the rhythm of being a player,” Willard said on Monday’s media conference call. “He’s working hard to find a rhythm that works from him and has worked hard on the defensive end. That’s helped us too.”

If he can do that in the tournament this week, Seton Hall could be a dangerous team.

Why it won’t happen:

Seton Hall has become its own worst enemy. After being ranked No. 19, it completely fell apart and even if Willard wants to pretend the implosion was media created, there is no denying that whatever happened around Jaren Sina’s departure negatively impacted the team.

That’s likely because they are a very young team. Young teams do stupid things and fall apart at bad times. That’s what happened to Seton Hall no matter the source.

It’s hard to imagine this young team finding a way to win when the past two months have shown that they are inconsistent, mistake-prone and will disappear at random moments. This is a team with a ton of talent, sure. However, it’s likely a year away from really taking advantage of it.

Next: Indiana—Big Ten