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College basketball rankings: Preseason Top 25 – Michigan State No. 1, ACC is loaded

By Mike Phillips

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 31: Michigan State players and coach Tom Izzo at the end of the Div 1 Men's championship - elite eight game between Duke and Michigan State, on March 31, 2019, at Capital One Arena, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Tony Quinn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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9. Seton Hall

The New York metropolitan area usually isn’t a college hoops hotbed if UConn and St. John’s aren’t doing well, but there is a new beast in the Big East this season. That comes in the form of the Seton Hall Pirates, who were one of college basketball’s scariest teams at the end of the year and bring back nearly everyone from last season’s tournament team.

The Pirates were the third-best team in the Big East for most of the year, but they got hot down the stretch and raced to the Big East tournament final before falling to Villanova. The selection committee didn’t show a ton of respect for the Pirates, handing them a 10-seed, where they gave Wofford all they could handle in a 68-64 loss.

While most of Seton Hall’s roster was expected to return, the big question surrounded the status of the Pirates’ star player, Myles Powell. He paced the Pirates’ attack, scoring 23.1 points per game and put the team on his back down the stretch, scoring at least 20 points in Seton Hall’s final eight games.

That strong performance led Powell to test the NBA Draft waters before ultimately deciding to return to school for his senior season. While the Pirates would have been a top-25 entry even without Powell, the sky is now the limit for Seton Hall with Powell back in the saddle.

There is plenty to like here with Seton Hall, who can do a little bit of everything and only lost Michael Nzei off of last year’s team. If a few role players can step up to take some pressure off of Powell on the offensive end, Seton Hall could emerge as a sneaky Final Four threat.