Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Game 9 Preview: The Hall looks to remain Perfect as Temple visits The Rock


The Pirates are 8-0 on the season, coming off a record-breaking victory over VMI on Saturday after scoring 134 points. The Owls are 8-2, coming off an impressive 10-point upset over #3 Villanova on Sunday, while the Wildcats fell to #8 in today's AP Poll after crumbling in the second half loss. Saturday night's 7:00 game at the Prudential Center will be the Hall's first true test - and also an epic battle of offense (Seton Hall ranks second in the nation in points per game, averaging 90.8) versus defense (Temple ranks first in the nation in points per game allowed, averaging 54.1).

'Nova carried a 6-point lead into halftime but were dismantled in the second half as the Owls outscored their crosstown rivals 44-28. Temple out-shot the Wildcats from the field, 54.2% to 42.9%, and from deep, 50% to 33.3%. The Owls also committed only 11 personal fouls compared to Villanova's 19, proving how vital it will be for the Pirates to stay out of foul trouble.

A key to this important game - one which could possibly make or break the Hall's tourney hopes and their journey to the national spotlight, will be bench production. Temple's bench players only average a combined 17.8 points per game, while the Pirates' backups average 28.5, mostly due to the role play of Jackson and Theodore. Greatly anticipated: Keon Lawrence and Jeff Robinson will both see their first minutes of action in Seton Hall uniforms on Saturday night and it will be important to see how Gonzo utilizes these assets for the first time. Lawrence, the SG Missouri transfer who was charged in a DUI car accident 3 days prior to the season opener, was in Bobby G's starting rotation during the preseason, and Robinson, who sat out due to NCAA ineligibility, is a SF Memphis transfer with toughness, size, and athleticism that will show in his future highlight reel dunks.

Temple's two losses this season both came against Big East opponents, #11 Georgetown and St. John's. In the Georgetown loss (Temple's only road loss of the season, posting a 3-1 away record), The Owls missed a free throw with 24 seconds left, leaving the Hoyas to drive down the court for a layup giving them the one-point advantage, 46-45. In both games the Owls shot below 33% from the field and only scored a combined 34 points in the first halves of the losses. If the Pirates can force Temple to put up bad shots and get a hand in each shooter's face, while taking smart shots and working the paint early, they will come out victorious and get big number 9.

Both teams also have two extremely hot guards. Seton Hall's leading scorer, Hazell, is coming of a 33-point performance, along with 12 rebounds, while Jamel Jackson broke the Big East trey record with 12 in a single game, tallying 40 total coming off the bench (see last post.) Temple's Juan Fernandez shot the lights out in the battle for Philly, tallying 33 on 7-9 shooting from behind the arc, also recording 4 assists, while Temple's leading scorer, Ryan Brooks, scored 20 on 7-12 shooting from the field. Brooks is not as much of a 3-point threat (.222% from deep on the season) as Fernandez is (.436%), but scoring from all four of these guards is a definite in the upcoming game, which brings me to my key match-up:

SHU
Herb Pope - So. F - 6'9" - 14.6 ppg - 12.8 rpg - 2.75 bpg
vs.
Temple
Lavoy Allen - Jr. F - 6'9" - 11.8 ppg - 10.2 rpg - 1.6 bpg

*This battle may transcend a simple Temple vs. Seton Hall match-up, as Allen is a Morrisville, PA native, while Pope represents Aliquippa, PA (same hometown of NYJ cornerback Darrelle Revis). This is a battle between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the winner bringing home more than just a W; state bragging rights. Now on to the stats: Allen recorded 10 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 blocks in the win over Villanova. Pope is coming off an equally fulfilling game with 15 points, 20 boards (9 offensive), 4 assists, and 3 blocks against VMI. Pope's shot blocking ability and good hands keep him from getting into foul trouble often, while Allen seems to be a more physical player (not that Pope isn't physical, just a smarter defender.) If the Pirates can get Herb the ball early and often, Seton Hall can attack Temple's extremely strong defense and get points in the paint, opening opportunities for the likes of Hazell and Jackson to rain outside shots. Pope also needs to attack the offensive glass like he did last game, second chance opportunities always help against defensive-minded teams. Hopefully His Holiness can continue to improve after back-to-back Big East weekly honor roll selections. Look to see a lot of emotion from both players on the battlefield, or court in citizen terms.

My Prediction: Seton Hall 80 - Temple 76


Side Note: The Hall received 24 votes for the AP Top 25 poll and 9 for the ESPN Coaches poll yesterday and will be looking to crack the ranks before Big East play starts.

3 comments:

  1. Great blog. I don't see how we lose this game.

    Not sure what kind of exposure you are getting on your blog. Check out piratecrew.com and have it linked to their forum. Your blog is a good read and deserves to be read by as many Pirate fans as possible!!! Keep up the good work.

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  2. Thanks hallsballs, I actually started this as an assignment for a multimedia communications class but now I want to continue to develop it and get more readers, exposure is very hard to come by it seems thus far. Your comment is much appreciated, I just have one question - how exactly would I link it to the piratecrew.com forum? I have a membership (not a paid one) there but it doesn't let me view the forum threads, etc.

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  3. ask HallDan to link it on the top of the page with the rest of the blogs. it seems like he is already posting it on the board too. good stuff man!

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