Well, something had to give.
Heading into last night, Seton Hall was riding a three-game losing streak, and South Florida had lost four games in a row.
After a disappointing loss to St. John’s on Sunday, the Pirates (15-12, 6-9) took a step away from the dregs of the Big East, defeating the Bulls (8-19, 3-12), 75-60, at the Prudential Center.
“You guys can say ‘It’s South Florida. They’re behind you. They’re not that good. You’re supposed to beat them.’ I understand that,” Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “[But] these kids deserve a lot of credit. That’s all I can say.”
Leading 32-30 at halftime, Seton Hall came out focused in the second half. Forward Robert Mitchell led a 16-2 run to start the half, finishing with 17 points, all in the second half, and five steals. The lead never fell to single digits again.
“I loved how our guys played in the second half. The difference in the second half was Robert Mitchell,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve been looking for someone to step up besides Jeremy [Hazell]. Robert has been playing hard and everything, but he had just been struggling with his shot. He was huge for us.”
Hazell, who was honored before the game for surpassing 1,000 career-point mark, added 20, playing through a chest ailment. Dominique Jones and Augustus Gilchrist shared each scored 20 for the Bulls.
“We didn’t know if he was going to play or not. He had trouble breathing,” Gonzalez said. “He was remarkable, considering they had to keep talking to him to make sure he wasn’t dizzy. And he still had 20 points on an off night.”
Though there are three regular season games and the Big East tournament still to come, Gonzalez said he has been pleased with his team’s effort throughout the season.
“This team has overachieved in my opinion. We’ve got the most out of what we’ve got,” Gonzalez said. “They’ve played their tails off this year. This team has done a remarkable job.
“I actively talk about our goals. We’re trying to get to the NIT. We know it’s probably unrealistic to get to the NCAA’s. I believe in stuff like that. I’m not afraid to talk about it. We know we’re getting better. If you talk about a team in the metropolitan area that maybe has a chance to make the NIT, it might have to be us. .ñ.ñ. To me, we belong in the conversation.”