It has become almost an annual February tradition.
Seton Hall sees its name on the NCAA Tournament bubble after a January stumble. Questions arise. Doubts surface. And the Pirates respond under pressure.
“It’s helped me,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said over Zoom. “I think I kind of understand where we are, I don’t lose it as much as I used to and I have a much better understanding of what we need to do.”
That yearly trend continued this week. Following three straight defeats, Seton Hall needed a response on the road. Myles Cale and Sandro Mamukelashvili made sure of it in back-to-back wins, Wednesday at Providence and Saturday at Connecticut, essential victories that should go a long way to the Pirates dancing yet again.
The seniors combined for 42 points in an 80-73 victory over the Huskies at Gampel Pavilion on Saturday afternoon, taking turns keeping UConn at a distance in the two rivals’ first meeting since 2013.
“We knew we had our back against the wall,” Mamukelashvili said. “That’s where seniors have to step up and just deliver. I feel like we had to win this and we have to win a lot more.”
Seton Hall’s third Quad 1 win wouldn’t have been possible without Mamukelashvili and Cale. When UConn sliced an 18-point lead to two early in the second half, they were integral in a 12-4 spurt that stabilized the game.
In the final minutes, the duo never let the Huskies get closer than four, always providing an answer. Another senior, Shavar Reynolds, produced the biggest basket, a pull-up jumper with 41.7 seconds left that extended the lead to six.
“I challenged them, I got after them, and they’ve really answered with not only good games, but I think the four practices we had this week, they were really intense and they really got after it,” Willard said. “And I think it’s kind of got us back into a good mindset.”
Mamukelashvili finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists to lead the Pirates (11-8, 8-5 Big East), while Cale added 20 points. Jalen Gaffney scored 20 for the Huskies (8-4, 5-4), who were coming off a 10-day break due to COVID-19 issues.
It was a huge week for Seton Hall. Its maligned defense stepped up big, holding Providence to 43 points on Wednesday and limiting the Huskies to 6-of-19 shooting from the 3-point line on Saturday. It outrebounded its physical opponent.
Now the Pirates get eight days off, much-needed time for a break before hosting Marquette a week from Sunday, and they can rest knowing their NCAA Tournament status is in much better shape than it was only a few days ago.
“I feel like,” Mamukelashvili said, “we are a tournament team.”
This week on the road can serve as evidence.