Seton Hall looks for its third straight victory as the Pirates meet Washington in the third round of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Seton Hall is coming off an impressive 78-65 victory over Norfolk State while the Huskies hope to bounce back after a stunning 63-62 home loss to Albany. This will be the first meeting between these teams and the winner will face the winner of the game between No. 4 Ohio State and Rhode Island.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN3.com
ABOUT WASHINGTON (1-1): The Huskies not only suffered a tough loss to Albany earlier this week, but 90 seconds into that game lost co-captain Scott Suggs to a head injury. Suggs was inadvertently elbowed in the face then kicked in the back of the head as he fell to the floor. Guards Abdul Gaddy and C.J. Wilcox lead the team in scoring at 16.5 while senior center Aziz N’Diaye has posted two double-doubles this season and is averaging 11.5 points and 13.5 rebounds. Washington finished 24-11 last year and won the regular season Pac-12 title, but was left out of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies advanced to the NIT semifinals.
ABOUT SETON HALL (2-0): Fuquan Edwin scored 23 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and had six steals against Norfolk State. Edwin, who led the nation in steals last year, has eight games with five or more steals. He leads the team in scoring at 19.5. Transfer Gene Teague had 16 points and 11 boards against Norfolk State. Brandon Mobley has recorded 10 rebounds in each game. Seton Hall is outrebounding its first two opponents by 14.5 per game and allowing only 50.5 points.
TIP-INS
1. When three Seton Hall players (Teague, Edwin, and Mobley) all recorded 10 or more rebounds against Norfolk State, it marked the first time since 1996 that the Pirates had three players accomplish the feat in the same game.
2. Washington is 10-20 all-time against members of the Big East Conference. Last December, the Huskies lost to Marquette at Madison Square Garden.
3. Seton Hall is 11-11 all-time against Pac-12 competition, with its last game being a win over USC in the Puerto Rico Holiday Tournament in 2008.
PREDICTION: Seton Hall 80, Washington 78
