The Seton Hall Pirates found themselves down 63-62 with just over three seconds to go. Playing in just his second BIG EAST Tournament game, sophomore Sterling Gibbs took the inbound pass; sized up his defender and drained a step back jumper that brought back memories of Kemba Walker while sending shockwaves throughout the college basketball world.
With the Pirates’ (17-16) eyes set on bringing home the school’s third conference tournament title, the page turns to a semifinal showdown with fourth-seeded Providence. The Hall will continue its quest for a crown at the 2014 BIG EAST Tournament when the two teams tip-off at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard has his team in the Big East Tournament Semi-Finals. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Thursday’s win was a historic one. The victory was the first for Seton Hall over a team rated among the top-three in the nation and marked the first time that the Pirates have knocked off the #1 seed at the BIG EAST Tournament.
The reality of tournament play however is that time marches on quickly and moments can’t be celebrated for too long. The Hall face a hard test in a Friars squad that took another step towards the NCAA Tournament by beating #5 St. John’s on its home floor with a 79-74 victory. Seton Hall and Providence will square off for the third time after splitting a pair of regular season meetings, with each team winning on the other’s home floor.
Gibbs scored 15 points off the bench and helped seal the win from the line in the closing seconds of double overtime as the Pirates came away with a hard-fought 81-80 victory in what was the BIG EAST opener for both programs (Dec. 31). The victory was one of only two for The Hall in seven games that were decided by one point during the regular season, but head coach Kevin Willard’s team has found a way to close out two more one-point wins in the last 48 hours.
In the rematch in Jersey, Gibbs recorded a team-high 20 points but Bryce Cotton countered with 24 and four Providence starters finished in double-figures as the Friars registered a 74-69 victory at the Prudential Center (Feb. 28). Center Eugene Teague who has posted consecutive double-doubles to start the week; burned the Friars for 17 points and 12 rebounds after being out of the first meeting with a concussion. Teague has been the main piece behind Seton Hall’s first semifinal run since 2003, converting 13-of-19 (.684) field goal attempts and grabbing a total of 23 rebounds.
Friday’s matchup will be the eighth time these two original BIG EAST members have met at the conference tournament and the third in the last five years. Seton Hall has built a 5-2 advantage over Providence in those meetings by winning four-straight dating back to 1985, including a 79-47 victory in the 2012 first round, which was Coach Kevin Willard’s first postseason win at Seton Hall.
The Pirates are 2-5 all-time in semifinal games, but went on to be champions to after each win, taking home BIG EAST titles in 1991 and 1993.
Can The Hall continue its historic run? We will see, as eyes will be glued on them to see what they can do next.