Seton Hall Basketball: Cornell Big Red (1-0) @ Seton Hall Pirates (0-1) 12:00PM Open Game Thread

The Pirates will try to rebound, both literally and figuratively, as they welcome the Cornell Big Red into town for their home opener this afternoon.  

Seton Hall @ #22 Temple, 7:30PM
Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
Opening Line: Seton Hall -13.5
Television: SNY
Radio: WSOU 89.5 FM
Twitter @SOrangeJuice @JPGuerette @JohnLopiano

Projected Starting Five: G-Theodore, G-Hazell, SF-Polynice, PF-Robinson, F/C-Pope

From SHU Athletics:

Seton Hall is hosting Cornell in their 2010-11 season home opener on Nov. 14. The Pirates are 90-8 all-time in home openers. Their last loss came to Richmond at the start of the 2004-05 season. Seton Hall is a perfect 3-0 in home openers at Prudential Center.

Cornell Athletics: 

• The Pirates handed Cornell one of its five losses a season ago as the Big Red eventually made a run to the NCAA Sweet 16 and finished 29-5.
• Cornell won its first game despite missing injured point guard Chris Wroblewski, a consensus preseason first-team All-Ivy selection and the squad's only returning starter.

 

Piratz of PirateCrew.com: 

They also won their first ever NCAA Tournament game. Then they did something even greater. They won a second. All leading to a memorable run to the Sweet Sixteen, the first Ivy League program to advance that far in over 30 years (Pennsylvania, 1979).  However, Cornell's miraculous run was driven by a special trio of Seniors - the team's top 3 scorers - who have since graduated.

Ithaca Journal via Cornell Basketball Blog: 

Cornell will likely pack into a zone, force the Pirates to shoot from the perimeter, focus on defensive rebounding and use a lot of screen action offensively to make Seton Hall work. If Chris Wroblewski doesn't play (ankle sprain), the point guard responsibilities will fall once again to sophomore Miles Asafo-Adjei. Considering the returning personnel on both sides, this should be a difficult challenge for Cornell. Playing the Pirates close would be a good measure of progress. A game that gets away from the Big Red is the more likely result.

The Big Red are coming off a 65-61 victory in their home opener Friday at Albany: 

With a trip to Seton Hall set for Sunday, getting a win in adverse conditions was about the best thing that could happen to a team rebuilding from the departure of a highly successful eight-man senior class.  Wroblewski didn't play, and Peck struggled to a three-point night because of what Courtney attributed to nerves and foul trouble.  "I think it's just good for our confidence," Groebe said. "We didn't play well at all, and we came out with a win."

Check back for the half-time and post-game notes along with our insights from our staff writers following the action!

As always, Lets Go Hall!