Seton Hall Basketball: By the Numbers... 'n stuff

Record: 13-2

RPI: 3

SOS: 5

Kenpom: 38

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Fuquan Edwin:
1st in the nation in steals (total of 44, averaging roughly 3.1 steals per game)

Jordan Theodore:
6th in the nation in assists (roughly 7 per game)
15th in the nation in assist turnover ratio (roughly 2.88)
12th in the Big East in scoring (roughly 16 points per game)

Honestly, if someone has a rational explination as to why Jordan Theodore was omitted from the 60 or so candidates in the country for the Bob Cousy Award (given to the premier point guard in the nation) I'd love to hear it. Oh, and his team has beaten #8 UConn, West Virginia, VCU, St. Joe's, Auburn, Wake Forest and at Dayton to name a few; and it's only January 5th. Granted, the candidates were named prior to Seton Hall trouncing WVU and UConn, but even those games aside I think there was enough evidence that JT belongs on that list (if I'm being a homer, call me out).

Herb "Who's that?" Pope:
12th in the nation in rebounds (roughly 10.9 per game)
4th in the nation in double doubles (tied with 7 other players with 8)
45th in the nation in points (roughly 18.6 per game and the difference between 45th place and 22nd place is 1 point per game)

The above statistics are objective and measurable reasons as to why the Pirates have been successful this year, but there is also another reason; intangibles. At the risk of sounding horribly cliche (too late?), you simply can't attain the aforementioned gaudy numbers without hunger, drive and leadership. I just threw up in my mouth a little bit as I wrote "hunger, drive, and..." but it's the truth, even if I sound like I'm writing a cheesy TV-ad for a Canadian cereal commercial -- but enough aboot that.

Last year, we saw our cross-river rival Scarlet Knights take it to us 2 out of 3 times (BLAST!), and yet they fielded the shortest and least talented bench I've seen in many, many moons. So why did they have any of the success they did? Because of the senior leadership of both Jonathan Mitchell and Mike Coburn. Surely Kevin Willard, Shaheen Halloway and the rest of the Seton Hall staff should get a boat-load of credit for working with these guys in an effort to maximize their potential, but I've also witnessed critical personal development in our players, and as student-athletes, that's what I'm perhaps the most proud of this year. I'm proud of the way this team conducts itself on and off the court. I'm proud to be an alumnus.

All things considered, not bad for the team that was picked to finish 13th out of 16 Big East teams.