Seton Hall battles Central Connecticut St. in battle of surprising teams

Seton Hall has already matched its win total from last season, and the Pirates can exceed that number Wednesday night when they host Central Connecticut State in South Orange, N.J.It will be the first game back for the Pirates since going 2-1 in the Maui Invitational, where they beat then-No. 23 North Carolina State in the first round and Washington State in the third-place game following a two-point loss to Southern California.”We could be as good as we want — as long as we keep the main thing the main thing,” Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway said on ESPN after the win over Washington State. “We’re a defensive team, so as long as we keep scrapping and fighting and playing together — what you’re seeing right now is guys who like playing together. It shows on the court.”Pirates guard AJ Staton-McCray was named Big East Player of the Week after averaging 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 steals in Hawaii.The Pirates are third in the nation with 59 blocked shots. Freshman Najai Hines leads the Big East with 2.5 blocks per game.Staton-McCray leads Seton Hall with 13.9 points per game. Mike Williams had 40 points in three games in Hawaii, emerging as another offensive weapon for the Hall.”He played at a high level for two years at LSU, so he understands playing big-time basketball,” Holloway said of Williams. “I think he really feels at home here because I’ve got confidence in him. The thing I really like about him is he’s defending — he’s defending everybody’s best guards.”

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