Seton Hall and Southern California had significant results to start the Maui Invitational.
Building on those successes will be key when the Pirates and Trojans meet Tuesday in the tournament semifinals in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Seton Hall (6-0) posted an 85-74 victory over No. 23 North Carolina State on Monday, handing the Wolfpack its first loss.
“A good win for us, a good win for our progression,” Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway said. “But you can’t be happy.”
Southern California (5-0) won its second straight close game, edging Boise State 70-67 in the first round behind Rodney Rice’s 27 points. The Trojans enjoyed a 33-15 3-point advantage, with Rice connecting four times from beyond the arc.
Coach Eric Musselman said the Trojans expected a physically grueling game against Seton Hall.
“We definitely have to bounce back defensively,” Musselman said, “especially with Seton Hall. They take on the head coach’s personality. They’re tenacious.”
The Pirates can hit the boards. So far, they have had four different players as top rebounders. Najai Hines, who is Seton Hall’s seventh leading scorer, leads the team in rebounds with an average of 6.3 per game.
Holloway said there were many good signs for the Pirates to take away from their first-round win, particularly the way they started the second half.
“We just have to play our basketball,” he said. “We’re starting to play the way I think we can play, I think we have a chance.”
It wasn’t just the offense, but what Seton Hall’s defense did to North Carolina State to help spark the offense.
“We had a few stops,” Holloway said. “We had a few leaks.”
Holloway said he knows success can be fleeting, but defeating the Wolfpack should help the Pirates believe in themselves.
“I call it the marathon,” Holloway said. “For us, it’s part of the marathon.”
By beating Boise State, Southern California improved to 3-4 all-time in Maui Invitational games. The Trojans have never won the tournament.
Southern Cal survived a three-overtime game against Troy before traveling to Hawaii. Despite the hectic nature of November’s games, Musselman has a lot to learn about his team.
“I’m still not sure what our favorite games are,” he said.
–Field level media
