Seton Hall

Seton Hall (80) vs. Georgetown (83) 02/10/18

collegebbfan1 Comment

#60 of 351  17% complete

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I have reached a milestone with game #60. When a golfer hits his age, it is considered a noteworthy event. I will never attain that goal but I did achieve game #60 at the age of 60.  I also had the pleasure of meeting up with Gregory Koch who lives in the D.C. area. He is a fellow traveler on the college basketball circuit and is a helper on the Sports Passport site.

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I did visit this arena many years ago when Georgetown played UCONN. You may ask why did I not include that game in my Operation 351 journey. The reason is that although I know I was at the game, I don’t remember when and have no physical evidence that I attended. You may be thinking “Who Cares?” but if I ever do reach the 351 mark, I want no questions asked about the veracity of each visit.

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The gentleman above takes out this cardboard Georgetown sign and whirls it around like a man advertising a furniture sale on a seedy street corner. His unbridled enthusiasm for such a mundane task led me to snap his picture.  I am all for fan traditions so keep on trucking my friend.

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I love Seton Hall as a sleeper during March Madness. They are a senior laden group led by Khadeen Carrington, Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado. These guys have played together for four years and are playing good basketball these days. However, the star for the Pirates today was sophomore Myles Powell who was unconscious from three point land. Powell was the high scorer of the game with 25 points.

That being said, this was Georgetown’s night with a much needed win. They had a 17 point lead in the first half but Seton Hall slowly ate away at it. With the score tied at 80,  Marcus Derrickson of Georgetown hit a three point shot. He was fouled but miss the foul shot. Seton Hall’s last second three point shot by Powell clanged off of the rim.

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It was very cool to drive by the Capitol and the Pentagon on my back to the hotel near Dulles. At this point, I usually insert a picture of the final scoreboard. I thought that I took a picture but I do not see it on my phone. There was a lot of excitement at the end so I blame it on that.

Next game :  George Mason at Lasalle 02/17/18

 

St. Johns (60) vs. Seton Hall (79) 01/27/2016

collegebbfan1 Comment

#28 of 351

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Should I ever venture into Newark again, I will take into account the massive traffic jams before leaving. Despite giving myself a one half hour cushion, I was late and missed the first five minutes of the game. Someone needs to take a serious look at the traffic lights in downtown Newark. They go green for about 5 seconds if you are on a side street going into a main road. But I digress.

This is the home of the New Jersey Devils that is not accustomed to hosting a college basketball game. Black curtains are lowered about the upper levels. The outside halls are adorned with Devil’s memorabilia and history. The Devil’s championship banners are hanging from the rafters. It just doesn’t have the feel of a college basketball arena.

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Given that I had witnessed a classic old Big East battle a few days ago between UCONN and Georgetown, I was looking forward to another official Big East battle. I was sorely disappointed as Seton Hall dominated the Johnnies throughout the entire game. Coach Mullins must be wondering what he got himself into after watching the hapless Johnnies look like a high school team playing with the big boys.

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I was surprised not to see much fan support from the visiting Redmen. I thought that this game is one of the natural rivalries that emanate from a geographical closeness but perhaps the fact that St. Johns has lost 11 in a row contributes to that apathy.

I was very impressed with Seton Hall players Khadeem Carrington and Desi Rodriquez. This team has talent but not enough in my opinion to make the big dance.

After spending $29 for the ticket, $20 for parking and $15 for chicken tender/fries, I look forward to the next game at a small time arena in Maine. Cheap, cheap and cheap!

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Seton Hall (72) Vs. St. Johns (85) 02/21/2015

collegebbfan1 Comment

#13 of 351

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This was the first basketball game where I had to go through a metal detector. The lines were very long entering the arena. God bless you Louie but this arena is a terrible place to watch a game. For those in the upper sections, the upper half of the center court scoreboard is hidden. The halls in the outside of the arena are not too wide. The few concession stands  had lines at least 100 folks long at half time. Others just trying to walk by created a traffic jam. In the  upper level rows, there was not enough room for people to walk by especially if you were of a wide girth. The whole place makes the Hartford XL Center look good.

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I will say that the lower level seats were right on top of the court lending a positive experience for those fans and players. St. Johns has a 31-4 record playing here so it must be a great place to play for the team. This was a key game for both teams who are on the bubble.

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There were boos every time Seton Hall freshman Isiah Washington touched the ball. Not only did he choose Seton Hall over St. Johns, he tweeted that no one in the city would want to go to St. Johns. He did not have a good game.

Nice to see Chris Mullen along with other St. Johns hall of famers honored at half time.

All the fans were supposed to get a Malik Sealy bobblehead doll. Unfortunately, the doll was a casualty of the west coast shipping strike. The dolls are still on some boat in the harbor. Sealy was an ex St. Johns star who died tragically at the age of 30 in a car accident.

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St Johns pulled away in the end with some excellent 3 point shooting. I was eager to get out of there to beat the snowstorm. I give the fans credit for packing the place although there were many Seton Hall fans as well.

Review from Stadium Journey : http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/carnesecca-arena-s551