Pirates Face Georgetown in Home Finale
The Pirates escaped Allstate Arena on Saturday with an 82-79 win over DePaul, but it came at a cost. Junior forward and defensive stalwart Ismael Sanogo re-aggravated his ankle and had to leave the game early in the second half. Here is the latest on his status for Tuesday night's matchup (6:30 ET, FS1) against Georgetown:
Seton Hall hasn't ruled out Ismael Sanogo (ankle) for tomorrow. Game-time decision, per Kevin Willard. #shbb
— Zach Braziller (@NYPost_Brazille) February 27, 2017
My guess is Sanogo will dress and potentially come off the bench if need be, like he did on February 15 against Creighton. His defensive prowess is unmatched by any other Pirate in the interior, however, if Seton Hall is able to get an early lead, it may be wise to rest him for what lies ahead (at Butler on Saturday, Big East Tournament the following week). This ankle injury has been lingering and the important thing is that Sanogo is in the best condition possible for the back-to-back demands of conference tournament play next week.
Although Georgetown has struggled of late (lost 5 of their last 6), this is a huge game for the Pirates. First off, it is Seton Hall's final home game of the season and final home game for lone scholarship senior Madison Jones. Jones (29.0 mpg, 5.6 ppg, 3.5 apg) has made the most of his one season at SHU, considering that he was the third point guard option heading into the year. Hopefully there will be no surprises from the junior class in the offseason (please don't leave yet, Angel Delgado).
Secondly, a win against the Hoyas would put the Hall in a great position to avoid the #7 seed in the Big East Tournament. The #7 seed does not get a first night bye and would end up having to play DePaul in a "no-win" situation.
There are currently four Big East teams, including Seton Hall, who stand at 8-8 in conference play. The four-way tiebreaker is difficult to predict with two games left but I'll say this; as long as the Pirates win on Tuesday, they will likely play in the #4/#5 game on Thursday, March 9th at 2:30 ET (FS1).
If the Pirates can contain Rodney Pryor and L.J. Peak along the perimeter and force them to take low percentage shots with or without Sanogo's help, then Seton Hall will have an opportunity to own a winning record in Big East play for the first time since January 7.
---
Quick hitter: Check out Jerry Carino's Senior Night article about Madison Jones.
