As Seton Hall upsets UConn, Shaheen Holloway’s program moves ahead of schedule

NEWARK – The first 20 minutes hadn’t gone well, with No. 15 Connecticut having opened up a 40-26 halftime lead on Seton Hall Wednesday night. But there was an eerie sense of calm inside the Prudential Center during the break. Like everyone knew this one was far from over.

It was.

When KC Ndefo scored on a follow with 1.6 seconds left, giving the Pirates an unlikely 67-66 win, the place went absolutely bonkers, as coach Shaheen Holloway worked his magic yet again in a huge game, this one the biggest so far since returning to his alma mater.

And so began a week that could change the course of the season, with No. 20 Marquette coming to town Saturday and the Pirates having won four straight.

Seton Hall Pirates head coach Shaheen Holloway reacts during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at Prudential Center.

“We’re starting to understand what I want,” Holloway said. “We’re starting to understand if we defend and keep teams out of transition, we have a chance to win the game.

“When we come out and do what we’re supposed to do – I thought we came out in the second half and understood the gameplan better. The first half was a debacle.”

Trust the process

This is the same thing that happened at Saint Peter’s. The process just took a little longer, and not as many people were paying attention.

But what the country eventually saw was a fully-formed team that emerged from a very competitive MAAC, with Holloway helping raise the league’s level when he showed up four years earlier, with Rick Pitino’s arrival at Iona two years later giving it another bump.

The end result was a team that understood what had to happen when Holloway pulled the strings, in synch with a coach making all the right moves on their way to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament.

“You see guys jelling more and buying into the system,” said Ndefo, who starred for Holloway at Saint Peter’s.

“We’ve always believed in each other, just getting everybody to click and buy in. The chemistry will come and we’re seeing it now. “

Seton Hall Pirates forward KC Ndefo (13) celebrates with Seton Hall Pirates guard Al-Amir Dawes (2) after a basket during the second half against the Connecticut Huskies at Prudential Center.

In the Big East cauldron, what you’ve seen over the past few weeks has been the first signs of the program’s maturation. The foundation has been laid, and the way are starting to up faster than they did in Jersey City, but they’re going up just the same.

Story continues

The gap that existed when the Pirates got clocked by Creighton looks like it’s shrinking. And a good performance against Marquette would go a long way toward closing it even more.

Making a difference

Holloway’s been on a roll lately. And while he didn’t make all the right moves against UConn, he made enough.

To recap, last time out against DePaul he started Tae Davis for Femi Odukale, and went to a three-quarter court press in the second half that turned the tide. A game earlier it was a play for Dawes coming out of the locker room that freed him up for a three-point to quickly put the Pirates on top, triggering a 24-point outburst by Dawes.

Their winning streak started with Holloway keeping his starters in for the first 13 minutes against Butler, which got his team out to an early lead and fed Tyrese Samuel’s’ great early play, finishing with 19 points. This after he left Samuel on the court for 33 minutes against St. John’s, and he responded with a 16-point, nine-rebound performance.

In the first half of this one, Holloway went to smaller lineup with Ndefo and Samuel on the bench when they went down 17-7. With Richmond, a Dre Davis triple from one corner, before Trey Jackson hit one from the other corner, with a free throw by Jamir Harris fueled a 9-2 run to get back into it.

But UConn shook off the counterpunch and went on an 18-4 run of their own to take their biggest lead at 37-20, as Holloway waited too long to call a timeout during the run.

As the second half got underway, he had four of his starters on the floor for nearly the first 10 minutes, riding them hard and they responded by climbing back in the game.

“We just have to understand we have to want it more than the other team,” Holloway said. “We’ve got to take care of us. I thought we had two solid days of practice, so when you win in practice you win in the game. The team’s starting to understand what I want and how I coach and we’re starting to get there still a long way away, but we’re taking steps.”

What this was was one heck of a college basketball game. And just the latest sign that Holloway’s restructuring of the program is ahead of schedule.

Stephen Edelson is a USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey sports columnist who has been covering athletics in the state and at the Jersey Shore for 35 years. Contact him at: @SteveEdelsonAPP; sedelson@gannettnj.com.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: As Seton Hall upsets UConn, Shaheen Holloway’s program moves ahead of schedule