University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Seton Hall University
UConn MBB Goes On The Road To Face Seton Hall
1/17/2023 5:38:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UConn Athletic Communications / Jan. 17, 2023
NEWARK, N.J. – It's doubtful that there is any camera footage to document the first time the men's basketball teams from UConn and Seton Hall met on the court.
After all, it was 106 years ago – a 34-19 Seton Hall victory, by the way.
There have been 67 meetings since that first encounter, all except the first two as charter members of the BIG EAST Conference. The next edition of the conference rivalry occurs Wednesday night as the No. 15/14 Huskies (15-4 overall, 4-4 BIG EAST) meet the Pirates (11-8, 4-4) at the Prudential Center (6:30 p.m., FS1).
Seton Hall, the alma mater of UConn coach Dan Hurley, has had an up and down season so far, which includes two separate three-game winning streaks and two separate three-game losing streaks. Currently, the Pirates have won their last three games, the last two of them on the road.
The Pirates are led by senior guard Al-Amir Dawes, a transfer from Clemson, who is the team's top scorer (11.9) and the Pirates' most prolific three-point shooter, hitting treys at a 43.5 percent clip. Senior forward Tyrese Samuel is also averaging double figures (10.9) and is the team's leading rebounder (6.2). The rest of the usual starting lineup includes junior guard Kadary Richmond (9.5 ppg, 4.1 apg), grad student forward KC Ndefo (7.4 ppg, 5.2 rpg) and junior guard Femi Odukale (6.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg).
Seton Hall, 7-2 at home this season, is shooting a solid .440 overall and .314 from three-point range. The Pirates own a plus-5.8 scoring margin and plus-3.2 rebound margin over opponents.
UConn is trying to shake off the effects of Sunday's 85-74 loss to St. John's, the first home loss for the Huskies this season.
A bright spot for UConn on Sunday was the career-high 31-point performance by sophomore Jordan Hawkins, the highest scoring game by a player this season. The total lifted Hawkins' average to 15.4, second on the team only to junior Adama Sanogo's 17.3 which goes along with his team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. The rest of the Huskies' regular starting lineup includes freshman Alex Karaban (9.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg), senior Tristen Newton (8.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg), and junior Andre Jackson Jr. (6.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 rpg).
Since returning to the BIG EAST Conference in 2020-21, UConn is 3-2 overall against Seton Hall, 1-1 at the Prudential Center. The Huskies lost last year's game at the venue, 90-87, in overtime.
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