Baylor University: Penn State 2.0

Baylor University has dealt with controversy in the past, but this new controversy is something else entirely (Source: Baylor University)

Remember Super Bowl 50? The Denver Broncos hoisted the Lombardi Trophy that Sunday after a game that featured the vaunted Denver defense shutting down Cam Newton and the explosive Carolina Panthers and made them look like the Cleveland Browns, causing havoc, forcing fumbles, and just embarrassing the regular season MVP. Sure, there were discussions regarding the Hollywood ending for Peyton Manning, winning what turned out to be the final professional football game of his illustrious NFL career. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips got some praise for being the conductor of one of the most dominant defenses the NFL has ever seen. Cam Newton faced a ton of questions regarding his mental toughness and whether he should have dove for that fumble in the fourth quarter. However, as much as we have analyzed and will continue to analyze the game, there was a much darker story that first broke that day, but did not nearly get enough media coverage. Baylor University, located in Waco, Texas, is the center of yet another horrific story of a major university brushing aside major allegations aimed at their star athletes and, if you are hearing about this for the first time, then the media is not doing their job.

Baylor has been involved in a controversial scandal before. 2003 saw the murder of Patrick Dennehy, a member of the Baylor Bears’ men’s basketball team. Dennehy had transferred from the University of New Mexico in 2002 and sat out a year due to the rules that the NCAA has for underclassmen who transfer to a new school. While at Baylor, he became friends with Carlton Dotson, who played at the University of Buffalo and Paris Junior College before transferring to Baylor in 2002 as well. The two lived in the same apartment complex and felt that they were in danger due to apparent threats made at Dotson by two teammates. Dennehy and Dotson bought two pistols and a rifle for protection and spent time at a shooting range, a place where Dotson murdered Dennehy. Dotson claimed that, since he was “Jesus, the son of God,” people would be trying to kill him. Dotson said to the FBI that, on June 11, 2003, he and Dennehy went to some gravel pits for targeting practice when Dennehy aimed his gun at him, but the gun jammed so Dotson fired back at Dennehy and killed him. Dotson was deemed incompetent to stand by trial in 2004, so he was sent to be evaluated at a mental hospital, where he made claims of seeing hallucinations and hearing voices. Dotson then unexpectedly pled guilty to murdering Dennehy on June 8, 2005 and was sentenced to 35 years in prison, with the possibility of parole in 2021.

Former Baylor Bears basketball coach Dave Bliss: a man who portrayed a murder victim as a drug dealer (Source: Erich Schlegel/USA TODAY)

The NCAA had some concerns over how Dennehy could be a member of the Baylor basketball team without having an athletic scholarship for the 2002-03 basketball season, so an investigation took regarding the matter. The circumstances surrounding Dennehy’s murder only amplified the seriousness that the NCAA took when delving into how Dennehy was able to be a member of the team. This gave way to the fall from grace, if you could call it that, of head coach Dave Bliss, who was involved in a lot of illegal activities while being the head coach of the Bears.  More evidence surfaced that Bliss and assistant coach Rodney Belcher were present at a pickup game featuring a Baylor recruit, considered an “illegal workout” according to the NCAA. Rampant drug and alcohol use was reported by a mother of one of the players and Melissa Kethley, the estranged wife of Carlton Dotson, but largely ignored by Bliss and his staff. Even more startling was the fact that Bliss was already involved in illegal activities back in the 1980s with Southern Methodist University, a school which has had its fair share of sanctions leveled against it by the NCAA, but you can read about that here. Shockingly enough, the NCAA showed mercy on the program since the school already was dealt the death penalty, but Bliss left before any discipline could be taken against him.

Despite all that, the most damning discovery was how, after Dennehy’s memorial service, Bliss met with the administration and was told that they found out through Dennehy’s girlfriend that Bliss paid for the tuition of both Dennehy and another teammate, Corey Herring. This was the final nail in the coffin and, on August 8, 2003, school president Robert B. Sloan forced Bliss to resign. However, Bliss was not going to just lie down and accept this decision, so he decided to try and win the public back by making the most shameful accusations I have heard in a while. Bliss denied paying for Dennehy and Herring and instead made the claim that Dennehy was a drug dealer paying his own tuition, which was discovered after assistant coach Abar Rouse recorded the conversations Bliss had with his players to go along with the idea because Bliss threatened to fire Rouse. The damage was done, and Bliss not did not coach another college basketball game until this past season, when he was hired by Southwestern Christian University of the Sooner Athletic Conference.

Art Briles may have brought Baylor back into national relevance on the football field, but his non-actions may have undone all that work (Source: Tommy Gilligan / USA TODAY Sports)

You would think after all that nonsense that Baylor University would get it together, but now we are in the midst of yet another controversy, this one even worse than the last if you can believe that. 2008 was the first season that the Baylor basketball team had a winning record since Bliss was ousted as head coach, which was the same year that the Baylor football program hired Art Briles, who had spent five seasons as head coach of the Houston Cougars football team, to be their next head coach. While Briles had his fair share of struggles coming out of the gate, the situation got better thanks to quarterback Robert Griffin III, who became the first Heisman Trophy winner in the history of the program. Briles and RGIII helped bring Baylor back to the national spotlight for the first time in 25 years and, while Nick Florence and Bryce Petty did not bring the same dynamic style of play that Griffin III produced, the Bears were still relevant in the national picture. However, this is not an article of heaping praise on a program, but rather the seedy underbelly of it. That is all thanks to a former defensive lineman named Sam Ukwuachu, a transfer from Boise State University, who is the guy who lit the powder-keg and caused the ensuing explosion of revelations of the misconduct that occurred under the “watchful” eyes of Briles.

The various incidents involving Baylor football players goes as far back as 2009, Briles’s second season as Baylor head coach, when Tevin Elliott sexually assaulted a female Baylor student while she was intoxicated and passed out in her apartment, an assault that Baylor judicial affairs officials were very aware of in 2011. Baylor had a freshman named “Tanya” report that Elliott sexually assaulted her twice at a party, despite not even knowing who he was. When she attempted to get help from campus police a few days later, she was told that counseling was unavailable despite being assaulted by a fellow student. Her grades suffered, she was placed on probation, and she subsequently left Baylor in 2013. Two weeks before “Tanya” had her encounter with Elliott, a Baylor athlete named “Kim” went to Waco to inform them that Elliott had sexually assaulted her too. “Kim” and her mother eventually met with Bethany McCray, the chief judicial officer at Baylor. McCray informed the two that “Kim” was the sixth woman who reported an incident involving Elliott and, according to “Kim,” Briles was aware of all six accusations. Briles suspended Elliott due to a “violation of team policy” and Elliott was later arrested and charged for sexual assault, for which he was found guilty and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

While all the drama involving Elliott took place, Shawn Oakman, a member of the Penn State Nittany Lions football team, was kicked off the team due to him trying to steal a sandwich and an ensuing confrontation with a female employee. Oakman then transferred to Baylor, where he sat out the 2012 season due to the transfer rules that the NCAA has. The beginning of 2013 saw police respond to an incident of domestic abuse involving Oakman and his ex-girlfriend, and incident that Baylor was fully aware of and did nothing in terms of discipline, a fact that was revealed two years later. Other than that incident, Oakman kept his nose clean of any wrongdoing and seemed like he had his head on straight. Then, after having graduated in December 2015, Oakman was arrested last month for sexual assault, stemming from an incident April 3 in which Oakman and a Baylor student left a nightclub and went to Oakman’s duplex, where the sexual assault took place. The female student then went to the hospital, where she was looked at by a sexual assault nurse examiner. Needless to say, Oakman, a player who was hoping to be taken somewhere in last month’s NFL Draft, was avoided due to that arrest.

The four Baylor football players at the center of this new scandal: #18 Tevin Elliott (Source: Cooper Neill/Icon Sportswire), #92 Sam Ukwuachu (Source: Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports), #2 Shawn Oakman (Source: Louis DeLuca/The Dallas Morning News), and #41 Tre’Von Armstead (Source: Mo Khursheed/TFV Media via AP Images)

Then there is the 2013 case involving Tre’Von Armstead and Shamycheal ‘Myke’ Chatman, where police were once again informed of an incident involving Baylor football players. This time, witnesses told police that there were noises heard that sounded like an assault was taking place and, based on police observations at the scene, it was pretty evident that an assault took place. Further observations at the hospital via a rape exam showed that the woman assaulted had bruises, a bite mark, and scratches on her body. All of this was critical in proving Armstead and Chatman committed this act, but the assaulted woman declined to press charges against the two due to the fact that she was too intoxicated to fully remember the events that transpired. The police ended the investigation, but not before informing Baylor officials of the incident. The police then told the woman that Baylor officials would contact her regarding what would happen next, yet the woman heard from anyone at Baylor. The case is forgotten until two years later when the victim, after being coaxed by a friend who attended a sexual assault prevention training program, asked Baylor officials about the status of her case. The officials finally get their act together and look into the incident involving Armstead and Chatman and, following the conclusion of their investigation, kick Armstead off the football team due to a “team rules violation.”

Despite all those instances of sexual assault I just listed, the worst involved Sam Ukwuachu, a player who was kicked off the Boise State Broncos football team following a 2013 altercation with his then-girlfriend and roommate. Then Broncos head coach Chris Petersen, who is now the head coach for the Washington Huskies, allegedly informed Briles of just what kind of a person Ukwuachu was. How much information Petersen knew regarding Ukwuachu and his troubles may never be fully known, but Petersen had to know at least something, which is why he warned Briles in the first place. Boise State did not support Ukwuachu’s waiver to play, so he sat out the 2013 football season, but that decision was overshadowed by a report involving Ukwuachu and a sexual assault on a Jane Doe, who went to the hospital and, after being administered a rape kit, filed the report. Months passed, the Jane Doe was diagnosed with PTSD, and after a mandatory investigation, Baylor concluded that the alleged sexual assault never happened. However, the Waco district attorney determined that there was enough evidence that warranted an indictment of Ukwuachu on sexual assault charges. Ukwuachu did not play for the Bears in 2014 while the Jane Doe was told to alter her schedule to avoid any possible confrontations with Ukwuachu until she eventually transferred a year later. Ukwuachu stayed on the team due to his status as a graduate student and was expected to play until he was arrested for another sexual assault incident and was placed on probation for ten years.

All of this has led to today, where school president Ken Starr was stripped of his position as president and his subsequent relegation to the role of chancellor, Briles was fired as head coach of the football team, and athletic director Ian McCaw was sanctioned and placed on probation. This situation is eerily reminiscent of the nightmare at Penn State involving Jerry Sandusky and how much Joe Paterno, Graham Spanier, and Tim Curley knew of his abuse. The disturbing accounts of what happened at both Penn State and Baylor and the sheer heartlessness of the people in charge who would rather prioritize the status of their football programs instead of the safety of their students and anyone close to the universities. Pedophilia and rape are two of the most despicable criminal offenses that one can commit, and the fact that both Penn State and Baylor pretended that nothing ever happened is wrong on so many levels. the Nittany Lions are 30-24 since Paterno was ousted as head coach and, while they are nowhere near as feared as they were in the past, that storied history benefits the program, as tainted as it is now. The Baylor Bears are not even in the same atmosphere as the Nittany Lions in terms of football success. Briles seemed to be the guy who could help him get over the hump, but now that is not going to be the case. Dave Bliss was the coach at Southern Methodist, whose football program was dealt the death penalty and has been unable to fully recover ever since. It is a matter of time to see whether the same fate awaits Baylor.

The Battle of New Jersey Women’s Basketball

Yeah, I said I would do a preview of NCAA Tournament games, but you probably did a bracket or, if you were smart, stayed away from the whole nonsense of picking to predict who will actually win these games and just savor the madness. Maybe you want to look at the 2015 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament instead. Hold on, before you start rattling off things like how women’s basketball is clearly unbalanced or how the Connecticut Huskies are an unstoppable juggernaut, hear me out. What I want to discuss is a game that will impact the game of women’s college basketball in the state of New Jersey. No, not the Princeton Tigers, who had a perfect 30-0 season and were seeded #8 for some unholy reason. This is all about the greatest rivalry in New Jersey college sports: the Seton Hall Pirates and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers women’s basketball and Hall of Fame head coach C. Vivian Stringer (Source: AP Photo/Mel Evans)

You will most likely know the Rutgers Scarlet Knights for their pathetic men’s basketball team and their average football team, but the jewel of their athletic squads would have to be the women’s basketball team. Coached by C. Vivian Stringer, the women’s team has had some success since 1998, making the NCAA Tournament 15 times in the 20 years with Stringer as the head coach. The most notable season for Rutgers women’s basketball was easily the 2006-07 season, where the Scarlet Knights went all the way to the Championship Game, where they fell to legendary coach Pat Summitt and her Tennessee Lady Volunteers team. However, ever since Rutgers left the Big East Conference, the Scarlet Knights have not seen the same success. The days of Cappie Pondexter and Epiphanny Prince are gone.

Seton Hall women’s basketball head coach Anthony Bozzella (Source: Nam Y. Huh)

The Seton Hall Pirates have not had the success that their in-state rivals have had. They have only made the NCAA Tournament twice, in 1994 and 1995, before this season. After many years of being pushed around in the Big East by the likes of Connecticut, Notre Dame, and Rutgers, this new Big East Conference has been kinder to the Pirates, as their 23-13 conference record shows. The Pirates also finished first in the Big East for the first in the history of the program, although they lost in the Big East Tournament to the DePaul Blue Demons. Despite that, second year head coach Anthony Bozzella has revitalized the program, helping guide Seton Hall to a 28-5 record, the most wins in a single season in Seton Hall women’s basketball history. Bozzella was awarded Big East Coach of the Year for his efforts. Needless to say, the Pirates are on the rise and determined to escape the shadow of Rutgers.

Tabatha Richardson-Smith and Daisha Simmons, two of the reasons the Seton Hall Pirates are back on the women’s basketball map. (Source: Seton Hall Athletics)

Naturally, there have to be players to watch out for. Rutgers has a fearsome duo in the forms of Kahleah Cooper and Betnijah Laney, who both finished in the top 10 in scoring amongst Big Ten players. Laney is the leader of the Scarlet Knights, averaging a double-double during the season with 15.9 points per game and 10.9 rebounds per game. I am not well-versed on Rutgers, so my knowledge of them is pretty tame compared to the Pirates. The triumvirate of Ka-Deidre Simmons, Daisha Simmons, and Tabatha Richardson-Smith are the focal points of Bozzella’s system, Richardson-Smith with 17.4 points per game, Ka-Deidre averaging 17.2 points per game, and Daisha averaging 16.9 points per game. Daisha Simmons might be the key factor here in that she began her college career playing for Rutgers before transferring to Alabama and then becoming a national story after Alabama initially refused to let her transfer to Seton Hall. They finally gave in to the national outcry and let Daisha become a Pirate, and the impact she has made can be seen through her play.

This may seem like just another college basketball game to the average viewer. Being a fan of Seton Hall, it is anything but another game. The women’s basketball program has emerged from mediocrity like a phoenix and is hoping to make an impact on the college basketball world. Rutgers has an overall record of 33-8 in the Seton Hall-Rutgers rivalry, but last season’s 91-84 double overtime WNIT game proved that the Pirates could hang with their older sister of the New Jersey. When New Jersey state senator Richard Codey calls for Seton Hall and Rutgers to have their basketball programs have a doubleheader every year, you know that there is a resurgence in a once lopsided rivalry. Saturday’s NCAA Tournament matchup is major for both schools; a chance for Seton Hall to prove this season was not a fluke and a chance for Rutgers to squash any hopes for their former Big East foe. All we know is whoever wins this game will have a hell of a challenge in Connecticut in the next round.

2015 NCAA Tournament: First Four Preview

Arguably one of the greatest times of the year has finally arrived: March Madness. Every year, the college basketball world is the number one sport to follow as the NCAA Tournament (and the NIT if you are into that tournament) begin. Every one will fill out a bracket, thinking they know exactly how every game will be decided and every year features a team that subsequently busts those brackets. Squads like the George Mason Patriots, the Davidson Wildcats, the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, and the Butler Bulldogs have all made their names known based on the stunning Cinderella stories that have ever occurred. The First Four games begin tonight, but do not sleep on any of the #11 seeds playing in Dayton. Remember that Virginia Commonwealth went from the First Four all the way to the Final Four back in 2011, so anything is possible. Let us examine of these First Four and see if anybody can provide some excitement in the tournament.

#16 Hampton Pirates vs. #16 Manhattan Jaspers

Hampton is part of a unique group that consists of 24 teams. They join schools like Coppin State, Liberty, and Cal Poly to make the NCAA Tournament with a losing record, after the Pirates went through the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament and winning the whole thing. Led by junior guard Dwight Meikle, who leads the team with a modest 13 points per game, there will not be a lot of people hopping on the Pirate bandwagon, especially when they are facing off against the Manhattan Jaspers, a team that won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament to earn their bid. Senior forward Emmy Andujar is the heart and soul of the Jaspers, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. The Pirates will need to capitalize at gaining the edge on the rebounding department, as they rank 49th in the country with 37.1 team rebounds. However, Hampton is dreadful at shooting the ball, with a collective .408 shooting percentage, good for 294th in the country. That, coupled with their measly 10.6 team assists per game shows that, if Manhattan clamps down on defense, it should be smooth sailing for the Jaspers.

PREDICTION: MANHATTAN

#11 BYU Cougars vs. #11 Ole Miss Rebels

The Rebels are returning to Dayton, Ohio for the First Four after having lost to Dayton way back on December 30. While this squad did start the season with a stunning overtime loss to Charleston Southern, Ole Miss has done its job and have provided some eye-catching performances. The most notable was easily their SEC opener where they went into Rupp Arena and provided #1 Kentucky with their first wake up call this season. Though the Rebels fell in overtime by three, Ole Miss showed that they can step their game up at the right time. The triumvirate of Jarvis Summers, LaDarius White, and Stefan Moody are lethal. Then, there is Brigham Young. While he is no Jimmer Fredette, senior guard Tyler Haws has been the Cougars’ leader of the second highest scoring offense in the nation. The nation’s fourth leading scorer has been dynamite all season, being held to single digits only once way back on December 23. While scoring should not be a problem, defense may be the name of this game. The Cougars have the stereotypical run-and-gun style of play, in that it is essentially a “score first, play defense second” mentality. Ole Miss, while not as prolific on offense, has a better defense. That being said, BYU has had more momentum entering the tournament, namely going into Spokane and ending Gonzaga’s 41-game home winning streak. Momentum means everything when it comes to the NCAA Tournament.

PREDICTION: BYU

#16 North Florida Ospreys vs. #16 Robert Morris Colonials

Chances are that, unless you are an alum, the only reason you have heard of North Florida is because of the crazy dancing band member that was showcased on SportsCenter last week. He has a reason to celebrate, considering that the Ospreys are making their first ever NCAA Tournament in the history of the program. They dominated the Atlantic Sun Conference, a conference that includes past tourney darling Florida Gulf Coast, and won both the regular season and the conference tournament, both program firsts. Sophomore guard Dallas Moore runs the show for the Ospreys, while guard Beau Beech provides another option for North Florida. Robert Morris were stuck looking up at Northeast Conference top dog Saint Francis Brooklyn, but ended up toppling the Terriers in the conference tournament final, setting up this matchup. Robert Morris was not a pretty team to watch at the start of the season, managing wins against teams like Bradley and Delaware, which is not saying much at all. North Florida, on the other hand, notched their biggest win at tourney participant Purdue, their first win against a Big Ten school. Games against Iowa and Northern Iowa, while losses, were respectable outcomes and showed that the Ospreys did not get embarrassed. Sure, the Colonials played tourney participants North Carolina, Georgetown, Buffalo, and Lafayette, but they were embarrassed every time.

PREDICTION: NORTH FLORIDA

#11 Dayton Flyers vs. #11 Boise State Broncos

Now comes the most polarizing game of the bunch, but not because of any on-court antics. No, this mostly is based off the decision to include the Dayton Flyers in the First Four where the games are played… at Dayton’s home court. So, while the image of the left may seem incorrect, but Dayton will have the home-court advantage here. Jordan Sibert is the senior leader, and his 16.5 points per game may be critical for a Flyers squad that is facing off against a Boise State team that gives up the 35th fewest points in the country. Dayton did play fellow First Four participant Ole Miss and beating them, as well as a victory over eventual Atlantic 10 champion Virginia Commonwealth. Boise State had an interesting time in the Mountain West Conference, dealing with the other MVC representatives in the tourney in San Diego State and Wyoming. Oddly enough, the Broncos were regular season co-champions with SDSU, whom the Broncos beat twice, but lost to Wyoming twice, including the MVC Tournament Final. Senior guard Derrick Marks and his 19.3 points per game lead Boise into this matchup. Boise State was in Dayton two years ago in the First Four, but lost to La Salle, who went to the Sweet Sixteen that year. I like what Boise has done, but you cannot deny a team playing on their home floor.

PREDICTION: DAYTON

So, there are the predictions for the First Four games. Check back Thursday for some more predictions for the 2015 NCAA Tournament.

In the Garden (State) of South Orange (and Newark)

Seton Hall basketball – it is officially back on the map. (Source: Saed Hindash | NJ Advance Media)

College basketball is an unpredictable sport. Between the numerous upsets, “Cinderella” teams, and the insanity known as the NCAA Tournament, anything can happen. That being said, there are some guaranteed things that usually occur; John Calipari bringing in a ton of McDonald’s All-American recruits, ESPN showing just about every Duke game, and the “great” state of New Jersey featuring numerous basketball teams that provide mediocre results. The last time NJ was represented in the NCAA Tournament was back in 2011, when Princeton nearly upset Kentucky and Saint Peter’s got taken to the woodshed by Purdue. So, being a New Jerseyan, there has not been a lot to cheer about come Tourney Time. That will hopefully change thanks to the resurgence of the Seton Hall Pirates.

I have been a lifelong Pirates fan. I attended my first-ever college basketball game as a one-month old on December 23, 1991,  witnessing (but not remembering) a 72-46 thrashing of Fairleigh Dickinson. That fact alone should give you a sense that Seton Hall blue runs through my veins, so I am not simply jumping on the proverbial bandwagon. My parents have been Pirate fans even longer than I have, so I was going to be a fan whether I liked it or not. Naturally, they have seen the program succeed in the past, capitalized by the 1989 NCAA Tournament run to the national championship game. But that same success has not carried over these days. The typical mentality over the past few years for a Pirates fan is that the team starts off really well in the non-conference portion of the schedule, giving everyone a sense of hope. Then, Big East play starts and that optimism immediately comes crashing down. Oh, the pain.

The heralded freshman Isaiah Whitehead. (Source: Jim O’Connor / USA TODAY Sports)

Jump ahead to this season.  With a recruiting class that was ranked in the top 20 in the nation and featured the hyped Isaiah Whitehead, one of the most heralded talents in the country. The sense that this team was the real deal came in the Virgin Islands, as SHU was participating in the Paradise Jam Tournament. The field had some quality opponents, so we fans figured there would be close games for the Pirates. Nevada, Gardner-Webb, and Illinois State all faced the Pirates, and all three teams lost. Sure, Seton Hall did not play LSU or Old Dominion, but again, college basketball is unpredictable. Riding high after the tournament win, the Pirates handled George Washington, Mount St. Mary’s, and Rutgers.

Then came the #11 team in the country, Wichita State.  It was a snap back to reality, as the Shockers defended their home court and dealt SHU their first loss. Naturally, the first instinct is to complain about losing. However, facing this ranked team at this time in their building, and only losing by nine points is nothing to really whine about. If anything, you could have viewed it as a step in the right direction. The team did not lay down and keel over that easily.  Victories over Saint Peter’s and former Big East foe South Florida followed.

But then a journey to Athens, Georgia happened. The excitement over playing some high quality basketball deflated as fast as it formed, as the Georgia Bulldogs made things look easy, dominating every aspect of the game, and making the Pirates look like a junior varsity team. This was not a promising result to see, especially considering the Big East portion of the schedule was looming. The cherry on the poop sundae (yes, I called it a poop sundae) was that Whitehead, the savior of Seton Hall basketball, went down with an injury and is still not back as of this article.

Things could not have been worse that night. However, this team did not let the knife be driven into their hopes, beginning with an expected beatdown of the lowly Maine Black Bears. That was the initial dip into the pool that the Whitehead-less Pirates needed to make, especially with what loomed on the horizon. #15 St. John’s and #6 Villanova traveled to NJ to take on the Pirates, each hoping to each improve their already impressive seasons. Seton Hall in the past would have kept it competitive, but somehow figure out a way to lose in the end. This is not that Seton Hall. Both games ended with impressive Seton Hall victories, the victory over Villanova coming in overtime. Now, we are here and the Seton Hall Pirates are ranked as the #19 team in the country.

Three members of the biggest story in New Jersey college basketball today. L-R: #0 Khadeen Carrington, #4 Sterling Gibbs, #31 Angel Delgado. (Source: Rich Schultz/Getty Images North America)

So, now that I have given you a recap of the season so far, what is there to make of it? Well, for starters, the improvement of junior guard Sterling Gibbs has to be highlighted. Gibbs had some big moments last season, namely his game-winning jumper against Villanova in the Big East Tournament. However, this season feels different considering that there are more pieces of the puzzle for him to work with. Gibbs may be viewed as a score first, pass second point guard, but that is not exactly a terrible thing. When you have the capability to score 40 points against an Illinois State team that handed Old Dominion their only loss of the season thus far, that is pretty impressive. Gibbs is the leader of this basketball team, so it only makes sense that the offense should run through him. He can assist when needed, but also take over the game when called upon as well.

The highly touted freshman class has lived up to the hype, in more ways than one. Sure, Isaiah Whitehead is hurt now, but before that injury, he was showing off why there was so much buzz surrounding him in the first place. His ability to shoot and score at will was evident when he was needed, plus his passing has gotten his teammates involved as well. Big man Angel Delgado is one of the towering forces that the Pirates have craved for years. He is not one of the major scoring options, but he does not need to be that guy. The main focus of his game has been on the defensive end of the court, as Delgado is Seton Hall’s prime rebounder and shot blocker. Sure, his free throw shooting is pretty underwhelming, but I am a Pistons fan who is used to Andre Drummond and his pitiful free throws. Both are critical in the defensive department, so as long as they provide great contributions on defense, I could care less about the free throws. I mean, I do care, but you know what I mean.

The most unsung freshman of the group would have to be guard Khadeen Carrington. The primary focus when it comes to Seton Hall guards is on Gibbs and Whitehead, and that is understandable. However, Carrington has been a security blanket for those two, and now with Whitehead injured, he is getting his chance to unleash his skills. His playing time has gone up significantly since the start of the season and for good reason, as Carrington has become yet another scoring option for the Pirates. He has scored in double figures in all three of the games Whitehead has missed, and his finest performance came against Villanova, where he scored 17 points in 35 minutes. Carrington is slowly getting better, and that is the last thing the rest of the Big East wants to hear.

It is very easy to get excited about the revitalization of the Seton Hall program, especially considering the heart-pounding, back-to-back victories over St. John’s and Villanova. This is only the first week in January, so there is plenty of basketball ahead to look forward to. There will be some speed bumps along the way, but something feels different this season. This team does not look like past teams that always crumbled under the pressure. The optimism is still there, and it is only getting stronger by the day. The Pirates have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2006, so the wait has been long and the wait has seemed like an eternity. I know it is premature, but I think this could finally be the year that New Jersey gets a team back into the NCAA Tournament. How could anyone not be excited when watching this team? Well, they could be a Rutgers fan.