CINCINNATI — So close, yet so far. That’s how it feels surrounding the Xavier Musketeers Men’s Basketball team through their first two games in Big East play. They’ve lost by just five and two points, respectively, through their first two Big East game to UConn and Marquette. Those are two of the top teams in the country, and Xavier was right there with chances to win both games. Remember, too, that they’re doing all of this without their best player in Zach Freemantle.
Now, the Musketeers return from Christmas break to face a struggling Seton Hall Pirates team Tuesday afternoon in a New Year’s Eve matinee. Xavier is still looking for their first Big East win, and they have a huge opportunity to get it Tuesday afternoon at home against a Pirates team they should beat.
The Pirates have struggled to find consistency this season, winning back-to-back games just once so far this season. They also enter Tuesday afternoon’s game with four straight losses, including their first two Big East games. Seton Hall only has two players averaging double figures and just one player averaging at least five rebounds per game.
Let’s look at the four players to watch on the Seton Hall Pirates on New Year’s Eve afternoon:
Players to Watch
1. #21 Isaiah Coleman 6’5″ 191 lbs. So. Guard Fredericksburg, Va.
13.9 pts, 5 rebs/gm., 43.5 FG%, 37.5 3-PT FG%, 80% FT, 32.3 mpg
A member of the Big East’s All-Freshman team in 2023-23, Coleman already has four 20-point games this season including 22 points and 25 points in Xavier’s first two Big East games this season. In addition, Coleman has played 30+ minutes in every game but two through non-conference play this season.
2. #2 Chaunce Jenkins 6’4″ 185 lbs. Gr. Guard Newport News, Va. Old Dominion Transfer
11.5 pts, 4.2 rebs, 35.5 FG%, 38.2 3-PT FG%, 80% FT, 27.3 mpg
Playing his last two seasons at Old Dominion, Jenkins emerged as one of the Sun Belt Conference’s best players. Jenkins was a Second Team member in the Sun Bet in 2023-2024, averaging 15.9 points per game and scoring 20+ points 10 times. Jenkins has double-digit points seven times this season and seven games with multiple three-point field goals.
3. #0 Dylan Addae-Wusu 6’4″ 237 lbs. Gr. Guard Bronx, N.Y. St. John’s Transfer
8.7 pts, 3.8 rebs, 34 ast.-22 TO, 21 stl, 34.3 FG%, 31% 3-PT FG, 59% FT, 28 mpg
Addae-Wusu is in his second season with the Pirates, and he started all 37 games on Seton Hall’s NIT Championship team last year. He was second on the team with 42 three-point field goals, and Addae-Wusu was also fourth in the Big East with 61 steals. Addae-Wusu has six games with multiple steals and three double-digit scoring games in his last five games this season.
4. #4 Prince Aligbe 6’7″ 228 lbs. Jr. Forward Minneapolis Boston College Transfer
4.8 pts, 3.2 rebs, 37.7 FG%, 1-9 3-PT FG, 9-16 FT, 18.2 mpg
A teammate of former Gonzaga stars Jalen Suggs and Chet Holmgren, Aligbe played at Boston College in 2022-23. So far this season, Aligbe three double-digit scoring games with a season-high 19 points in early December. Aligbe also has four games with five+ rebounds this season.
Head Coach: Shaheen Holloway (3rd season)
You may remember Shaheen Holloway for leading Saint Peter’s to the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA Tournament, which included an upset of Kentucky in the First Round. Holloway is now in his third season as the head coach of his alma mater, Seton Hall. Holloway is the program’s all-time leader with 681 assist and was inducted into the Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012. He led Seton Hall to the Sweet 16 in the 2000 NCAA Tournament, part of a career that saw Holloway score nearly 1,600 points.
The Pirates are coming off an NIT Championship in 2024, beating Indiana State 79-77 at Butler’s Hinkle Fieldhouse in the Championship Game. Seton Hall’s 25 wins were tied for the fourth most in program history and were the most wins since the 2015-16 season.
As an Associate Head Coach at Seton Hall under Kevin Willard from 2010-2018, the Pirates went to three straight NCAA Tournaments and won the 2016 Big East Tournament Championship. He helped assemble a top 15 recruiting class in 2014 that was headlined by McDonald’s All-American Isaiah Whitehead.
Keys to the Game
1. Get off to a fast start: The start of this game will tell us a lot about where Xavier is at after 10 days in between games. Not only that, but at 0-2 in Big East play it’s going to be very interesting to see how Xavier comes out in this game against another 0-2 team in Big East play. A fast start will get the crowd into the game and induce a jolt of momentum within in the team, but a sluggish start will increase the tension and nervousness in the Cintas Center and create fear of an 0-3 start to Big East play. The first four minutes will be crucial New Year’s Eve afternoon.
2. Don’t let Seton Hall hang around: Bad things happen when you let teams hang around, especially bad team. If Xavier is able to get off to a fast start Tuesday afternoon, it’s paramount they don’t give Seton Hall a feeling that they can hang around. Keeping their foot on the gas will enable the Musketeers to keep a cushion of a lead on the Pirates and pull away in the second half.
3. Take care of the ball: For as hard as the Musketeers have played the last two games, they have struggled to take care of the ball. The Musketeers had 10 turnovers at UConn and 14 turnovers against Marquette. Playing against a Pirates team that averages 7.5 steals per game, it’s paramount that the Musketeers take care of the ball.
Score Prediction: Xavier 70 – Seton Hall 60
This is a game Xavier should win. They certainly need to win this game, and the Musketeers should be well-rested after 10 days in between their last game and this game on New Year’s Eve afternoon. This is the week to get back to .500 in Big East play before the schedule ramps up in terms of intensity. I think the Musketeers get off the mat New Year’s Eve afternoon and gets a much-needed win.
