NCAA matchup: Gonzaga vs. Seton Hall
Seton Hall (25-8)
Seed, region: 6, Midwest
Location: South Orange, N.J.
Enrollment: 5,800
Founded: 1856
Nickname: Pirates
Conference: Big East
Bid: Automatic
NCAA tournament record: 15-9
Coach: Kevin Willard, 107-88 in 6 seasons, 152-137 in 9 seasons overall
Marquee players: Sophomore guard Isaiah Whitehead scored 26 points to earn Big East tournament Most Outstanding Player honors and lead the Pirates to an upset win over Villanova, which was in contention for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Seton Hall won the Big East tourney for the first time in 23 years and made the NCAA field for the first time since 2006. Whitehead and a stingy defense are the key reasons for Seton Hall’s success. Whitehead shoots just 39 percent from the field, but he made 81 3-pointers and averages nearly six free-throw attempts per game. He’s the team leader in assists (5 per game) and blocks (48). Seton Hall ranks in the top 77 nationally in scoring defense (67.8), field-goal percentage defense (40.1) and 3-point percentage defense (31.6).
Famous alumni: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; offensive lineman Bart Oates, three-time Super Bowl champion; actor Dule Hill; Max Weinberg, drummer in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band
Starting five
F… Desi Rodriguez… Soph. …. 12.5 ppg
F… Angel Delgado… Soph. …10.0
G/F… Ismael Sanogo… Soph…. 5.0
G … Isaiah Whitehead …Soph. … 18.4
G … Khadeen Carrington … Soph. …14.3
Gonzaga (26-7)
Seed, region: 11, Midwest
Location: Spokane
Enrollment: 7,837
Founded: 1887
Nickname: Bulldogs
Conference: West Coast
Bid: Automatic
NCAA tournament record: 22-18
Coach: Mark Few, 464-110 in 17 seasons, all at Gonzaga
Marquee players: The Zags rely heavily on the frontcourt tandem of Kyle Wiltjer and Domantas Sabonis, who combined for 65 points in one game. However, the guards/wings stepped up in conference play and were big in the Zags’ run through the WCC tournament. Eric McClellan averaged 20.3 points and was somehow left off the all-tournament team. Josh Perkins contributed 14 points per tournament contest and Kyle Dranginis had 13 in the championship game. Guard Silas Melson’s emergence in the last six weeks has provided a much-needed scoring boost off GU’s thin bench.
Famous alumni: Entertainer Bing Crosby, basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton, former Speaker of the House Tom Foley.
Starting five
F… Kyle Wiltjer … Sr. … 20.7 ppg
F… Domantas Sabonis… Soph. … 17.4
G … Kyle Dranginis… Sr. … 6.5
G … Josh Perkins … Fr. … 10.3
G … Eric McClellan … Sr. … 10.6