Kris Dunn of Providence is a projected top-10 NBA draft pick and the potential Big East Player of the Year. But Thursday night, Seton Hall’s Isaiah Whitehead was, without question, the best guard on the floor — and the Pirates by far were the better team.
In front of 14 NBA scouts, Whitehead showed just how far he has come since last year’s flameout, leading the Pirates to a 70-52 victory in front of 8,600 at Prudential Center in Newark.
“He’s playing out of his mind right now,” said Khadeen Carrington, Whitehead’s backcourt mate. “Hitting shots, getting guys shots, playing defense. I’ve never seen a guard block shots like him.”
Whitehead equaled a career-high with 25 points, making 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range, and added nine assists, six rebounds and four blocks, while Dunn, slowed by a stomach bug that caused him to miss two practices this week, managed just eight points, his second lowest scoring output of the season, on 4-of-12 shooting.
With the win, Seton Hall (20-7, 10-5 Big East) has reached the 20-victory plateau in the regular season for the first time since 2003-04, and is moving closer to not having to sweat out Selection Sunday. A win over No. 5 Xavier on Sunday almost certainly would ease any bubble concerns.
“Our motto is to win games and they can’t keep us out,” Whitehead said. “When I first came here, everyone expected me to lead the team to the tournament, and hopefully I’ll do it this year.”
Ben Bentil, Providence’s other star, tried to lead the Friars back from a 21-point second-half deficit. He finished with 31 points, but was ejected after a flagrant 2 foul with 3:40 left and Seton Hall up eight, ending the Friars’ comeback hopes.
Whitehead scored 16 points in the first half, including a 3-pointer at the horn. Seton Hall took command after the break, scoring the first 12 points of the half, seven coming from Carrington. The lead was 21 after a Whitehead three-point play. Providence (19-9, 7-8) got as close as seven twice, but never got closer. Whitehead capped the win in style, setting up Desi Rodriguez’s layup with a behind-the-head pass on a drive into the lane, the kind of awe-inspiring play Seton Hall has come to expect from the sophomore star.
“He has a unique ability, when he’s playing the way he’s playing, he makes everybody better, but he makes it very simple for them,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “Seven out of the last eight games, he’s been playing at a very high level, and that’s why we’ve been playing at a very high level.
Angel Delgado posted his 13th double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Carrington followed with 12 points and seven rebounds, and Rodriguez had 11 and eight boards as Seton Hall inched closer to an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.
“It’s real exciting,” Carrington said. “This is something we talked about all year — we’re still talking about it.”