Khadeen Carrington threw his head back in disgust. After 45 minutes of basketball, one point was all that stood between Seton Hall and an upset of fourth-ranked Villanova.
Down their leading scorer, Desi Rodriguez (ankle), without their best defender, Ismael Sanogo (ankle), down the stretch and Rodriguez’s replacement, Myles Cale, (cramps) in overtime, the Pirates nearly pulled off the stunner in a grind-it-out throwback Big East contest.
But at the overtime horn, all that effort added up to a disheartening loss, a 69-68 setback in front of 13,711 at Prudential Center in Newark.
“I hate losing, but when you go out and you leave it all on the floor the way these guys did, diving on the floor … sometimes you lose those games,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said. “We lost by a point. It was a great game.”
The setback makes Saturday’s game against Butler especially important for the Pirates. Seton Hall can finish as high as third in the Big East or as low as seventh, in which case it would have to play Wednesday night in the league tournament.
It also ended the Pirates’ recent three-game winning streak, but it was a continuation of their inspired play, particularly on the defensive end, of late. Without key elements of their team, they outscored Villanova in the paint, out-rebounded them and limited the potent Wildcats to 36 percent shooting from the field.
“I was very impressed by Seton Hall playing without, I think, one of the best players in the league,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said. “When they get Desi back, that’s a hell of a team.”
That, however, is what made the loss so frustrating, how well the shorthanded Pirates (20-10, 9-8) played for most of the evening, limiting Brunson, the national player of the year favorite, to just eight points in regulation and zero assists. Getting big contributions from freshmen Cale and Sandro Mamukelashvili, and a gutsy all-around effort from Carrington (23 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, one turnover).
Carrington had a chance to win it, but made just one of two free throws with 11.6 seconds left in regulation, sending the game to overtime.
“We should’ve been going home in regulation [with a win], but I put that on myself,” Carrington said.
After struggling so much offensively in regulation, Villanova (26-4, 13-4) found its form in the extra session behind Brunson and Mikal Bridges (23 points, 10 rebounds), who combined for 11 points in overtime. The Wildcats built a seven-point lead with 25 seconds left, but as was the case the entire evening, Seton Hall refused to quit. Eron Gordon hit a fadeaway 3-pointer, Villanova was called for a five-second viola tion, and Myles Powell (13 points) and Carrington scored consecutive baskets. But Villanova (26-4, 13-4) fouled Carrington in the final second, negating a possible game-tying 3-point attempt.
“I think they showed me the same thing that they’ve shown me all year,” Willard said. “The toughness has been great, their resilience when we got down and just fought. I’m really proud of the way these guys played tonight.”
Willard said Rodriguez and Sanogo are both “doubtful” for Senior Day on Saturday night against Butler. Rodriguez, who has missed the last two games, is improving but has yet to practice. Willard said he believes both will be ready for the start of the Big East Tournament.