By ADAM ZAGORIA
After two straight first-round exits, Seton Hall again has another tough draw in the NCAA Tournament.
The Pirates (21-11, 10-9 Big East) are the No. 8 seed in the Midwest Region and will face No. 9 N.C. State at 4:30 ET on Thursday in Wichita, KS. The winner likely gets No. 1 Kansas, who meets Ivy League champ Penn in the earlier game Thursday.
“Our first year coming off the Big East championship [in 2016] was such a blur and being out west against a really, really good Gonzaga team,” Willard said of the team’s draw the last two years. “Last year, we had an opportunity [against Arkansas] we kind of let slip at the end.
“I think this year’s focus, from the time we got in the locker room at the Big East Tournament to now, has been to understand the next step for all of us is we’ve got to go out, we’ve got to play well and give ourselves the best chance to get a win in the NCAA Tournament. But it’s never easy, because you’re obviously playing — anyone you play is a really good basketball team.”
Under coach Kevin Keatts, N.C. State (21-11, 11-8 ACC) beat Duke, Louisville, Notre Dame, Clemson and Florida State at home in ACC play, and won at North Carolina and Syracuse.
“If I’m not mistaken, didn’t State go to Carolina this year and win?” Bill Self asked on ESPN. “And of course, Seton Hall’s had some unbelievable games this season, so it’ll be really tough getting out of Wichita.”
Willard is impressed with the Wolfpack, too.
“I watched their Louisville game at the end,” Willard said. “They’re very tough, a hard-nosed team, they offensive rebound the basketball extremely well, good turnover-to-assist ratio, and they’re very balanced. That’s the one thing I saw and do remember from the other night is I thought they were a very balanced basketball team that had — it looked like they always had three or four guys on the floor that could score, and that’s really what I remember for them. That’s probably the best I could give you.”
Seton Hall lost to Butler on Thursday in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals but now will have had a week to rest injured seniors Ish Sanogo and Desi Rodriguez. Neither player started against Butler, with Rodriguez playing 16 minutes and Sanogo 17.
“We’re a lot more healthy now than we were a week ago, that’s for sure,” Willard said. “Ismael Sanogo is back to full strength, he practiced full today. Desi actually practiced the most he’s practiced probably in about three weeks, so we’re no 100 percent healthy, but we’re probably as close as we’ve been in a long time. I like the way we practiced today, I like our intensity, and I like the fact that Ish was able to go through a whole practice and Desi was able to go through half-a-practice. We’re on the right side of the curve, that’s for sure.”
Willard said he’s excited to get back on the court.
“I’m actually excited to play Thursday,” Willard said. “We lost last Thursday night, and to be out there and kind of get these guys back in action, I actually like the Thursday-Saturday, and one extra day’s not going to cure Desi’s foot. Ish is almost at 100 percent, and I think by the time we get to Thursday, Desi will be almost at 75-80 percent, which is pretty good.”
Seton Hall began the season with high hopes, with Angel Delgado telling me before the season, “I’m ready to get to the Final Four this season.”
Now is the time for the Seton Hall seniors to back up their words after a disappointing finish in the Big East Tournament.
“I know Kevin Keatts and I know his staff well, I think they do a great job,” Willard said. “Again, I think this time of year, all the teams that are playing are extremely well-coached and do a great job. I’m sure it’s not going to be like playing Butler for the third time and back-to-back where everyone kind of knew what we were all doing, but I know Kevin personally and he does a phenomenal job preparing his team, so I think it’s going to be a battle no matter what.”
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