Dave Malinsky
4* #572 SETON HALL/SOUTH FLORIDA Over 131

In most settings, a conference tourney opener featuring teams that
finished 7-11 and 4-14 in league play would mean a pair of worn out
sides just waiting to put the equipment away for good. That is not
what we have here at all, and in what we see as a high energy affair
in which neither team will go down without a fight, this Total has
been set too low.
Instead of South Florida merely capping a disappointing
injury-plagued campaign we have a team getting a chance to play in
the Big East tournament for the first time, and that adds a real
spark. From coach Stan Heath - "We just don't want to show [up]
and get excited about that. We want to do something when we're there
? If we go out, play hard and have fun, that's the right approach for
our team." And point guard Chris Howard - "Hopefully we can go
up there ? maybe we'll wear some high heels or something and be
Cinderellas ? and shock a couple of people." And for once fatigue
will not be an issue for the Bulls. Because the regular season ended
at Rutgers on Saturday they have already been in the area for an
extended period creating a better than usual opportunity to settle in
to their surroundings, and the return of second-leading scorer Jesus
Verdejo after missing four games adds a scoring threat to make life
easier for Dominique Jones.

Meanwhile Seton Hall brings a major sense of purpose as well. At
16-14 overall the Pirates believe that one more win may be enough to
get an NIT opportunity, and coach Bobby Gonzalez showed some
unexpected exuberance after Saturday?s road win at Cincinnati -
?This was huge for us. We matched our Big East win total from last
season, and we only had seven healthy scholarship guys who played all
year. So we feel we had a spectacular season. They (Cincinnati) had
been on the bubble, and we think it puts us right in contention for
the NIT.? In Jeremy Hazell (22.5 points per game) the Pirates
have one of the mot explosive scorers in the conference, and Robert
Mitchell has added a nice inside balance with 14.7 per game,
including 16.8 over the last five outings. Their game is to press and
push the pace when not having to go up against the league?s elite, an
opportunity that is afforded to them here.These two played to a 135 in their head-to-head meeting a couple of weeks ago, when there was little electricity in the atmosphere, and the shooting was nothing special (42.5 from the field and 31.3 beyond the arc), with Verdejo getting injured early and not scoring at all. Now the adrenaline picks up, which not only means a faster pace
early, but also the chance for some late scramble points, since the
trailing team will not go down with out a fight.