newjerseynewsroom.com

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

In the weeks leading up to Seton Hall's victory over then-No. 9 Pittsburgh Jordan Theodore had come to describing his team in a way that no one else had.

Well, no one but his teammates.

Theodore began to call the Pirates a "defensive team." A team that allowed an average of 83.1 points per game in a four-week stretch heading into last Sunday — which would be good enough to make the Pirates' opponents the eighth highest scoring team in the country - could hardly lead anyone to think of them as a defense-first squad.

But Theodore may have been on to something.

Since a 103-94 loss to Virginia Tech in Cancun, right in the middle of Seton Hall's porous defensive stretch, they seemed to have turned the corner.

After coming up with five blocks, a season-low two steals, forcing 13 steals and giving up the gaudy point total, the Pirates stepped up their 'D.

"We realized defense wins basketball games so we're trying to get in defense because we never really have a problem with our offense," said Jeff Robinson after the win over Pittsburgh.

As Seton Hall has won three out of their last four games, there has been an easy underlying thread.

In those three victories, the Pirates averaged three blocks and 9.7 steals per game, forcing their opponents into 16.7 turnovers.

In the four losses that preceded them, and the loss at Georgetown January 14, those numbers slipped. While they averaged 3.6 blocks a night, they only averaged 7.2 thefts and forced 14.8 turnovers.

Notice a correlation?

Not surprisingly, following the wins, the talk in the locker room was of turning defense into offense. It's safe to say the Pirates feel they have found themselves a catalyst for success.

"The only thing we can take from this game is that defense wins games," said Herb Pope after beating the Panthers.

Pope had his epiphany after the loss to the Hoyas, when they allowed 85 points and 68 percent shooting. Dave Holmes, a former player for Bobby Gonzalez at Manhattan that Pope was compared to, came in to talk to the team. Despite his place on the Jaspers' all-time scoring list, he stressed defense first.

The message sunk in for Pope and the rest of his team. The victory over Pittsburgh was where it all came together.

Playing against a team and a coach notorious for a defense-first philosophy, the Pirates turned the tables.

"Since I'd been here we had never beaten Jamie Dixon and Pittsburgh and a big part of what everybody says is that we play in the 80s, we get up and down, we can't execute in the half court, we can't defend in the half court," said coach Bobby Gonzalez after the Panthers were forced into 35 percent shooting and 20 turnovers. "What was great it about for us is that we beat them the way they beat people, 64-61. We played unbelievable defense."

Afterwards it was Theodore again who was not shy about characterizing his team.

"I think we are a defensive team," he said. "Other guys are looking at us and saying ‘Yeah they can score but can they defend?' We've proven the last two games that we can defend with the big boys in this conference."

But beating Pittsburgh at their own game wasn't enough. Allowing 60.1 points per game, best in the Big East, the Panthers' renown precedes them. That's where Seton Hall wants to be.

"We want a better reputation around the Big East," said Theodore. "We want to be the team that you can't guard them on offense and you can't score on them on defense."