UMass beats Seton Hall 77-67

Man, I was way off when I said that Seton Hall was going to shut down UMass. Instead, the Minutemen shut down the Pirates and showed up offensively in a 77-67 victory in the second round of the NIT Tournament. The No. 5 seed knocked out a No. 1 seed powerhouse team that was among the favorites to win the tourney, and that’s not even mentioning the fact that Seton Hall was a legit NCAA Tournament team at one point. In any case, UMass is underrated, dangerous, and a team not to overlook. If you do overlook them, then you’ll end up like me and look like a fool.

The real fools were the people who believed that Seton Hall would cover 7.5 (0r 6) and bet against UMass, because that’s insane. The A-10 squad is better than people think, and they showed it in this 10-point victory.

Chaz Williams impressed onlooking NBA scouts by going for 20 points and getting to the foul line often, and the star guard also added seven boards and six assists to once again lead the Minutemen. Raphiael Putney’s contributions should not be overlooked, because he submitted a key 15-8 performance and went 5-7 from the floor and 4-4 from the charity stripe.

Sean Carter and Terrell Vinson also scored in double-figures, with Vinson adding seven boards to his 1o point total and Carter totaling a double-double. The top rebounder corralled 11 boards and had the same number of points on 5-9 shooting. The big man also added a block and a steal, and nobody on UMass had more than one block.

For the Pirates, Herb Pope was held to just 2-9 shooting, and his surprisingly poor offensive output was one of the reasons why Seton Hall lost. He was able to bring in 15 rebounds (8 off of the offensive glass), and he did have four assists and three blocks. However, he had four turnovers and was extremely efficient overall. Not the offensive performance you want out of your star, even if he is only their third best offensive player.

Fuquan Edwin did all he could offensively to help the Pirates win, but not even his 8-14 performance from the floor could boost Seton Hall enough in a double-digit loss to UMass. He played very well defensively with two blocks and steals apiece, and he even shot 40% from downtown. Heck, Edwin threw in seven boards for good measure. Teammate and top scorer Jordan Theodore added five assists, four rebounds, and was second on the team (behind Edwin’s 21) with 14 points. However, he went just 5-12 overall and 1-5 on field goals from behind the arc.

The UMass Minutemen deserved their victory, and they didn’t let Seton Hall back into the game even though they are notorious for blowing leads and playing poorly in the second half. After building a nice cushion in the first half, the Pirates started to claw their way back at the end of the opening frame. It looked like the same old story for UMass, but they were not to be denied in their quest for a minor NIT upset. UMass and Chaz Williams are moving on, while Herb, Edwin, and Theodore are going back home. Who said there isn’t good basketball being played in the NIT? The scoreline doesn’t do justice to a solid game overall.

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