Two New Jersey schools that underwent major changes square off Monday night in Newark when Seton Hall hosts Saint Peter’s in the season opener for both teams.
In 2024-25, the Pirates set a program record for losses in a season with 25. A year removed from a MAAC title and NCAA Tournament appearance, the Peacocks struggled and finished 12-16.
Seton Hall brought in 11 newcomers, including all-MAAC guard Budd Clark, who was 23rd in the nation in scoring with 19.8 points per game at Merrimack, and Elijah Fisher from Pacific, who led the Tigers with 15.7 points.
“The message I want to send is this team’s going to be a joy to watch,” Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway said at the team’s media day. “We’re different. We’re fast. We’re quicker. We got more athletic and we’re deep. Now it’s time for me to do my job as a coach and bring it all together.”
There’s a lot of preseason buzz around the only true freshman the Pirates brought in, 6-foot-10 center Najai Hines, who was a top-100 high school recruit.
“Most guys want to be wings or guards,” Holloway said of Hines. “He cares about playing that position and I think that’s really good.”
Peacocks fourth-year coach Bashir Mason also reworked his roster by bringing in seven new players, including Akil Watson, a former four-star recruit who has played at Arizona State and UMass.
Defense wasn’t an issue for Saint Peter’s last year. The Peacocks ranked 30th in the nation in points allowed at 65.8, but were 347th in the nation (out of 364) in scoring at 66.0 per game.
The Peacocks were picked to finish 11th in the 13-team MAAC preseason poll.
“This is probably one of the best groups of guys I have coached in a long time,” Mason said during MAAC Media Day in Atlantic City. “We can go 13 deep on any given night. I am excited about this season. The MAAC is a really good conference. If we are preseason No. 11 and we finish there, this has to be one of the best leagues in the country.”
Seton Hall is also not getting a lot of respect. They were picked to finish last in the Big East. Holloway laughed off the prediction.
“Preseason? Really, preseason rankings?” Holloway said. “I couldn’t care less about what others think — I know who I got when it’s gametime.”
The two teams opened up the 2024-2025 season with Seton Hall coming away with a 57-53 victory.
