NJIT @ Seton Hall preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 10, 2013 ) New Jersey Tech 55, Seton Hall 71

Seton Hall hits the floor Saturday for the final contest of its four-game homestand when it renews acquaintances with local rival NJIT of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The No. 23 Pirates come off an 84-68 victory over Indiana in a Gavitt Tipoff Game and are trying for their first 4-0 start since 2014-15, when they went 7-0, while the Highlanders are 1-1 after a 96-80 victory over Lafayette on Tuesday.

With four starters returning from a 21-12 team that earned its second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, the Pirates were picked to finish second behind Villanova in the Big East Preseason poll, the highest they have been chosen since the 2000-01 season. Eighth-year coach Kevin Willard has his players ready for the challenge to come and they earned convincing victories in the tuneup games, including an impressive second half against Indiana in which Seton Hall scored 51 points, shot 57.7 percent and committed only four turnovers. A large reason why is big man Angel Delgado making things happen at the rim as the unanimous All-Big East first-teamer produced 15 of his 19 points and seven of his 11 rebounds in the second half of the Hoosiers game to post his 53rd career double-double and his third straight this season. "We talked at halftime about making sure the big guy (Delgado) touched it," Willard told reporters. "They did a good job in the second half getting him the ball. ... The great thing about Angel is he's got such a great motor, he can wear you down."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 2

ABOUT NJIT (1-1): Junior Abdul Lewis was selected to the all-conference preseason team and is off to a solid start with back-to-back double-doubles -- he now has seven in his career -- after posting 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds against Wagner, and 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds against Lafayette. Junior college transfer Diandre Wilson was a pleasant surprise in the win over Lafayette, stepping up with a game-high 20 points, including three 3-pointers, in 23 minutes in his second Division I game. Sophomores Shyquan Gibbs (14 points) and Anthony Tarke (12 points) also hit double digits, while senior Chris Jenkins and freshman David Kachelries each scored nine off the bench as the Highlanders' 96 points were their most against a Division I opponent since Jan. 15, 2011.

ABOUT SETON HALL (3-0): While the focal point of the Seton Hall attack is Delgado, fellow seniors Desi Rodriguez and Khadeen Carrington are big-time threats as well and they are the only active trio of 1,000-point scorers in Division I. Rodriguez led the Pirates with 23 points against Indiana and is averaging a team-high 16.3 per game while Carrington added 17 points (13.0 average) and five assists versus the Hoosiers. Sophomore Myles Powell is leading the Pirates in 3-pointers, shooting 9-for-23.

TIP-INS

1. Seton Hall and NJIT are separated by 3.7 miles and they played every year on the Pirates' home floor from 2009-13, with Seton Hall going 5-0 with an average margin of victory of 23.6 points.

2. Delgado topped the nation in rebounding in 2016-17 with 13.1 boards per game.

3. The Pirates have gone to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since earning four straight bids from 1991-94.

PREDICTION: Seton Hall 92, NJIT 58