The college basketball offseason is here, and we decided to have some fun over the next few months, ranking ALL 364 teams in D1. Number 80 is Seton Hall basketball.
Before you say we’re crazy – or that all of this is up for debate, let’s go over the very intricate process of how we came to this conclusion. We took a very statistical approach – with the help of Chat GPT – taking into consideration everything from March Madness wins and finishes, to AP Poll appearances, to conference players of the year. And then, a good friend of ours, Scott Blanchard, took our approach to the MAX.
Click here to visit the FIRST article, which explains how the formula works!
Here’s the breakdown of Seton Hall basketball!
NCAA Tournament Success
- Championships: 0
- Finals appearances: 1
- Final Fours: 1
- Elite Eights: 2
- Sweet 16s: 4
- NCAA wins: 16
- Bids: 14
Consistency Over Time
- Wins per season: 14.5
- Bids per season: 0.12
- AP Polls: 135
Player Quality & Talent
- All-Americans: 4
- NBA players drafted & played: 16
- Conference Players of the Year: 4
Conference & Other Success
- Conference regular season titles: 4
- Conference tournament titles: 3
- NIT titles: 2
- Other tournament titles: 0
Overall scoop on Seton Hall basketball
My alma mater, Seton Hall, comes in at No. 80 in these all-time rankings!
The Pirates are one of the founding members of the Big East, but their history goes much further back. The Pirates were NIT Champions in 1953, back when it was still pretty on par with the NCAA Tournament. They even finished that season ranked second in the nation and were as high as first. Even further back, the program had some pioneers of the NBA in Bob Davies, Bobby Wanzer, and Pep Saul. Head coach Honey Russell put together a 295-129 record from 1936-60.
The program would later be coached by legendary broadcaster Bill Raftery, but finally gained national relevancy again under PJ Carlesimo. He held the post from 1982-94, going 212-166. SHU was one of the best during the early Big East, going to the big dance in 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, and 1994. In every appearance but ’94, they won at least one game, going to the Elite 8 in 1991 and the Sweet 16 in 1992.
But the 1989 season will live in history in South Orange, serving as the only time the Pirates ever made the Final Four. They’d go on to play Michigan in the title game, with the ending causing lots of arguments on something known as the “Phantom Foul.” Seton Hall lost, but Pirates fans feel as if they were robbed of a championship.
While the Pirates haven’t been able to replicate PJ’s run, they have still had some solid seasons and picked up more steam as of late. Tommy Amaker led them to the Sweet 16 in 2000, with current head coach Shaheen Holloway starring as their point guard. Louis Orr took them dancing in 2004 and 2006.
Kevin Willard had the best run of recent years, putting together some great teams in the 2010s while I was in college there. The Pirates went dancing in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. If COVID hadn’t canceled the 2020 tournament, they would have been set up for a four seed or better. Star guard Myles Powell was a Consensus All-American that year.
Currently, Seton Hall is battling the unfortunate scenario of some of the lowest NIL money in Power Five college basketball. However, Shaheen Holloway led them to an NIT title in 2024, a 21-win season last year after being picked to finish last in the Big East, and lots of upsets over UConn and Seton Hall alum Dan Hurley. I had to make sure I threw that in there.
In terms of NBA talent, there haven’t been a lot of notables, other than Samuel Dalembert. However, Eddie Griffin was arguably the best high school prospect in 2000, ultimately having an unfortunate career and life path, passing away in 2007 at age 25. On a better note, Sandro Mamukelashvili just signed a solid deal worth over $50 million with the Lakers, so fans of the Hall can be excited about that.
Above everything else, Seton Hall is a true basketball school. They have no football, no lacrosse, and ball is life at the Hall.