MBB: Seton Hall Gets No. 6 Seed, Will Face Gonzaga In Denver

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Another drought ended on Sunday as Seton Hall University basketball players, students, fans and alumni packed historic Walsh Gymnasium to find out their fate as the NCAA Tournament Selection Show announced the 2016 bracket.

In a sea of blue and white, Isaiah Whitehead and his team stood and cheered as Seton Hall was announced the No. 6 seed in the Midwest Region of the bracket.

The Pirates will be heading to Denver, Colorado where they will face the No. 11 seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs. The Zags finished 26-7 overall including a 15-3 West Coast Conference record.

Seton Hall is heading into the dance red hot, winning 12 of their last 14 games including back-to-back wins against Top-5 teams.

“Whoever we play just better watch out,” Whitehead said following the Pirates first Big East Championship since 1993. “We really defend at a high level. When we get on the break, it’s hard to stop us. It really doesn’t matter who we play. We’re up for the challenge.”

As of now, the Pirates sit as two-point underdogs for Thursday’s game, but Whitehead believes in his team and is confident in them.

“That’s for you to decide,” he said after being asked how far he thinks the Pirates can go. “You have all been doubting us all year so we are just going to keep doing it.”

“That’s our motivation,” sophomore Desi Rodriguez said. “We’ve been disrespected all season long. We’re still underdogs.”

Seton Hall Head Coach Kevin Willard also weighed in on the seeding the Pirates received.

“I thought we maybe could’ve gotten a little bit of a lower seed, considering we beat the No. 3 team and No. 5 team (in the nation) and we are playing really well, but the six seed is great, we will take it.”

Willard’s counterpart will be Bulldogs head coach Mark Few. Few will coach Gonzaga in their 18th tournament appearance. Few watched his team shoot 61 percent on Saturday as the Zags beat rival St. Mary’s to win the West Coast Conference Tournament.

Thursday’s game is scheduled to tip at 9:57 p.m. at the Pepsi Center in Denver.