Seton Hall has finalized another tough non-conference schedule that includes matchups with national powers Baylor and Louisville.
The Pirates will open the 2020-21 season with two games in the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic in Louisville against Winthrop (Nov. 25) and host Louisville (Nov. 27).
Seton Hall will then return home to face Baylor in the Big East/Big 12 Battle at the Prudential Center Nov. 29.
Baylor is ranked No. 3 nationally by CBSSports.com, while Louisville is No. 25 and Winthrop No. 89. Seton Hall is No. 41.
“Both [Louisville and Baylor] are going to be extremely tough,” Pirates coach Kevin Willard told NJ Advance Media. “Winthrop is going to be tough, they’re really good.”
After that, the Pirates will play at Rhode Island (Dec. 2), at Penn State (Dec. 6) and home to Wagner (Dec. 8). Rhode Island is ranked 116 by CBSSports.com, Penn State 63 and Wagner 316.
The Rutgers game has not yet been scheduled, but Seton Hall has one more non-conference opening available.
The Big East campaign begins Dec. 11 at home against DePaul. The league only released a partial schedule through December, and held out the possibility of going to a bubble in January or February.
No fans will be permitted into the home games due to COVID restrictions.
Willard has long advocated for a tough non-conference schedule in order to prepare his team for the Big East season, and to build a quality NCAA Tournament résumé. A year ago, the Pirates faced Michigan State, Saint Louis, Oregon, Maryland, Iowa State (twice) and Rutgers in the non-conference, and went on to win a share of their first Big East regular-season title since 1993.
“My thought process going into this year knowing we were probably going to have a shortened season was to have my players play the best teams possible to give them the best chance of getting to the NCAA Tournament,” Willard said of this season.
A year ago, Michigan State was the preseason No. 1 team in the nation, but was No. 3 when they arrived in Newark. Myles Powell went for 37 points but the Pirates lost a tough one, 76-73.
Now Seton Hall’s first home game will be against a Baylor team that was picked to win the Big 12 ahead of Kansas and features guard Jared Butler, the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, and honorable mention selections MaCio Teague and Mark Vital.
“The Big 12/ Big East Challenge is Great for both leagues,” Baylor coach Scott Drew told NJ Advance Media. “Playing at Seton Hall will be our first road game of the year and will definitely help prepare us for the Big 12 conference road games. We have Great Respect for Seton Hall and what Coach Willard has been able to achieve. Fans should Love watching this game.”
“I think all those games last year helped us get better and helped us win the Big East regular-season title,” Willard said. "We lost a couple close ones to Oregon and Michigan State, but I think it really helped us win 10 in a row and get some wins later in the season.
“With league play going to 20 games and with the league as good as it is, I think you’ve really got to test yourself early to see what you need to work on and see where you need to go.”
SETON HALL’S NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Nov. 25 - Winthrop (at Louisville)
Nov. 27 - at Louisville
Nov. 29 - Baylor (Prudential Center)
Dec. 2 - at Rhode Island
Dec. 6 - at Penn State
Dec. 8 - Wagner (TBD Walsh Gym or Prudential Center)
PARTIAL BIG EAST SCHEDULE
Dec. 11 - DePaul
Dec. 15 - at Xavier
Dec. 17 - at Marquette
Dec. 20 - Providence
Dec. 23 - Georgetown
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media.