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The Seton Hall Pirates mustered up one of their better efforts of the 2016-17 season. Unfortunately, that effort couldn’t will them into the win column as they dropped their first game of the season to the Florida Gators.
Aided by the play of Canyon Barry and KeVaughn Allen, the Gators pulled ahead late and won 81-76 to advance to the semifinals of the 2016 AdvoCare Invitational. The Pirates couldn’t stop Barry down the stretch as he made a couple of crucial late-game baskets to help lift Florida to victory. Barry scored 20 points in the game while Allen led all Florida scorers with 21.
Seton Hall was aided by four players who scored in double figures but no one was more impressive than Khadeen Carrington. Carrington finished the game with a game-high 28 points, doing so on just 16 shots before fouling out with 20.5 seconds to play. Myles Powell, Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado joined Carrington in double figures with 16, 12, and 13 points respectively.
What we learned
Seton Hall must improve from the line
Entering the game, Seton Hall’s one weakness offensively was the fact that they weren’t great at shooting free throws. Heck, they weren’t even average or close to it. The Pirates posted a mark of 56.6 percent from the line through their first three games, and while their number increased above that on Thanksgiving night, it was still at a less than stellar 68 percent. Down the stretch, free throws crushed Seton Hall and based on profiles from the past few years, it’s been a glaring weakness for them. They must sharpen up from the line, otherwise it will continue to plague them going forward.
Florida is legit
The Gators have looked mighty impressive so far this season and proved their worth on Thanksgiving night. KeVaughn Allen and Canyon Barry were a dynamic one-two punch against Seton Hall, and Chris Chiozza was terrific as well with his 14 points of contribution. Florida looks as advertised, and will now turn their attention to a tough Gonzaga team. Going forward, this loss may not look too bad for Seton Hall.
Khadeen Carrington is the Pirates’ star
Carrington has been damn good thus far this year and he had perhaps his best game of the season against Florida. His statline has already been mentioned, but it’s worth noting that his 3-point shot was again working for him this year. If that continues to be steady going forward this year, Carrington will remain a huge threat to the rest of the Big East on an already deep Pirates team.