# 2021–22 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team represented Seton Hall University in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by 12th-year head coach Kevin Willard. The Pirates played their home games at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and Walsh Gymnasium in South Orange, New Jersey as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the season 21–11, 11–8 in Big East play to finish a tie for fifth place. They defeated Georgetown in the first round of the Big East tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to UConn. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 8 seed in the South region where they lost in the first round to TCU.
On March 21, 2022, head coach Kevin Willard left to become the new basketball coach at Maryland. On March 31, the school named Saint Peter's head coach and former Pirate player Shaheen Holloway the team's new coach.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Pirates finished the 2020–21 season 14–13, 10–9 in Big East play to finish in a tie for fourth place. As the No. 5 seed in the Big East tournament, they defeated St. John's in the quarterfinals before losing to Georgetown in the semifinals.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Sandro Mamukelashvili | 23 | F | 6'11" | 240 | Senior | Tbilisi, Georgia | Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks |
| Shavar Reynolds Jr. | 33 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Senior | Manchester, New Jersey | Graduate Transferred to Monmouth |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Kadary Richmond | 0 | G | 6'6" | 200 | Sophomore | Brooklyn, New York | Transferred from Syracuse. |
| Alexis Yetna | 10 | F | 6'8" | 225 | Graduate | Paris, France | Graduate transfer from USF. |
| Jamir Harris | 15 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Graduate | North Brunswick, New Jersey | Graduate transfer from American. |
| Jo Smith | 32 | F | 6'9" | 200 | Sophomore | Selma, Alabama | Transferred from Chipola College. |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 4, 2021* 5:00 p.m. | | Misericordia | W 110–48 | | 19 – Jackson | 10 – Samuel | 4 – Cale | Walsh Gymnasium (1,300) South Orange, NJ |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Fairleigh Dickinson | W 93–49 | 1–0 | 19 – Samuel | 11 – Samuel | 6 – Long | Prudential Center (8,223) Newark, NJ |
| November 14, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | Yale Fort Myers Tip-Off | W 80–44 | 2–0 | 15 – Yetna | 10 – Rhoden | 3 – Richmond | Prudential Center (8,265) Newark, NJ |
| November 16, 2021* 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 4 Michigan Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 67–65 | 3–0 | 16 – Rhoden | 6 – Jackson | 2 – Tie | Crisler Center (12,536) Ann Arbor, MI |
| November 22, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 21 | vs. Ohio State Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division semifinals | L 76–79 | 3–1 | 29 – Rhoden | 5 – Rhoden | 3 – Richmond | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (2,937) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 24, 2021* 6:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 21 | vs. California Fort Myers Tip-Off Beach Division consolation | W 62–59 | 4–1 | 21 – Rhoden | 7 – 2 Tied | 2 – Aiken | Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500) Fort Myers, FL |
| November 28, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 21 | Bethune–Cookman | W 84–70 | 5–1 | 18 – Rhoden | 13 – Yetna | 6 – Richmond | Prudential Center (8,913) Newark, NJ |
| December 1, 2021* 7:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 25 | Wagner | W 85–63 | 6–1 | 15 – 2 Tied | 11 – Rhoden | 9 – Richmond | Prudential Center (8,136) Newark, NJ |
| December 4, 2021* 12:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 25 | Nyack | W 113–67 | 7–1 | 23 – Harris | 12 – Samuel | 8 – Richmond | Walsh Gymnasium (1,119) South Orange, NJ |
| December 9, 2021* 6:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 23 | No. 7 Texas Big East–Big 12 Battle | W 64–60 | 8–1 | 18 – Rhoden | 11 – Yetna | 3 – Aiken | Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ |
| December 12, 2021* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 23 | Rutgers Rivalry/Garden State Hardwood Classic | W 77–63 | 9–1 | 22 – Aiken | 9 – 2 Tied | 4 – Yetna | Prudential Center (11,606) Newark, NJ |
| December 18, 2021* 3:00 p.m., FS2 | No. 16 | vs. Iona Gotham Classic | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Canceled due to COVID-19 issues | Madison Square Garden New York, NY |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 29, 2021 7:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 15 | at No. 21 Providence | L 65–70 | 9–2 (0–1) | 13 – Yetna | 11 – Yetna | 4 – Aiken | Dunkin' Donuts Center (12,069) Providence, RI |
| January 1, 2022 2:00 p.m., CBS | No. 15 | No. 22 Villanova | L 67–73 | 9–3 (0–2) | 22 – Aiken | 8 – Yetna | 4 – Richmond | Prudential Center (13,625) Newark, NJ |
| January 4, 2022 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 24 | at Butler | W 71–56 | 10–3 (1–2) | 17 – Rhoden | 10 – Yetna | 7 – Aiken | Hinkle Fieldhouse (7,234) Indianapolis, IN |
| January 8, 2022 12:00 p.m., FOX | No. 24 | UConn | W 90–87 $^{OT}$ | 11–3 (2–2) | 22 – Aiken | 7 – Samuel | 7 – Aiken | Prudential Center (10,977) Newark, NJ |
| January 13, 2022 5:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 20 | at DePaul rescheduled from Dec. 23 | L 92–96 | 11–4 (2–3) | 25 – Rhoden | 10 – Obiagu | 6 – Richmond | Wintrust Arena (2,255) Chicago, IL |
| January 15, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 20 | at Marquette | L 72–73 | 11–5 (2–4) | 28 – Aiken | 16 – Yetna | 3 – Richmond | Fiserv Forum (13,647) Milwaukee, WI |
| January 18, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 21 Providence | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| January 22, 2022 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at St. John's | W 66–60 | 12–5 (3–4) | 21 – Cale | 15 – Yetna | 8 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (6,692) New York, NY |
| January 24, 2022 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | St. John's rescheduled from December 20 | L 63–84 | 12–6 (3–5) | 16 – Cale | 12 – Rhoden | 4 – Richmond | Walsh Gymnasium (1,316) South Orange, NJ |
| January 26, 2022 5:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 22 Marquette | L 63–73 | 12–7 (3–6) | 16 – Harris | 10 – Obiagu | 4 – Richmond | Prudential Center (8,746) Newark, NJ |
| February 1, 2022 8:40 p.m., FS1 | | at Georgetown | W 70–63 | 13–7 (4–6) | 21 – Jackson | 8 – Richmond | 7 – Richmond | Capital One Arena (3,462) Washington, D.C. |
| February 4, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Creighton | W 74–55 | 14–7 (5–6) | 14 – Richmond | 8 – Yetna | 7 – Richmond | Prudential Center (9,062) Newark, NJ |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 25 Xavier | W 73–71 | 15–7 (6–6) | 25 – Rhoden | 8 – Tied | 5 – Richmond | Prudential Center (8,730) Newark, NJ |
| February 12, 2022 1:00 p.m., FOX | | at No. 15 Villanova | L 67–73 | 15–8 (6–7) | 16 – Tied | 15 – Yetna | 5 – Richmond | Wells Fargo Center (17,803) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 16, 2022 8:30 p.m., CBSSN | | at No. 24 UConn | L 65–70 | 15–9 (6–8) | 15 – Harris | 8 – Yetna | 4 – Richmond | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion (10,167) Storrs, CT |
| February 19, 2022 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | DePaul | W 66–64 | 16–9 (7–8) | 18 – Rhoden | 18 – Rhoden | 5 – Richmond | Prudential Center (9,965) Newark, NJ |
| February 23, 2022 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | Butler | W 66–60 | 17–9 (8–8) | 17 – Rhoden | 10 – Yetna | 4 – Harris | Prudential Center (8,705) Newark, NJ |
| February 26, 2022 3:30 p.m., FOX | | at Xavier | W 82–66 | 18–9 (9–8) | 30 – Rhoden | 7 – Samuel | 7 – Richmond | Cintas Center (10,404) Cincinnati, OH |
| March 2, 2022 7:05 p.m., CBSSN | | Georgetown | W 73–68 | 19–9 (10–8) | 16 – Rhoden | 7 – Yetna | 10 – Richmond | Prudential Center (9,635) Newark, NJ |
| March 5, 2022 2:30 p.m., FOX | | at Creighton | W 65–60 | 20–9 (11–8) | 19 – Rhoden | 11 – Yetna | 3 – Rhoden | CHI Health Center Omaha (17,221) Omaha, NE |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 9, 2022 10:10 p.m., FS1 | (6) | vs. (11) Georgetown First Round | W 57–53 | 21–9 | 17 – Rhoden | 11 – Yetna | 3 – Richmond | Madison Square Garden (17,163) New York, NY |
| March 10, 2022 9:30 p.m., FS1 | (6) | vs. (3) No. 20 UConn Quarterfinals | L 52–62 | 21–10 | 17 – Cale | 6 – Tied | 2 – Yetna | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York, NY |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 18, 2022 9:57 p.m., TruTV | (8 S) | vs. (9 S) TCU First Round | L 42–69 | 21–11 | 11 – Cale | 5 – Obiagu | 4 – Richmond | Viejas Arena (11,399) San Diego, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | 21 | 25 | 23 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 24 | 20 | | | | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | — | —* | 20 | RV | 25 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 22 | 18 | | | | | | | | | | | |

## Awards and honors
### Big East Conference honors
#### All-Big East First Team

* Jared Rhoden
Source