# 2020–21 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team represented Seton Hall University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. They were led by eleventh-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. In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Pirates finished the 2019–20 season 21–9, 13–5 in Big East play to finish in a three-way tie for first place; the program's first regular season title since 1992–93. However, the season ended due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic prior to playing a game in the Big East tournament, which was canceled during the first quarterfinal round game, following a campaign in which the Pirates were projected to receive an at-large bid to the also-canceled 2020 NCAA tournament regardless of how they fared in the Big East tournament.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Quincy McKnight | 0 | G | 6'4" | 185 | Senior | Bridgeport, Connecticut | Graduated |
| Anthony Nelson | 2 | G | 6'4" | 180 | Sophomore | New York City, New York | Transferred to Manhattan |
| Myles Powell | 13 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Trenton, New Jersey | Graduated |
| Taurean Thompson | 15 | F | 6'11" | 235 | Senior | New York City, New York | Transferred to Detroit Mercy |
| Asiah Avent | 30 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Senior | Springfield, New Jersey | Graduated |
| Darnell Brodie | 32 | F | 6'9" | 265 | Sophomore | Newark, New Jersey | Transferred to Drake |
| Romaro Gill | 35 | C | 7'2" | 255 | Senior | St. Thomas, Jamaica | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Bryce Aiken | 1 | G | 6'0" | 180 | Graduate Student | Randolph, New Jersey | Graduate transfer from Harvard. Will have one year of remaining eligibility. |
| Tray Jackson | 2 | F | 6'9" | 205 | Sophomore | Detroit, Michigan | Transferred from Missouri. Under NCAA transfer rules, Jackson was initially to sit out 2020–21 season, however due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic the NCAA ruled on December 16, 2020 that all transfers are immediately eligible. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jahari Long PG | Houston, TX | Episcopal HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jul 20, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Dimingus Stevens SG | Washington, DC | Bishop Walsh School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jan 6, 2019 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 8, 2020. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 27, 2020* 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Louisville | L 70–71 | 0–1 | 22 – Mamukelashvili | 10 – Mamukelashvili | 3 – Tied | KFC Yum! Center Louisville, KY |
| November 30, 2020* 9:00 pm, FS1 | | Iona | W 86–68 | 1–1 | 26 – Rhoden | 10 – Rhoden | 3 – 3 Tied | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| December 2, 2020* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Rhode Island | L 70–83 | 1–2 | 25 – Mamukelashvili | 10 – Mamukelashvili | 3 – Reynolds | Ryan Center Kingston, RI |
| December 4, 2020* 9:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. No. 21 Oregon | L 70–83 | 1–3 | 17 – Reynolds | 6 – Mamukelashvili | 8 – Reynolds | CHI Health Center Omaha Omaha, NE |
| December 6, 2020* 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Penn State | W 98–92 $^{OT}$ | 2–3 | 30 – Mamukelashvili | 8 – Rhoden | 7 – Reynolds | Bryce Jordan Center State College, PA |
| December 8, 2020* 5:00 pm, FS1 | | Wagner | W 78–45 | 3–3 | 22 – Rhoden | 11 – Rhoden | 5 – Reynolds | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| Big East regular season |||||||||
| December 11, 2020 4:30 pm, CBSSN | | St. John's | W 77–68 | 4–3 (1–0) | 32 – Mamukelashvili | 9 – Tied | 5 – Reynolds | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| December 15, 2020 8:00 pm, FS1 | | Xavier | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Cintas Center Cincinnati, OH |
| December 17, 2020 9:00 pm, FS1 | | at Marquette | W 70–63 | 5–3 (2–0) | 17 – Mamukelashvili | 8 – Rhoden | 7 – Mamukelashvili | Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI |
| December 20, 2020 4:30 pm, FS1 | | Providence | L 77–80 $^{OT}$ | 5–4 (2–1) | 20 – Mamukelashvili | 9 – Obiagu | 6 – Mamukelashvili | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| December 23, 2020 5:00 pm, FS1 | | Georgetown | W 78–67 | 6–4 (3–1) | 30 – Cale | 12 – Rhoden | 6 – Aiken | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| December 30, 2020 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at Xavier | W 85–68 | 7–4 (4–1) | 18 – Mamukelashvili | 8 – Rhoden | 6 – Reynolds | Cintas Center Cincinnati, OH |
| January 2, 2021 4:30 pm, FS1 | | Butler | W 68–60 | 8–4 (5–1) | 24 – Mamukelashvili | 9 – Mamukelashvili | 6 – Mamukelashvili | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| January 6, 2021 9:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 7 Creighton | L 53–89 | 8–5 (5–2) | 14 – Mamukelashvili | 5 – Mamukelashvili | 2 – Tied | CHI Health Center Omaha (1,689) Omaha, NE |
| January 9, 2021 2:00 pm, FS1 | | at DePaul | W 76–68 | 9–5 (6–2) | 18 – Rhoden | 8 – Mamukelashvili | 4 – Reynolds | Wintrust Arena Chicago, IL |
| January 16, 2021 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | Xavier | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| January 19, 2021 9:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 3 Villanova | L 74–76 | 9–6 (6–3) | 23 – Mamukelashvili | 9 – Mamukelashvili | 5 – Mamukelashvili | Finneran Pavilion Villanova, PA |
| January 22, 2021 9:00 pm, FS1 | | at Butler | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Postponed due to COVID-19 | Hinkle Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| January 27, 2021 9:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 17 Creighton | L 81–85 | 9–7 (6–4) | 27 – Aiken | 9 – Cale | 6 – Reynolds | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| January 30, 2021 3:00 pm, FOX | | No. 3 Villanova | L 72–80 | 9–8 (6–5) | 13 – Reynolds | 9 – Mamukelashvili | 3 – 3 Tied | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| February 3, 2021 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at Providence | W 60–43 | 10–8 (7–5) | 20 – Mamukelashvili | 7 – Tied | 4 – Reynolds | Alumni Hall Providence, RI |
| February 6, 2021 12:00 pm, FOX | | at UConn | W 80–73 | 11–8 (8–5) | 22 – Mamukelashvili | 7 – Mamukelashvili | 3 – Tied | Harry A. Gampel Pavilion Storrs, CT |
| February 14, 2021 3:00 pm, FS1 | | Marquette | W 57–51 | 12–8 (9–5) | 20 – Rhoden | 9 – Mamukelashvili | 4 – Rhoden | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| February 17, 2021 8:30 pm, FS1 | | DePaul | W 60–52 | 13–8 (10–5) | 25 – Mamukelashvili | 11 – Mamukelashvili | 5 – Reynolds | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| February 20, 2021 5:30 pm, CBSSN | | at Georgetown | L 75–81 | 13–9 (10–6) | 22 – Mamukelashvili | 9 – Rhoden | 4 – Tied | Capital One Arena Washington, D.C. |
| February 24, 2021 7:00 pm, CBSSN | | at Butler | L 52–61 | 13–10 (10–7) | 14 – Rhoden | 6 – Samuel | 6 – Reynolds | Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,524) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 3, 2021 6:30 pm, FS1 | | UConn | L 58–69 | 13–11 (10–8) | 20 – Mamukelashvili | 10 – Mamukelashvili | 4 – Reynolds | Prudential Center Newark, NJ |
| March 6, 2021 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at St. John's | L 71–81 | 13–12 (10–9) | 15 – Mamukelashvili | 10 – Mamukelashvili | 4 – Mamukelashvili | Carnesecca Arena Queens, NY |
| Big East tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 3:00 pm, FS1 | (5) | vs. (4) St. John's Quarterfinals | W 77–69 $^{OT}$ | 14–12 | 20 – Mamukelashvili | 16 – Rhoden | 4 – Mamukelashvili | Madison Square Garden Manhattan, NY |
| March 12, 2021 6:00 pm, FS1 | (5) | vs. (8) Georgetown Semifinals | L 58–66 | 14–13 | 22 – Rhoden | 10 – Mamukelashvili | 5 – Mamukelashvili | Madison Square Garden Manhattan, NY |
| *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 | — | — | — | — | — | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |