Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford, N.J.

THE MATCHUP: Seton Hall and West Virginia will face off for the first of two games in 14 days on Saturday, Feb. 3. The Pirates have won the last four games they’ve hosted against the Mountaineers, including a 71-64 victory last season. Seton Hall beat Princeton, 79-41, on Monday. West Virginia defeated Rutgers, 89-83, on Wednesday.

TV: None

RADIO: The game will be broadcast by WABC 770 AM, with Gary Cohen on play-by-play and Dave Popkin as the analyst. The game will also be broadcast by WSOU 89.5 FM, Seton Hall’s student radio station.

SHU ON THE WEB: Tune in for a live audio stream of all games on www.shupirates.com

BIG EAST CONFERENCE: www.bigeast.org

Predicted to finish 12th in the 16-team BIG EAST field, West Virginia has silenced their critics and jumped out to a sparkling 17-4 overall record and 6-3 mark in conference play. The Mountaineers boast four players who are averaging in double-figures led by Frank Young who is competing at a 14.3 clip. A lethal team from three-point range, West Virginia leads the conference in FGs made per game from behind the arc. They are also a very stout defensive team, allowing the second-fewest points per game. Steady ball handlers, the Mountaineers rank second in assist-to-turnover ratio and turnover margin.

Seton Hall and West Virginia will meet for the 21th time, with the Pirates owning an 11-9 series lead. The Pirates have won their last four home games against the Mountaineers including a thrilling 71-64 victory over them last season when they were ranked 11th in the nation. Seton Hall has won six of the last eight games in this rivalry.

In the middle of the grueling BIG EAST schedule, the Pirates faced Princeton on Monday and it proved to be the perfect remedy to the team’s recent struggles. The Pirates pounded the Tigers, 79-41, in a laugher that saw every SHU player play at least six minutes and score at least three points. The 38-point margin of victory was their largest over a Division I team since they defeated Morgan State, 93-46, last season. The Pirates shot a blistering 53.7 percent from the floor and out-rebounded the Tigers, 33-to-18. They forced 17 turnovers and committed only nine. Junior Brian Laing led the Pirates with 17 points, while freshman Larry Davis had a great all-around game with eight points, seven rebounds and eight assists.

Seton Hall stepped up their defense vs. Princeton on Monday. They held the Tigers to only 36.1 percent from the floor and only one player was able to crack double-digits in scoring. Princeton shot only 3-for-18 from three-point range. The Pirates forced 17 turnovers, which resulted in eight steals, and they held Princeton to only 41 points, the lowest point total by a Seton Hall opponent since they defeated Georgetown in the BIG EAST Tournament, 58-40, on March 8, 2001.

In their victory over Princeton, the Pirates shot a season-high 45.0 percent from three-point range. Seton Hall was 9-for-20 from behind the arc, receiving three’s from Brian Laing (three), Larry Davis (two), Jamar Nutter (two), Carl Marshall and Mani Messy.

For the second time this season, a Pirate freshman came close to recording a triple-double. Against Princeton, Larry Davis scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists in only 28 minutes. Earlier this season, freshman Eugene Harvey had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists vs. St. John’s. Only one player in Seton Hall history has recorded a triple-double. Eddie Griffin logged 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 blocks in a victory over Norfolk State on Dec. 4, 2000.

Backup players Mani Messy, Carl Marshall and Kashif Pratt all had an opportunity to showcase this skills in the victory over Princeton. Messy scored six points in 11 minutes, Marshall chipped in five points in 12 minutes and Pratt scored three points in 16 minutes of action.

The Pirates are in the middle of a three-game home stretch. On Monday, they defeated Princeton at Continental Airlines Arena. They will face West Virginia on Saturday and Villanova the following Saturday, Feb. 10. To date, Seton Hall is 10-2 at Continental Airlines Arena this season. With the victory over Penn on Dec. 23, Seton Hall reached the 200-win mark at Continental Airlines Arena. The Pirates are now 204-95 all-time at the arena. They were 13-4 at home last season, and 48-16 over the last four years. The Pirates’ first full-season in the arena was 1985-86 when the team played seven games there. The first Seton Hall game was December 4, 1981, an 87-85 overtime victory over Houston.

Bobby Gonzalez became the 18th Seton Hall University head basketball coach in the program’s history earlier this year and comes to the Pirates after a tremendous seven-year run as the head coach at Manhattan College. He led the Jaspers to four 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournaments in seven years, including finishing .500 or above in the league in each season. His record at Manhattan was 129-77, and his team won the MAAC regular season championship three times and the tournament title twice.

Gonzalez is widely known as one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the NCAA, an intense competitor, outstanding game coach and tireless recruiter.

Manhattan went 20-11 this past year and Gonzalez was named the MAAC Coach of the Year. The Jaspers advanced to the National Invitation Tournament and won two games, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson and winning at Maryland. Gonzalez led the team to a 14-4 record and the MAAC regular season title.

His best season came in 2003-04, when he guided the Jaspers to a 25-6 overall record, 16-2 in the MAAC. Manhattan was a No. 12 seed in the NCAA Championship and defeated No. 5 seed Florida in the first round before losing a close game to No. 4 seed Wake Forest. Gonzalez received numerous accolades following the season, being named NABC District 2, USBWA, and NYBCA Division I Coach of the Year as well as receiving Metropolitan Coach of the Year recognition for the second straight year.

Gonzalez coached Luis Flores, Manhattan’s all-time leading scorer, who was drafted in the second round by the NBA’s Houston Rockets in 2004. Flores played with both Denver and Golden State in 2004-05.

In 2002-03, Gonzalez led Manhattan to the MAAC regular season and league championship with a 23-7 record, 14-4 in the league. Named the MAAC Coach of the Year for his efforts, Gonzalez took Manhattan College to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. The Jaspers fell to eventual national champion Syracuse in the first round.

Gonzalez is no stranger to the BIG EAST and to big-time college basketball. Prior to becoming a head coach, he was an assistant on Pete Gillen’s staffs at Xavier (1993-94), Providence (1994-98) and Virginia (1998-99).

Known for his strong recruiting classes, Gonzalez possesses outstanding contacts and ties to the metropolitan area. He was assistant high school coach at Rice High School in the Bronx in 1992-93 and assistant at St. Nicholas of Tolentine from 1988-91. He was also an assistant coach at Binghamton University (1987-88) and Broome Community College (1986-87).

Junior Brian Laing is enjoying a breakout campaign. He has twice been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and currently ranks seventh in the conference in scoring with 16.4 points per game. Laing has led the Pirates in scoring in 13 of the team’s 21 games. Laing was also named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. Most recently, he scored a game-high 17 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out four assists and made three steals in a victory over Princeton.

No freshman’s impact has been greater than that of Eugene Harvey through his career’s first 21 games. His 15.7 points and 4.5 assists per game lead all BIG EAST rookies and only Notre Dame’s Luke Harangody has matched Harvey’s three BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. He has started all 21 games this season and scored a career-high 27 points in a come-from-behind victory over Penn State on Dec. 9. Harvey has scored in double-figures in 19-of-21 games. In his first BIG EAST game, he scored 21 points, including four clutch free throws with under 20 seconds remaining to seal a victory over rival Rutgers. He had 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a tremendous all-round game vs. St. John’s. Harvey also ranks fifth in the conference for averaging 34.95 minutes per game.

Senior Grant Billmeier will miss the remainder of the 2006-07 season due to an injury to his left knee in the first two minutes of the game vs. Providence. Billmeier tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A two-year team captain, he started 14-of-17 games this season and helded guide the Pirates to two NCAA appearances including a thrilling victory over Arizona in the 2004 event.

Senior Stan Gaines has stepped up his game in 2006-07 and is making major contributions. An imporant cog of the front court, his reputation as a strong defensive player leads him to often guard the opposing team’s best player. He has started 18-of-21 games this season and is averaging 6.4 points and a team second-best 4.4 rebounds per game.

Through 21 games this season, the Pirates have enjoyed the fruits of their relentless full-court press, picking up 226 steals as a team. They recorded 15 steals a piece in their final two games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Their average of 10.8 steals per game leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks among the national leaders. Sophomore Paul Gause has led the Pirate charge in this category. He recorded a career-high five steals at Morgan State and tied his new mark with five more vs. St. Peter’s. Then, against St. Mary’s he re-recorded his career-high and tied the Seton Hall single-game record with eight steals. He chipped in six vs. Penn State and five more vs. Virginia Tech and Liberty. As a result, Gause leads the BIG EAST lead and ranks among the national leaders with 3.19 steals per game, junior Brian Laing is 11th with 1.76 per game and freshman Eugene Harvey is tied for 13th in the conference with 1.71 steals per game.

Five Pirates have scored at least 20 points this season, and the mark has been reached 12 times. Junior Brian Laing leads the team with five 20-point games, freshman Eugene Harvey has had three, junior Jamar Nutter has had two and freshman Larry Davis and sophomore Paul Gause have both had one each. Against Rutgers, Laing and Harvey topped 20-point mark. Laing nearly bested the mark again with 19 points vs. Georgetown. Both members of that scoring tandem are among the Top 10 in the BIG EAST in scoring. Laing is averaging 16.7 points per game, while Harvey is averaging 15.6.

The Pirates have recorded six double-doubles this season. Brian Laing picked up his third and fourth double-doubles of the season against Oral Roberts and Liberty in the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic. Laing’s first career double-double came with a 25-point, 12-rebound performance vs. FDU. Remarkably, Laing has been one rebound shy of a double-double five times this season. Two Pirates, freshmen Eugene Harvey and Larry Davis, both recorded their first career double-doubles in a win over Pennsylvania on Dec. 23. Harvey had 14 points and 11 assists. Davis had career-highs of 27 points and 10 rebounds.

The highest scoring output by a Seton Hall player this season was 27 points accomplished by a pair of freshmen against Pennsylvania teams. Eugene Harvey scored his career-high 27 points against Penn State on Dec. 9. He played all 40 minutes and also pulled down five rebounds. Larry Davis matched Harvey with 27 against Penn on Dec. 23. He also added 10 rebounds for his first double-double. The totals are the highest individual point totals for a Seton Hall freshman since John Allen scored 31 vs. Fairleigh Dickinson on Dec. 31, 2001.

Four former Seton Hall players are now playing in the NBA - Andre Barrett and Adrian Griffin (Chicago Bulls), Sam Dalembert (Philadelphia 76ers) and Eddie Griffin (Minnesota Timberwolves). Barrett, Dalembert and Eddie Griffin all played on the same Seton Hall team in 2000.

Sophomore sparkplug Paul Gause has made three starts this season, but has shined in coming off the bench this season. In a tremendous performance against St. Mary’s, Gause scored a career-high 21 points in 33 minutes of action and picked up eight steals, tying the Seton Hall single-game mark for steals held by former Pirate Levell Sanders. Against Liberty and Rutgers, Gause made a steal in the final moments of the game which sealed the victories for the Pirates. Gause finished that game with 14 points and five steals. Currently, he leads the BIG EAST lead in steals per game (3.19) and ranks among the national leaders.

Junior Brian Laing has clearly found a second home...Utah. In three games at the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic, he averaged 19.7 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Laing led the Pirates in scoring in all three games and added career double-doubles #3 and #4. For his efforts, Laing was named to the B.Y.U. Holiday Classic All-Tournament Team. BYU’s Keena Young was named the tournament’s M.V.P.

Seton Hall lost five players from last season’s roster, including their top two scorers, Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney. Copeland and Whitney graduated, while Marcus Cousin, David Palmer and Mike Pilgram transferred. Copeland and Whitney combined for 31.3 points per game and were both named Second Team All-BIG EAST last season. Whitney also led the team with 7.9 rebounds per game.

Seton Hall will have at least 17 regular-season games televised nationally or regionally in 2006-07, starting Dec. 9 with a game on YES against Penn State. The Pirates will be on MSG seven times, YES and Fox Sports New York three times, ESPN 360 twice and a game a piece on ESPN and ESPNU.

The Pirates will once again be on WABC 770 AM, or its affiliates ESPN Radio or Radio Disney. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin return for their fourth season of coverage on the broadcasts. Cohen will handle play-by-play duties with Popkin as the analyst. WABC will carry 15 games this season. WEPN, ESPN Radio 1050 AM will broadcast four, and Radio Disney WQEW 1560 AM will carry 10.

Go to www.shupirates.com to hear a live web audio stream of all Seton Hall men’s basketball games this season. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will bring you all the action.

Seton Hall head coach Bobby Gonzalez announced that three marquee recruits, Michael Glover, Jeremy Hazell and Augustine Okosun, have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Seton Hall University beginning in the 2007-08 academic year. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Glover is the gifted brother of former St. John’s standout Anthony Glover and will provide the Pirates with a strong rebounding presence and good finisher around the basket. Last season, he guided his prep school, Boys to Men Academy (Ill.), to a national championship. The 6-foot-5, 185-pound Hazell was ranked in the nation’s Top 20 by Scout.com among post graduate players. A standout for coach Chris Chaney at Patterson School (N.C.), he is widely regarded as an excellent shooter and will provide the Pirates with great depth at the guard position and the top scoring punch in this class. Augustine Okosun is a 6-foot-10, 240-pound junior college transfer who will have junior eligibility when he joins the Pirates next season. The Nigeria native comes from well-respected Harcum College (Pa.) and coach Drew Kelly and will add some much-needed size and experience to the Pirates’ frontcourt.

Seniors Grant Billmeier and Stan Gaines as well as junior Brian Laing will serve as team captains for Seton Hall during the 2006-07 season. Billmeier was the lone Pirate captain last season and brings his hard work and unselfishness to the leadership position again. Gaines, a former transfer from the University of Minnesota, is playing in only his second season with the Pirates, but his infectious energy and enthusiasm make him an excellent choice as captain. Laing, the lone non-senior of the trifecta, is a real breakout candidate this season and will provide an experienced leader when it is time to look towards next season.

Earlier this season, Seton Hall had a streak of 12 games in which the Pirates had not put together a two consecutive games of wins or losses. After defeating Penn State on Dec. 9, the Pirates followed every win with a loss and every loss with a win. It is the longest streak of it’s kind in the 104-year history of the Seton Hall basketball program.

Seton Hall will play at least nine games against teams that participated in the NCAA Tournament last year, but only three of the games will be on the road (Monmouth, Pennsylvania, Georgetown, at Marquette, West Virginia, Villanova, at Connecticut, at West Virginia and Pittsburgh... The Pirates will play 18 night games and 12 day games this season... SHU will face Rutgers, West Virginia and Providence twice, but will not see Syracuse or DePaul as part of the BIG EAST’s unbalanced schedule... Pittsburgh (#4), Georgetown (#8), Marquette (#16) and Connecticut (#18) are Seton Hall opponents ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.

The Pirates added three highly talented freshman to the roster for the 2006-07 and all three look to make a difference immediately. Larry Davis, Eugene Harvey and Kashif Pratt are three guards that come from well-respected metropolitan high school programs. Davis led Christ the King to a 24-5 record and the New York City Catholic High School title game while averaging 13.2 points per game his senior year. Harvey joins Seton Hall as one of the nation’s most highly regarded point guard prospects and could be running the Pirates’ offense sooner than later. Pratt averaged 15 points and six rebounds for Rice High School, but is even better known as a defensive specialist. The SHU backcourt is in good shape for years to come.

At Notre Dame, junior Brian Laing became the 100th player in Seton Hall history to record 500 career points. He now has 574 and ranks for 85th place on the all-time points list. Teammate Jamar Nutter passed the same milestone earlier this season and currently has 711 points for 63rd all-time.

The Pirates saw an offensive explosion in scoring 94 points against Penn. With only a couple of games to the contrary, the Pirates have had no difficulty scoring points so far this season. Games at the B.Y.U. Classic were no different, as they scored 74 against Oral Roberts, 85 vs. Liberty and 68 against BYU. In 21 games, the Pirates are averaging 76.4 points per game which ranks them fourth in the BIG EAST in scoring offense. They have topped 90 points three times and 80 points seven times. Seton Hall has three players averaging in double-figures and Paul Gause (9.1) and Larry Davis (8.5) are inching their way towards joining that group. Seton Hall is shooting 42.7 percent from the floor this season.

Joining head coach Bobby Gonzalez on the bench this year are three experienced and talented assistant coaches that will surely prove to be a positive influence on the 2006-07 Pirates. Kevin Murphy followed Gonzalez to Seton Hall after three years as his assistant at Manhattan. There, he helped guide the Jaspers to the 2004 MAAC title and NCAA Tournament berth. Geoff Billet joins the SHU staff after five seasons as an assistant at Monmouth. As a player, Billet scored 1,480 career points for Rutgers and graduated as the school’s all-time leading three-point shooter. Dermon Player brings a standout basketall acumen and remarkable recruiting skills to the Pirates. As a coach and athletics administrator, Player is no stranger to the metropolitan high school and AAU scene.

* The men’s basketball team went to the Final Four in 1989 and lost in the championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime, 80-79. The Pirates won BIG EAST tournament titles in 1991 and 1993 and regular season titles in 1992 and 1993. All of the above was under the guidance of current San Antonio Spurs assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo.

* Seton Hall has a national championship under its belt. The Pirates won the 1953 NIT, then considered the premier national tournament.

* The program’s all-time leading scorer is Terry Dehere (2,494 points, 1989-93). Leading rebounder Walter Dukes (1,697, 1950-53) still holds the NCAA single-season rebounding record of 734 in 1952-53. CBS analyst Bill Raftery coached Seton Hall from 1970-81 (154-141 record).

Continental Airlines Arena • East Rutherford, N.J.

TV: MSG

Radio: WABC 770 AM / WSOU 89.5 FM

Seton Hall vs. Villanova: VU, 58-37

NOTEBOOK: Seton Hall will host Villanova in their only matchup of the season on Saturday, February 10. Seton Hall is expecting a great crowd as they are attempting to "PACK THE HOUSE" for the game. The Pirates have lost their last four games against the Wildcatsincluding a 73-64 setback in their last meeting on Jan. 17 last season.

Fresh off a remarkable season last year, Villanova finds themselves back in the thick of a title race again this season. The Wildcats are led by Curtis Sumpter who is averaging amongst the BIG EAST leaders in scoring with 18.1 points per game. Nova’s 7-3 road record shows they have no problem excelling away from home this season.