Seton Hall has Chance to Make Compelling NCAA Tournament Case Against St. John's

The Pirates have a chance to make its case to be an at-large selection against the Johnnies

Mar 12, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Seton Hall basketball head coach Shaheen Holloway talks to guard Tajuan Simpkins (2) during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays at Madison Square Garden. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Let’s just call it what it is – the NCAA Tournament bubble this year stinks.

Debate about teams like Texas, Indiana, SMU, Auburn, and others have gotten old. None of the teams really deserve to be at-large selections but, somehow, the selection committee has to get 68 teams.

So, it could lend itself for an outsider on the fringe of the bubble to make a run at a bid like Seton Hall.

The Pirates, the fourth-place team in the Big East, are among the ‘Next Four Out’ or slightly further off the bubble according to most experts but its case to be included in the field might be getting overlooked.

Every team has a flaw in its resume, but Seton Hall currently sits at No. 53 in the NET and are 8-9 in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games. They are 13-2 in Quad 3 and Quad 4 games with both losses coming in Quad 3 matchups.

“That's above my pay grade,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said on Thursday about his team’s NCAA Tournament chances after defeating Creighton in the quarterfinals of the Big East Tournament.

“I don't kind of get into that. Personally, I think we did enough.”

Seton Hall started the season 11-1 with a win over then No. 23 NC State in the Maui Invitational. It’s the only likely win the Pirates have over an NCAA Tournament team after going a combined 0-6 against St. John’s, UConn, and Villanova in league play.

However, the Pirates will get another shot at the Red Storm on Friday night in the Big East Tournament semifinals and could catapult themselves into the at-large and automatic bid conversation with a victory.

I know everybody thinks that the [Big East] is down,” Holloway added. “The league is not down. The problem, which you understand, is this league is good from top to bottom. I'm not disrespecting other leagues. Other leagues are top-heavy.”

In comparison, Indiana is widely considered as a team ahead of Seton Hall in NCAA Tournament projections has a NET of 41 with a 6-14 record in Quad 1 and 2 games and 12-0 in Quad 3 and 4.

Texas, with a NET at No. 42, is 7-13 in Quad 1 and 2 and 10-1 in Quad 3 and 4.

“We can't worry about the future right now,” Holloway said.

Regardless of the outcome of Seton Hall’s third meeting against St. John’s, it feels like the Pirates, who tout one of the best defenses in the country, are being overlooked by a lot of people.