Seton Hall basketball beats Charlotte -- and finds a point guard

PHILADELPHIA – The Seton Hall basketball did more than win a game Monday night against a decent Charlotte team.The Pirates found a point guard.Junior Mihailo Petrovic came off the bench to spark an offense that had been stagnant through the season’s early going. The transfer from Illinois pushed all the right buttons as the Hall prevailed 68-62 before a small but vocal Pirate-dominated crowd at the Palestra, appropriately known as the cathedral of college basketball.Petrovic finished with 12 points, six assists, three steals and two turnovers in 30 minutes. He shot 4-of-6 from the field and it was clear his teammates’ confidence clearly rose with him at the controls. The ball moved better, the floor was spaced better, and the pick-and-roll consistently worked.In the ultimate compliment, Hall coach Shaheen Holloway started Petrovic in the second half over Del Jones – something the coach rarely does. It was recognition that he’s found something – if you have a point guard, you have a chance. And Seton Hall (3-0) now has a chance.Charlotte 49ers (2-1) was picked to finish fifth in the 13-team American Athletic Conference. There’s a chance this holds up as a Quad 2 victory and a neutral-court resume-booster.FIVE TAKEAWAYS1. Devin Williams breaks outTerry Copeland’s foul trouble opened the door for Devin Williams, and the 6-foot-10 junior played his best game thus far, notching 16 points, four assists and two blocks in 22 minutes.Williams ran some nice pick-and-roll action and did a nice job drawing defenders to the paint before dishing to open teammates. He also set solid screens.He wasn’t perfect – he takes too many jump shots and should use his length to rebound better – but it was a clear step forward for the Florida Atlantic transfer.2. Terry Copeland's foul troubleFor the second straight game, the junior center picked up two quick fouls – and the first was a needless offensive foul away from the ball. The Pirates got through the first half without him, taking a 36-34 lead into the locker room, but at the start of the second half he picked up another foul when the Hall was on offense – a double-technical for shoving in transition.The Bergen Catholic grad is an essential piece for Seton Hall and if he’s going to foul, it has to be while defending the paint.With Copeland in trouble, Holloway made good on his pledge to get 7-footer Abdulai Fanta Kabba some run in the post. The 235-pound junior, who missed nearly two months of the preseason with a hamstring injury, looked rusty. He couldn’t finish and got beat on the defensive end. But he’s going to be needed, so consider those five minutes a down payment for later.3. Defensive adjustmentsCharlotte has a big-time guard in Keyshuan Tillery, a sophomore who transferred from Cincinnati and came in averaging 26.5 points per game and shooting 56 percent from 3-point range.In the first half the Pirates had a tough time staying in front of him and also failed to cover the 3-point line as Charlotte shot 7-of-12 from deep. Personnel-wise, they gave up some defense to get the offense going. An understandable trade-off, but finding the balance is key. So it was notable that the defense improved in the second half, holding Charlotte to just 31 percent shooting.4. The beauty of the CathedralEven with a small crowd, the Palestra rocks. The acoustics are so good, the crowd so close to the court, that when 500 or so fans clad in Pirate blue chanted “Let’s go Pirates” or let out a full-throated cheer, it sounded like a roar.Monday at 9 p.m. is a tough time for fans in person (the game actually tipped at 9:20), so credit to the Pirate faithful who showed up took over the gym. There were very few Charlotte fans in the building, and the several hundred Penn fans who watched the Quakers dispatch Howard in the front end of the doubleheader left after that game.Seton Hall agreed to this matchup because of the appearance fee – the program needs revenue, as everyone knows – but its hardy fans made it a fun atmosphere.This was the program’s fourth contest in the Palestra this century. The Pirates beat La Salle in January 2004 and won a four-team tournament in 2007 by besting Navy and Virginia.5. Acid test nextNow comes the hard part – a trip to 18thranked Alabama Friday (9 p.m. tip). The Tide have beaten Sam Houston, Arkansas State and Oakland thus far and are averaging 102 points per game. It’s the front end of a home-and-home and a surefire Quad 1 opportunity.Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall basketball beats Charlotte -- and finds a point guard