Hog Calls

Angel to give Hogs a devil of a time

Seton Hall's Angel Delgado (31) and Villanova's Darryl Reynolds (45) fight for control of the ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game during the Big East men's tournament Friday, March 10, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

FAYETTEVILLE -- The Seton Hall Pirates have an Angel that's hell on the boards.

Angel Delgado -- Seton Hall's 6-10, 240-pound big man who looms large, just as University of Arkansas, Fayetteville 6-10 big man Moses Kingsley looms large against Seton Hall -- leads the nation in rebounding going into Friday's NCAA Tournament South Regional first-round game in Greenville, S.C.

But it wasn't rebounding, but Delgado's ability to attract a crowd and dish to Pirates leading scorer Khadeen Carrington and supporting scorers Desi Rodriguez and Myles Powell that a New Jersey-based writer covering Seton Hall inquired Monday of Mike Anderson during the coach's Fayetteville-based news conference.

Envision Delgado averaging a nationally leading 13.1 rebounds to go with a 15.9 scoring average while deftly passing like Arkansas backup big man Trey Thompson, and it seems you see the Pirates' Angel.

"You've got a guy like that he can see and anticipate," Anderson said. "As far as his rebounding, when you think about this guy he is one of the best rebounders in the country, 158 offensive rebounds. That tells me he's got tremendous instincts. So how do you stop the guy? He's got a nose and feel for the ball. So that means he's got a great feel for passing and knowing when the double team is coming and hitting the open guy. So he's a very good basketball player."

And a versatile one whose skills as a rebounder, passer and scorer tend to get the opposition into foul trouble.

"It's going to take all of us to try and keep him out of the lane," Anderson said. "And he is really crafty. And then you've got a guy like Carrington to go along with it, and you've got some other guys shooting the basketball."

For the 25-9 Razorbacks, frequent fouling and lack of rebounding disparities especially did them in during Walton Arena SEC losses to Mississippi State and Vanderbilt; the SEC/Big 12 Challenge loss at Oklahoma State; and at Kentucky and again to Kentucky in Sunday's SEC Tournament Championship game.

"I know they are an attacking team and get to the free-throw line an awful lot, and they rebound the basketball," Anderson said. "So those are some areas we've got to be good at. Not letting them get to the free-throw line and keeping them off the glass."

The Pirates likely will rob Anderson of some sleep this week. Presumably, Seton Hall Coach Kevin Willard also will toss and turn regarding Kingsley's shot-blocking and Thompson's passes, and the outside-inside scoring threats posed by Arkansas guards Dusty Hannahs, Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon.

"When we're playing right, I think we've got multiple guys out there that can score," Anderson said. "And hopefully depth can become an issue."

Sports on 03/15/2017