Seton Hall basketball: Powell dominates but Michigan State rallies in a classic

Jerry Carino | Asbury Park Press

NEWARK — Myles Powell’s ankle was good.

His heart? That was incredible.

In a performance that will be regaled among Seton Hall basketball faithful for years to come, the senior superstar hung 37 points on third-ranked Michigan State five days after suffering a sprained ankle.

But it wasn't enough, because the Spartans counter-punched hard over the final two minutes and escaped a raucous Prudential Center with a 76-73 triumph Thursday.

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The Gavitt Tipoff Games finale was a tremendous November showcase for the sport — and a gut-wrenching verdict for the 12th-ranked Pirates (2-1), who had both hands around a signature win with 14,000 fans in their corner.

"This is a hard loss," junior wing Myles Cale said. "We know we can compete with the top teams."

In the postgame press conference, Michigan State skipper Tom Izzo captured the night's essence perfectly.

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"That was a March game in November," the coaching dean said. "College basketball needs games like that."

The drama started 30 minutes before the tip, when Powell finally got the all-clear from head coach Kevin Willard even though he didn't practice all week. To those who know Powell best, though, his participation never was in doubt.

"You dream about games like this," he said. "It's not something you pass up."

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Powell overshadowed his counterpart, All-American point guard Cassius Winston (21 points on 6-of-17 shooting, four assists, four turnovers), but the Spartans' supporting cast made the difference down the stretch.

That's why Michigan State (3-1) is a national championship contender.

"When you do a good job against somebody like Cassius and their role players are stepping up for them, it's tough," said senior guard Quincy McKnight, who spearheaded the Hall's defense against Winston. "Myles did his part, but everyone else, we have to step it up."

Some historical perspective: This was the highest-ranked non-conference opponent Seton Hall has hosted since Michigan State came to the Meadowlands as No. 2 in 2000 (and won by 15). The Pirates are now 0-4 against Sparty and 2-35 all-time against foes ranked No. 1, 2 or 3 in the Associated Press Top 25, with wins over third-ranked Villanova in the 2014 and 2016 Big East tournaments.

By way of comparison, this felt an awful lot like the 1993 Meadowlands epic against third-ranked North Carolina, a similarly narrow victory by a Tar Heels squad that would go on to win it all. One difference: That was in January.

"That was a great college basketball game," Willard said. "There’s no aching, you know? We left it all out there, they left it all out there. They just made some plays that we didn’t, and we’ll learn from it and get better from it.”

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. There was a rough no-call in the final seconds.

About those plays Willard referenced. Up five with under two minutes left, Seton Hall rushed some shots while Michigan State hit two 3-pointers and a layup to take a one-point lead with 22 seconds left.

"A lot of teams would have gave up there," McKnight said, crediting Michigan State's fortitude.

"We should have taken our time down the stretch," Cale said.

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Down one coming out of a timeout, Willard designed a play for junior forward Sandro Mamukelashvili (9 points, 7 rebounds, 4-11 shooting, 4 turnovers). Sophomore point guard Anthony Nelson fed him perfectly on the right block, but Spartans enforcer Xavier Tillman met him in the air and clobbered Mamukelashvili on the forearm and face.

No call from the Big Ten-based crew (in the Gavitt Games, the visiting team gets officials from its league).

Then, after Winston bricked the front end of a one-and-one, Powell drove and got blocked.

“Myles definitely got fouled going to the basket," Willard said.

Upon further review, that could have gone either way. But as Powell pointed out, it was consistent with the crew's style all night.

"The refs did a good job; they let us play basketball," Powell said. "When you let us play the whole game you can't look for foul calls in the last 15, 20 seconds. With the ball in my hands as a leader and captain, I could have made a better decision."

2. Myles Cale, welcome back.

The junior wing has all the tools to be a high-impact player, and we’ve seen it before in big spots (ask Maryland). But he was invisible during the first two games and it was fair to wonder whether sophomore Jared Rhoden would take his starting spot.

Wonder no more.

Cale tallied 12 points, four rebounds and two steals and played well defensively. If he turned the corner, that might be the biggest thing the Hall gets out of this game.

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"My teammates, family members and coaches just kept telling me to be confident," Cale said.

Willard said he spoke with Cale earlier in the week about his struggles.

“Sometimes when you go from your sophomore to your junior year, you think you’re just going to start doing things magically, and I told him he’s got to get back to being a little more simple on the offensive end," Willard said. "He was aggressive, but he was simple, he didn’t try to force things, he took the open shots. He does so many other good things on the defensive end for us. Between him and Jared, as they kind of get a little more confidence, I love that spot.”

3. The crowd was all-time good.

In terms of electricity, only the Hall’s season finale against Villanova last March rivaled Thursday night's juice since the program moved to the Prudential Center in 2007. More than 1,200 students arrived well before tip, and the cheers during introductions were so loud, you couldn’t hear public address announcer Tim McLoone call Powell’s name.

The students also cheered Winston, who is grieving his brother's death in an apparent suicide last week.

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"I loved the fact that they gave a standing ovation to Cassius when he got announced," Willard said. "It just shows the type of students we have."

Izzo took the praise one step farther.

"Give your fans credit," he said. "I've been in a lot of great arenas. They don't have to take a back seat to anybody."

Powell, who seemed pained at times but said afterward his ankle would be fine for Sunday's trip to Saint Louis, said the intensity oozing from the stands "helped me get through the game."

4. Powell made his case as the nation's best player.

To post 37 points, six rebounds and two assists while committing just two turnovers against the sport's toughest defense spoke volumes. To do it at less than 100 percent was otherworldly.

“He’s the best player in the country, and it’s not even close," Willard said.

"I don't know if God could have stopped him on some of those shots," Izzo said, "so I should watch the film before I get on my guys."

As Powell stepped to the free-throw line late in the game, his ankle clearly bothering him, someone on the end of Michigan State's bench was overheard saying, "That guy, he's f----ng special."

A big difference between Winston and Powell, though, is supporting cast. Right now Winston has more help, and that determined the outcome.

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5. Gavitt Games a winner.

This was the final installment of the 2019 Gavitt Tipoff Games, which pits the Big East against the Big Ten, and the Spartans' victory gave the Big Ten a 5-3 edge this year.

The event, named in honor of late Big East founder Dave Gavitt, is a perfect way to get casual fans interested in November college hoops.

"What a tribute to Dave Gavitt," Izzo said.

He's right, and this challenge should be renewed for the foreseeable future.

Here were the scores:

DePaul 93, Iowa 78

Michigan 79, Creighton 69

Butler 64, Minnesota 56

Marquette 65, Purdue 55

Northwestern 72, Providence 63

Ohio State 76, Villanova 51

Penn State 81, Georgetown 66

Michigan State 76, Seton Hall 73

Seton Hall basketball practice highlights Some video clips from Seton Hall's first full practice of the 2019-20 season.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.