Kentucky up next for Seton Hall as difficult December continues

By ADAM ZAGORIA

NEW YORK — Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard likes to make sure his team plays at least one game at Madison Square Garden before the Big East Tournament in March.

This year, especially, Willard wants his young team to get familiar with the Garden environment so it won’t be completely new to them come March.

This year, their first game at the Garden just happens to come against No. 9 Kentucky (7-1) on Saturday at noon.

“I always like to get a neutral-site game in the Garden before the Big East Tournament,” Willard told me Wednesday at the Learfield Athletics Forum in Manhattan, where he was supporting Mike Nzei.

“It’s such a great privilege playing in the Garden, but it’s also the first time you play in there could be a little daunting so obviously playing an unbelievable team like Kentucky is a huge challenge but it’s also a great opportunity for our guys to get in the Garden, play against a great team and see where we’re at.”

Seton Hall is 8-3 at the Garden since 2016, including a Big East Tournament championship win over Villanova in 2016.

Willard, who on Tuesday won his 200th career game, has never faced Kentucky coach John Calipari. Kentucky and Seton Hall last met at the Great Alaska Shootout in 1988.

“What does he have, 9,000?” Willard joked of Calipari, who is actually coming up on 700 career wins.