That seems fair. His mix of high-major veterans, including a core of guys with substantial Big East experience, and players who thrived at lower levels contains some promise – and some peril. Virtually starting over from a 21-win squad that placed fourth in the Big East is hard, no matter who is wearing the uniform.
Here’s a look at how it might unfold as the 2026-27 season gets underway with a home game against Saint Peter’s on Nov. 2.
3 REASONS TO HOPE
1. An intriguing front line
Center Terry Copeland, a Bergen Catholic alum who was national junior college player of the year, looked the part during a strong preseason. Florida Atlantic transfer Devin Williams is 6-foot-10 and brimming with shot-blocking and rim-running potential. Fifth-year forward Elijah Fisher is a returning starter and defensive rock who sems poised to make a leap in year two under Holloway.
2. Shooters on the roster
After shooting just 30 percent from 3-point range last year, the Pirates added Kareem Thomas (shot 44.7 percent from deep last season at Dartmouth), Rodney Brown (.382 at Loyola Marymount) and Mayar Wol (.391 at Bowling Green). On paper, this should be a big improvement and there’s nowhere to go but up.
3. The Big Dance expanded
The move from 68 to 76 teams was mostly panned by the public, but Seton Hall has lived on the bubble – Holloway’s 2024 and 2026 squads would have made the cut in this format. A 10-10 finish in the Big East – the Pirates have gone .500 or better in 10 of the past 11 seasons – probably gets them there.
3 REASONS TO MOPE
1. A mostly new team – again
It’s hard to instill culture and achieve player development when the roster turns inside-out every offseason, and that keeps happening in South Orange. There are 13 new guys and just two returnees – Fisher and backup point guard Trey Parker, who spent the past few weeks in Holloway’s doghouse. It’ll be tough for fans to see budding superstar center Najai Hines suiting up for UConn after transferring out.
2. The point guard situation
The Hall had an All-Big East point guard in Budd Clark. Now he’s at Ole Miss, and the two transfers brought in to stabilize the position – Del Jones from Radford and Mihailo Petrovic from Illinois – struggled mightily in the 53-50 exhibition squeaker at Monmouth. As every hoop-head knows, this is a tough job to staff by committee.
3. The Big East got better
After getting just three teams into March Madness, the Big East stocked the shelves as programs poured money into their rosters. According to CBS Sports, the average roster expenditure was $13.6 million, with Georgetown, Xavier, Providence, Marquette, Villanova and Creighton all over $12 million (Seton Hall is believed to have spent close to $10 million). Spending doesn’t equal success, but there is no doubt the talent level is way up.
5 MUST-SEE GAMES
vs. Charlotte at the Palestra, Nov. 9: It’s not the sexiest opponent on the schedule, but experiencing the Cathedral of College Basketball should be on every fan’s bucket list. The 8,700-seat gym turns 100 years old this season, and the Pirates are making their first appearance there since 2007.
at Rutgers, Dec. 12: Holloway’s Pirates have played well in two appearances at the RAC, and the Scarlet Knights should be much-improved, as evidenced by their four-overtime exhibition loss at St. John’s. This is at least a Quad 2 opportunity and the 4:30 p.m. Saturday tipoff between neighborhood rivals is perfect.
St. John’s at home, Dec. 23: The Festivus crowd was great against Villanova last year and the Rock should be hopping again for the Johnnies, who are ranked 13th in the preseason Associated Press Top 25.
At Villanova, Jan. 12: Kevin Willard went 2-0 against his old program last season and the games were not close. One thing Willard never did at the Hall was win at the Pavilion – the last Pirate coach to do that was P.J. Carlesimo in 1994.
UConn at home, Feb. 17: Since Holloway took the reins, the Hall has played Dan Hurley’s powerhouse program tooth-and-nail. This 7 p.m. Saturday tip-off will draw a huge crowd, the Huskies enter the season ranked fourth, and it will be interesting to see what kind of reception Plainfield native Hines gets (the Kadary Richmond treatment, or have fans become number to this stuff now?).
OUR SETON HALL PREDICTION
Preseason prognostications are a fool’s errand in college basketball’s free-agency era, and it’s worth noting that Seton Hall has far surpassed expectations in two of the past three campaigns. Holloway coaches teams up, but the evidence so far points toward a squad with a lot to figure out. The roster pieces are intriguing, but the difference between solid point guard play and struggling point guard play is probably five wins. At the moment, the position seems closer to the latter.
Record projection: 17-15 (9-3 non-conference, 8-12 Big East).
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 2026-27: Reasons to hope and mope, must-see games, prediction