BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2026

Shaheen Holloway

Adam Clark

Jacob Dar

Madison Square Garden

Seton Hall Pirates

Postgame Media Conference

Seton Hall - 72, Creighton - 61

THE MODERATOR: Coach, did you want to make an opening statement?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: No, it's okay.

Q. What did you think of the team's defense, especially defending the perimeter? What was the key there?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I thought we came out. I thought we had good energy, I thought we came out. We did a really good job the first half. In the first four minutes of the second half, we kind of lost our mind a little bit, and then once we settled down, kind of got back to it.

Creighton's a very, very good team. Obviously well coached. And they want to play in transition and get a bunch of threes and it's tough. The first four minutes of the second half, we kind of played into that, but once we settled down, I thought we were fine.

Q. Can you describe what today was like to have the kind of game you had on this stage, first time in the Big East tournament and to play like that.

JACOB DAR: It was great. My coaches trust me, my teammates trust me, so it was just about going out there, playing hard, putting in the work. It's always going to pay off. So it felt great seeing that.

Q. Looking ahead, the Big East semifinals, how big of an opportunity is this for you guys and what are the keys to maybe coming out with a win against St. John's?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: It's funny, I was telling him this. You know, I try to explain to these guys about the Big East tournament and the atmosphere, but playing tomorrow night, Friday night, in the semifinals against St. John's in the Garden at home, that's what you play basketball for. So a great opportunity for us. We just got to get back right now and get hydrated and make sure these guys get some rest and then kind of go from there.

Q. Could you answer that guys? You played St. John's close two times, you were up 15 points here. How do you feel, like, getting another chance at them on this stage?

ADAM CLARK: Yeah, we're in the semifinals. That's what we came here to the Big East for. That's what we came to Seton Hall for, to play in the big games on a big stage in the Garden. You can't ask for nothing better.

JACOB DAR: Today was step one and tomorrow's step two, so we're just going to lock in, watch film, and just prepare like we always do.

Q. You have an NIT championship under your belt here, but this is your first Big East tournament win. Does it feel nice to get over that hump?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Yeah, you know, what? I didn't even think about that. Yeah, I guess. Yeah, right? It's not really my win because when you get a bye, I consider that a win. So I don't have to play on Wednesday, so that's a win for me.

But, no, it actually felt good to get the first one.

Q. Your bench contributed 30 points today. How important was that depth in a big game like this?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: Super important. That's why I want to play ten or eleven guys, right? I think if you only have six, seven guys and things don't go well, you can't go to your bench. Jacob came in and gave us great minutes. So did Trey Parker. And so did Tajuan Simpkins. So when you got guys like that, when the starters are really not playing well, to come in with a bench and we've been doing that the whole year. I think that's been the key to some of our success.

Q. When you watched Budd last year, do you remember what impressed you the most?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I didn't watch Budd at Merrimack. You got to be careful with that. You can't watch kids when they're on other teams (laughing). You know what attracted me to Budd -- that sounds crazy -- but what I liked about Budd was I like that he played with a chip on his shoulder. Like, he played with, like, the passion and the heart and the determination that I kind of played with. And I love the fact that -- you know, people counted him out because of his size. I know if he get with me and learn and -- because he got some things that you just can't teach, and for him the good thing is that he's still learning. I think once he continues to keep growing and learning, I think his game can go even higher.

Q. More on Jacob's game, not just the scoring, but that he was ripping rebounds out of Creighton guys' arms, what did you think of his effort and how it sparked the team?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: That's kind of what -- that's why he's here. He's different than Elijah, he's different than Josh. He's more athletic. Sometimes throughout the season, you kind of go through up and downs, but to give him credit, he always stayed ready no matter what. I always told him, Just stay ready. He practiced hard, just like he plays, and that kind of stuff is contagious.

Q. Quick question for you here. Do you think that this win gets you any closer to a bid in the NCAA tournament considering some of the other teams that still need to play their way in around the country?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: You know what? You know, that's above my pay grade. I don't kind of get into that. Personally I think we did enough. I know everybody thinks that the league is down. The league is not down. The problem, which you understand, is this league is good from top to bottom. I'm not disrespecting other leagues. Other leagues are top-heavy. Winning this game really helps, but all we can be concerned about is playing tomorrow night. We can't worry about the future right now.

Q. What adjustments are you going to make tomorrow going into St. John's? Because obviously you came out a little bit different look in the second half here. I think a little bit stronger offensively. What adjustments are you going to make?

SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY: I got get back -- obviously, we just played 'em not too long ago. You got to get back, watch a little bit of film, and come up with a game plan. They're a very good team, obviously very well coached, great players.

But our guys played well throughout both games. We're going to do what Seton Hall do. We're going to defend, play hard, and what happens from there, happens from there.