Seton Hall entered Big East action with a sparkling record and the hope it could sneak into the top half of the league. But less than two weeks into conference play and a few injuries later, all those non-league wins seem more like a mirage, as water is in the desert.
The Pirates are ahead of only winless South Florida after Sunday’s ugly 67-55 loss to previously winless Providence at the Prudential Center in Newark. The news grew worse during coach Kevin Willard’s post-game press conference when he announced starting forward Brandon Mobley had dislocated his right shoulder in the first half, the same shoulder he needed surgery on last year.
“We’re a little beat down, but that’s still no excuse not to come out and compete, especially on the backboards,” Willard said, referring to Providence’s decided advantage on the glass. “I don’t think anybody wants to play that 4 spot. It seems like whoever goes in there, you’re going out on crutches.”
The Pirates were already without forwards Brian Oliver (sprained ankle) and Patrick Auda (broken foot), though Oliver is expected to return while Auda is out for the season, and reserve Kevin Johnson is battling a knee issue which has kept him out of practice. Willard said “it doesn’t look good” for Mobley.
“That’s something that none can control,” junior forward Fuquan Edwin said. “It’s unfortunate for us right now.”
The Friars (9-7, 1-3) entered on a massive skid, with five straight losses, but they got healthy against Seton Hall, particularly Big East leading scorer Bryce Cotton, who poured in a game-high 23 points. LaDontae Hinton added 12 points and 13 rebounds and Kadeem Batts had 11.
“They came out and they played aggressively, got us on our heels a little bit,” Willard said. “We didn’t do it back to them. It’s just been our Achilles heel. If you turn the ball over 15 times in a half, you’re going to dig yourself some pretty big holes.”
It was Seton Hall’s third straight league loss by double figures, though the previous two were against nationally ranked Louisville and Notre Dame. Edwin scored 17 points, but needed 16 shots, Haralds Karlis followed with 11 points and Aaron Cosby had 10.
Seton Hall never rebounded — metaphorically or physically — from its sluggish start. The Pirates committed 11 turnovers before recording an assist, trailed 22-5 9:51 into the contest and were behind 38-22 by halftime. Providence obliterated the Hall on the glass, grabbing 19 offensive rebounds and converting them into 23 second-half points, which nullified the Pirates improved defensive effort.
“They just wanted it more than us, you could see that from the beginning of the game,” Edwin said. “It’s tough. We’re just not playing good as a team. We’re not doing anything right.”
To its credit, Willard’s club put together a far better second half and was within eight on three occasions, but could never get closer. The Friars’ backcourt of Cotton, Vincent Council, the Brooklyn product, and freshman Kris Dunn made sure of that.
Orchestrating Providence’s balanced attack, Council had 11 points and eight assists, the first time Providence won with him on the court after the senior missed several weeks with a hamstring injury.
“It helped seeing us get a win,” Council said. “Everyone can feel better about themselves.”
Seton Hall (12-5, 1-3), meanwhile, is unsure how it will respond against Marquette. Willard has so little depth on his bench, and the forwards he does have, such as Johnson and Aaron Geramipoor, would put them at a disadvantage against the speedy front lines in the Big East.
“I have no idea what we’re going to do yet,” Willard said. “We’re going to have to figure it out some way.”
zbraziller@nypost.com