Isaiah Whitehead says Seton hall needs to play harder, avoid feuds with coaches

By ADAM ZAGORIA

NEW YORK — Isaiah Whitehead still keeps pretty close tabs on his old Seton Hall teammates and he’s not completely thrilled with what he’s seen so far this season.

The Pirates (17-5, 6-3 Big East) have high hopes for a deep run come March, but have fallen out of the AP Top 25 and have blown leads in several games. They have a huge opportunity on Sunday when they travel to Philadelphia for a pre-Super Bowl showdown with No. 1 Villanova (21-1, 8-1), winners of eight straight.

“I think they’re playing solid, they could be much better,” Whitehead told me Tuesday night before his Nets lost to the Knicks, 111-95, at Madison Square Garden. “They let teams get on certain runs, they need to close the game better I think.”

Whitehead, who left for the NBA after his sophomore season at Seton Hall, remains in close contact with classmates Khadeen Carrington, Angel Delgado and Desi Rodriguez.