1988 – 89 Seton Hall Pirates men 's basketball team represented Seton Hall University as members of the Big East Conference during the 1988 – 89 NCAA men 's basketball season . The Pirates were led by seventh year head coach P.J. Carlesimo . They played their home games at Walsh Gymnasium and Meadowlands Arena . Unranked to start the season , Seton Hall finished the season as national runner-up with a 31 – 7 overall record ( 11 – 5 in Big East play ) . As the No. 3 seed in the West Regional of the NCAA Tournament , they defeated Southwest Missouri State , Evansville , Indiana , and UNLV to reach the Final Four . In the National Semifinals , the Pirates dispatched Duke 95-78 . The magical tournament run ended with an 80-79 overtime loss to Michigan in the National Championship Game
Big East Conference
Big East Conference (1979–2013)
1988–89 Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team