Leather and laces at The Pru

Finally made it out to the Prudential Center, the gleaming new home for the Devils in Newark. Only I'm not seeing the primary tenant. It's college basketball -- Notre Dame and Seton Hall playing on Ash Wednesday. There must be a priest giving out ashes around here somewhere.

I walk around the concourse to find my seat and stop in at the Ice Bar, the blue-tinted lounge with actual ice for surface of the bar (helps keep drinks cold as well as promoting the hockey theme). The beer is a bit expensive, natch, and doesn't include too many inviting selections, but I like the setup -- the long end of the space opens up to center court/ice behind a section of seats, so if you want to spend the entire game (or concert) in there, you can do so without having to watch on TV screens.

Kyle McAlarney has a big contingent here, including his mom behind the bench. But I haven't seen Richard Codey yet.

The Pru is a good venue for Seton Hall. More intimate, especially with the top level blocked off. It's bright and clean and inviting, and the walk from Penn Station wasn't bad at all. The worst part of it would be the winter winds, but that's not all that worse than the stroll from the parking lot at the Meadowlands.

The best part, though, is the final score: Notre Dame 95, Seton Hall 69