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Both play for teams in New Jersey.

And both had big games Saturday against opponents from Cincinnati.

So, who had the bigger win?

"Us, us, us. The Jets won? If this [comment] gets out, 'Good job, Darrelle. Great game,'" Pope said after posting 14 points and 7 rebounds in Seton Hall's 83-76 victory over Cincinnati (11-5, 2-2 Big East) at the Prudential Center.

The significance of the win for Seton Hall (10-5, 1-3) cannot be overstated. The Pirates had lost four straight games, including three in the Big East.

"It wasn't life and death," Pirates coach Bobby Gonzalez said. "It's important because you don't want to go 0-4 [in the Big East] and lose five in a row for your psyche. But in the long run we still have games we can win."

The 6-foot-8, 235-pound Pope was on the floor watching junior Jeremy Hazell, who poured in a game-high 33 points, shoot foul shots when the Jumbotron posted the news of the Jets' 24-14 win over the Bengals. The crowd of 7,551, many of whom had enjoyed parts of the game in the Prudential Center's bars, let out a round of cheers.

Revis played a key role in the Jets' win. The Jets cornerback had an interception and helped shut down Bengals star Chad Ochocinco.

"I've always watched him," Pope said of Revis, who lives about 20 minutes from Seton Hall. "He's been the man for a long time."

The families of Pope and Revis lived in the same building in Aliquippa, and the two remain close friends even though Revis, 24, is four years older.

"He gives me great wisdom because he's made it," said Pope, 20. "Some things that I can't even imagine doing, he's done."

Like what?

Pope said Revis was offered a dual scholarship to Kansas to play both football and basketball and then, after accepting a football scholarship to Pitt, tried to walk-on to the school's basketball team.

"He tried to walk-on for Jamie Dixon," Pope said, referring to the Pitt coach. "And then Coach Dixon said he had scholarship guys that he got to play first."

Pope was shot four times at a party his senior year at Aliquippa High and hasn't been back there in six months. He said Revis also doesn't spend much time in his hometown, even though his childhood was more stable than Pope's. Pope was abandoned by his parents as a child and was raised by an aunt and uncle. Both of Revis' parents are involved in his life, Pope said.

"I came up a little rougher than him," Pope said of Revis. "He's got more stability in his life, so that's where we differentiate ourselves because he's got a family background structure and I really don't."

Pope transferred from New Mexico State and sat out last season, and Revis thinks that helped mature his friend.

"I think that helped him - sitting out a year and getting his grades right," Revis told The New York Times last month. "You can tell now when you talk to him that his mind-set is different. He's very positive. He has a lot of positive energy. He's happy to be eligible and playing ball."

Pope may be leading the Big East in rebounding, but Revis remains the biggest star in Aliquippa.

"They love 'Relle because he's got millions," Pope joked. "They love me too because I'm still a product of our environment. I'm still blossoming. But they love Darrelle."

NBA scouts are tracking the progress of both Pope and Hazell, but Pope said he's not even thinking that far ahead.

"I'm not looking [at that]. I want to get to March Madness. I've never been to March Madness. I want to get to the [NCAA] tournament," Pope said.

"I want to be able to play on the day I got shot. I got shot March 31st, so if God allows me to make my goal come true. That's why I play every possession like it's my last."

Pope has been hearing since he was in the eighth grade that he had a chance to play in the NBA.

"And now it's seven years later and it's not came true, so I'm just going to play basketball to win the games," he said.

Charles Smith, the former Pitt and Knicks standout, serves as a mentor for Pope, and he tells Pope there is no hurry to make the pros.

"Charles is a great teacher," Pope said. "He went to college for four years, graduated. It's no hurry. Like he said, the NBA's been there for years and it's going to be there for years. This is now."

NOTES: Keon Lawrence got his second straight start at point guard, but Gonzalez said he would likely start senior Eugene Harvey Thursday at Georgetown...Several top recruits were on hand for Seton Hall: Paterson Catholic junior point guard Myles Mack; Seton Hall Prep junior point guard Sterling Gibbs; and Half Hollow Hills West junior wing Tyler Harris, the younger brother of Tennessee commit Tobias Harris. Plainfield point guard Tyrone Johnson didn't make it because he wasn't feeling well. Johnson plans to visit Virginia Tech and West Virginia, as well as Rutgers, Seton Hall and Villanova when he has a break in his schedule.