Rutgers basketball survives Seton Hall on Dylan Harper buzzer-beater

On By Littum

PISCATAWAY – It was easy to look at the difference between Rutgers and Seton Hall basketball – both in terms of talent and results so far this season – and assume the Scarlet Knights will roll over their rival at home Saturday.

But deep down, Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell knew his team was in for a fight, and that’s what it got.

Luckily for him, he has Dylan Harper.

The freshman guard from Don Bosco Prep swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Rutgers past Hall 66-63 in an instant classic that capped two hours of heated drama in front of 8,000 fans at the RAC and a national television audience from Fox.

The Joe Calabrese MVP, named for the late longtime sportswriter Joe Calabrese, who covered college sports for The Star-Ledger and Courier News, was awarded to Harper (24 points). He joins older brother Ron Harper Jr., who was the MVP of the 2019 game, as the first brother duo ever to win the honor.

Sophomore wing Isaiah Coleman paced Seton Hall with 15 points and 6 rebounds. He made two free throws with six seconds left to knot the score at 63-63 before Harper got the ball, drove up and drained an uncontested 3-pointer from the right wing.

This was the first buzzer beater in the series since JR Inman’s 3-pointer at the horn sank the Pirates in 2008 at the Prudential Center.

As it fell through the hoop, the building exploded in joy – and relief.

Rutgers (7-4) avoided a potentially devastating Quad 4 loss to its postseason resume.

Seton Hall (5-6) has secured its first losing non-conference record since 4-7 in 1982-83, PJ Carlesimo’s first season at the helm. This was the Pirates’ first true road game.

The Pirates came out of the gate disruptive defensively, causing 11 Rutgers turnovers in the first half with hands all over the passing lanes. They used those mistakes to take a 33-27 lead into halftime.

The Scarlet Knights trailed by 10 early in the second half, but rallied behind star freshman Dylan Harper (21 points) and Bailey.

Seton Hall now leads the series 42-33, dating back to 1916. The Pirates are 7-4 since it became annual after Rutgers left the Big East. Of the last 30 meetings, 23 have been decided by six or fewer points.

The closeness of Saturday’s affair should come as no surprise. The road team pulled off a surprise victory in each of the previous two seasons. In the last six meetings between these teams, the underdog has won four times.

FIVE takeaways

1. The drum

Certain plays immediately enter into rivalry. You’ll know it when it happens. With 9:15 left in the first half, it happened.

Chaunce Jenkins, Seton Hall’s lanky 6-foot-4 shooting guard, ball-faked Jeremiah Williams out of position on the perimeter, then drove down the left side of the court and threw down a one-handed dunk on 6-foot-10 Ace Bailey.

It elicited a huge gasp from the crowd.

To Bailey’s credit, he remained composed and continued to make shots, showing maturity beyond his years.

But Jenkins’ dunk will be talked about and replayed for a long time in the Garden State.

2. What it means for Rutgers

How would the young Scarlet Knights handle the highlight of the Penn State game? And could they take a beating from their rival in a heated, high-pressure environment? The answer to the first was not very good. The answer to the second was yes.

The Scarlet Knights get a week off before facing Princeton (8-4) at the Prudential Center on Saturday (noon, Fox Sports 1) with New Jersey’s own John Fanta on the play-by-play call. The Tigers won last year’s competition when the series was renewed after an 11-year hiatus. Its revival is another sign of Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell’s commitment to the in-state rivalry — something that’s good for Jersey hoops and its fans.

3. What it means for Seton Hall

Most importantly, the Pirates played with some moxie and teamwork that has been lacking for most of this season. You could tell that Shaheen Holloway was pleased with the effort by how positive he was towards his players throughout the game. At the end of the first half, he shook each guy’s hand as they walked into the locker room. This should be something they can build on, and with the three promising sophomores as their core, it could be a turning point.

The Pirates open Big East play at Villanova (7-4) on Tuesday at the Pavilion. (7:30 p.m., Peacock). Their Big East opener last December, a stunning dismantling of national champion UConn, proved to be a turning point after a slow start.

4. Crowd finally got it turned up

If there was an empty seat, it was hard to spot. Rutgers fans came out ready for blood, as they always do for this game, and there were very few blue-clad fans outside of the two rows behind the hall’s bench.

But the Pirates kept a lid on the crowd for the entire first half, similar to the 2022 upset here. That changed five minutes into the second stanza when the Scarlet Knights struck back and when Jeremiah Williams’ coast-to-coast put up a long rebound to cut the deficit to four with 14:54 left, RAC really got loud for the first time Saturday. The near-fracas that followed two minutes later under the Pirates’ basket all frothed up some more.

All in all, a great hoops environment that fits the history of these programs.

5. It still matters

Yes, the rivalry has been lessened somewhat by the onset of free agency. Only three players from last year’s game were on the court Saturday – Jamichael Davis for Rutgers and Dylan Addae-Wusu and Isaiah Coleman for Seton Hall.

Yes, it’s less compelling when the players aren’t familiar with each other or what this series means to the fans.

Still, this was the ninth straight shutout in the series dating back to Pikiell’s first season in 2016-17.

Still, Rutgers’ student section was packed an hour before tip-off, and they booed the hall harder during introductions than they do any Big Ten opponent.

Still, 35 recognized members of the media and 23 NBA scouts were in attendance, plus Fox Sports’ A-team, as the game aired on Fox’s main network for the first time.

The sport is changing, but Rutgers-Seton Hall still matters.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].