Rutgers basketball outlasts Seton Hall with Dylan Harper's buzzer-beater

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

But deep down, Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell knew his team was in for a fight, and it did just that.

Luckily for him, he has Dylan Harper.

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

The Joe Calabrese MVP, named after 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 big brother Ron Harper Jr., who was the 2019 game’s MVP, becoming the first brother duo ever to win the honor.

Sophomore winger Isaiah Coleman led Seton Hall with 15 points and 6 rebounds. He made two free throws with six seconds left to bring the score to 63-63 before Harper got the ball, charged upfield and fired an uncontested three-pointer from the right wing.

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

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

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

Seton Hall (5-6) posted its first non-conference losing record since a 4-7 mark in the 1982-83 season, PJ Carlesimo’s first season at the helm. This was the Pirates’ first real away game.

The Pirates came out of the gate disruptive defensively, causing Rutgers to lose 11 turnovers in the first half with hands in all passing lanes. They took advantage of these mistakes to take a 33:27 lead into the break.

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

Seton Hall now leads the series 42-33, which dates back to 1916. The Pirates are 7-4 since becoming annual after Rutgers left the Big East. Of the last 30 matches, 23 were decided by six or fewer points.

It should come as no surprise that the matter will be close on Saturday. The road team was able to achieve a surprise victory in each of the previous two seasons. In the last six meetings between these teams, the underdog was able to prevail four times.

FIVE TAKEAWAYS

1. The dunk

Certain plays immediately go down in rivalry history. You know it when it happens. 9:15 minutes before the end of the first half the time had come.

Chaunce Jenkins, Seton Hall’s slender 6-foot-4 shooting guard, faked Jeremiah Williams out of position at the rim, then drove down the left side of the lane and threw a one-handed dunk to 6-foot-10 Ace Bailey.

This caused a huge roar from the crowd.

To Bailey’s credit, he kept his composure and continued to record, showing maturity beyond his years.

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

2. What it means for Rutgers

How would the young Scarlet Knights handle the climax of the Penn State game? And could they take a hit against their rival in a heated, high-pressure environment? The answer to the first question wasn’t very good. The answer to the second question was yes.

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

3. What it means for Seton Hall

Most importantly, the Pirates played with some spirit and teamwork that they have lacked for most of this season. You could tell that Shaheen Holloway was happy with the performance and how positive he was with his players throughout the game. At the end of the first half, he shook hands with all the boys as they headed to the locker room. They should be able to build on that, and it could be a turning point for the three promising sophomores at the core.

The Pirates open Big East play on Tuesday at the Pavilion in Villanova (7-4). (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 into full swing

If a seat was free, it was difficult to see. The Rutgers fans came out bloodthirsty, as they always do at this game, and there were very few blue-clad fans outside of the two rows behind the concourse bench.

But the Pirates kept the crowd under control throughout the first half, similar to the 2022 upset here. That changed five minutes into the second stanza when the Scarlet Knights fought back, and when Jeremiah Williams hit a long coast-to-coast rebound to cut the deficit to four with 14:54 left, the RAC really got loud for the first time Time Saturday. The near-fight that followed under the Pirates basket two minutes later got everyone even more fired up.

Overall, a great basketball environment befitting the history of these programs.

5. It still matters

Yes, the rivalry has been lessened somewhat by the start 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 if the players aren’t familiar with each other or what this series means to fans.

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