Rutgers Garden State Victory Over Seton Hall Could Pay Dividends Later
While it is still considered “early” in the college basketball season, Rutgers men’s hoops had what might be a season defining victory on Saturday night against in-state rival Seton Hall….
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY – DECEMBER 9: Clifford Omoruyi #11 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights holds up the Garden State Hardwood Classic Trophy along with teammates Jamichael Davis #1, Noah Fernandes #2, Oskar Palmquist #9, Aundre Hyatt #5 and Derek Simpson #0 after defeating the Seton Hall Pirates 70-63 in a game at Prudential Center on December 9, 2023 in Newark, New Jersey.
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)While it is still considered "early" in the college basketball season, Rutgers men's hoops had what might be a season defining victory on Saturday night against in-state rival Seton Hall.
Not only did Rutgers win the Garden State Hardwood Classic 70-63, they dominated Seton Hall from pillar to post.
Rutgers never trailed as three-pointers by Noah Fernandes, Aundre Hyatt and Gavin Griffiths helped spearhead Rutgers to a 12-5 advantage early on.
The Scarlet Knights were deadly from downtown, connecting on 50 percent of their three-point attempts (12-of-24). Fernandes was especially dominant, tallying 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting with a trio of three-pointers.
The victory was also a coming out party for Clifford Omoruyi who dominated the glass with a double-double, 13 rebounds and 11 points. His efforts were enough to capture the Joe Calabrese Game MVP.
Omoruyi also became the 46th player in Rutgers history to record 1,000 points in men's basketball.
"I challenged our guys. I am just really proud," head coach Steve Pikiell said afterwards. "We will continue to get better. I thought they had a great focus. Seton Hall is always tough to play here. This group was really connected and I am proud of them."
Rutgers showed it can shoot the lights out when they are rolling offensively, and their zone defense smothered Seton Hall, who shot only 36 percent from the floor.
Having Mawot Mag return from injury is also huge. Mag was a big part of Rutgers success last season before suffering a ACL injury last February at The Garden. He had four points and eight rebounds in Saturday's win.
"You don't know the journey it's been. The rehab. He has been religious about his rehab. We have great doctors at Rutgers, and to have him back was a real lift in every way," Pikiell added.
How big was this win?
In one word: HUGE! Seton Hall has dominated this series in recent years, winning seven of the last nine match-ups prior to Saturday's festivities. The victory was also the first win at Prudential Center against Seton Hall since 2013 for the Scarlet Knights.
The win also snapped a two-game losing streak for Rutgers, who was coming off defeats to Illinois and Wake Forest. The win gets Rutgers back on track at 6-3 before LIU, Mississippi State and Stonehill to end the month.
While nothing is certain come March, this is a game that Rutgers can use to build off of. Last year, Rutgers lost this game to Seton Hall, and wound up losing out on a berth in the NCAA Tournament come selection Sunday. Perhaps a win like this could spearhead Rutgers to bigger things in the Big Ten in the coming weeks.
