They say history repeats itself.
Well, that rang true for Rutgers as nearly three years to the day that Ron Harper Jr. hit his dramatic half-court shot to lift the Scarlet Knights over then-No. 1 Purdue 70-68, Dylan Harper had a moment of his own as his buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave them a 66-63 victory against in-state rival Seton Hall in the Garden State Hardwood Classic.
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"I think my brother's shot was one of the best in college basketball," the younger Harper said. "He beat the number one team in the country and had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and hit a half-court shot, so all credit to him. I think his shot was better, but mine was more meaningful in regards to the game and the type of environment we were in."
Head Coach Steve Pikiell kept his answer more succinct.
"I liked them both," he said with a smile.
Harper got off to a slow start as he was held to six points on 2-for-5 shooting in the first half. The freshman got better as the game wore on though as he scored 18 points in the second half to lead the Scarlet Knights (7-4, 1-1) and netted 14 of their last 20 points. He also earned the Joe Calabrese MVP award, similar to his brother in 2019.
"We just had to figure out a way to win and Dylan [Harper] seemed to have it down," Pikiell said. "I am happy we ground out in the second half to put us in a position to win."
Harper detailed what was going through his mind on the final possession.
"I don't know what was going through my head, I was just trying to win," he said. "The main thing on my mind was the Exhibition Game against St. John's. I turned the ball over for that game and definitely did not want to do that again. I wanted to get the win and that is what we did. My thought process was to get the best shot possible. It was the only spot on the court open so I got there and shot the ball. I worked on this a lot, constant reps in practice, so I was very confident in this shot."
Jordan Derkack explained his exchange with Harper on the final possession and how the freshman kept his cool, despite the heat being cranked up. Derkack finished with nine points and five rebounds.
"I passed the ball into him and I wanted him to start catching and run but he just wanted to catch it and start going," Derkack said. "I told him to hurry up and he told me to relax and that he would do what he had to do."
Harper discussed what it meant to continue his family's legacy at Rutgers and what it was like playing his first, and likely only, game against Seton Hall (5-6).
"It meant a lot, from watching my brother play his tough rivalry games he always played his heart out," he said. "I just wanted to come out here and play. Coach Pikiell told us all this would be a serious game and we have to come out here and play Rutgers Basketball because this is a real rivalry. We could have played better but the important thing is that we won."
No matter the circumstances, the Garden State Hardwood Classic seems to bring out the best in the two teams as the last 23 meetings were decided by six points or fewer with five going to overtime. This edition was no different as it featured four ties, 10 lead changes, and the first game-winning shot since JR Inman's three lifted the Scarlet Knights over the Pirates 64-61 in 2008 at the Prudential Center.
"It is always a great game and Seton Hall is tough as nails," Pikiell said. "Shaheen [Holloway] is one of the best coaches in the country, he does a fantastic job. We did not play our best game, we missed 15 free throws and had 15 turnovers, but we still figured out a way to win so I am proud of our guys."
Pikiell also described how a game like this could help his team in the long run.
"Our rivalry games always come down to this," he said. "We are growing and this team has been tough and resilient. We have done a good job but must figure out how to continue doing so. The other team is good too and they are trying to win. The way they rebound and steal the ball, they play at a different kind of pace. Our team has to and will continue to learn from all the teams' different styles."
While Harper's heroics will get a bulk of the attention, Rutgers would not have gotten to that point if not for the efforts of fellow freshman superstar Ace Bailey who tallied 21 points and seven rebounds. Bailey also nailed a key 3-pointer to give the Scarlet Knights a 59-57 advantage with 3:11 to go, a lead they would never relinquish.
In a first half that saw a lot go wrong for Rutgers with 11 turnovers and going into halftime down 33-27, Bailey was about the only thing that went right as he scored 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting. He also scored the team's last nine points of the half.
As much pride Rutgers can have in taking back the Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy for the second year in a row, there will likely be a sigh of relief coming out of Piscataway too as a loss to Seton Hall would have been damaging to its NCAA Tournament chances.
While the New Jersey connection should be enough to motivate both sides, the last few years have shown how important the game can be as the previous two losers were among the first four out on Selection Sunday.
Rutgers will look to improve its free throw shooting as it finished 13-for-28 from the line and combined to go 17-for-53 in its last two games.
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