In what can only be described as one of the biggest shots in Rutgers history, Ron Harper Jr. nailed a buzzer-beating three from half court to earn the Scarlet Knights a 70-68 victory over No. 1 Purdue.
Here are three thoughts after the game…..
RON HARPER JR. -- MAN OF THE HOUR
With time winding down and Rutgers trailing 68-67 following a Trevion Williams lay-up, Ron Harper Jr. put the team on his back and gave the Scarlet Knights their first-ever win against an AP No. 1 team. Not only did Harper Jr. hit the deciding shot, but he finished the game with a double-double tallying 30 points and 10 rebounds.
“We just kept hanging around. We did a really good job fighting in this game,” head coach Steve Pikiell said after the game. “Didn’t look like it was going our way at times, but they just stayed the course and made big plays and made big stops.”
In big-time games, teams look to their big-time players to make big-time plays and Harper Jr. delivered in droves as Rutgers won despite being without its team captain Geo Baker. The screams of jubilance could be heard all across New Jersey as Harper Jr. hit possibly the biggest shot in program history.
HURRICANE MIKE VISITS NEW JERSEY
Following a rough start to the season and a brutal 86-51 loss to Illinois, one would be hard-pressed to find anyone picking Rutgers in this matchup. However, sometimes in college basketball one has to expect the unexpected and this game was the perfect example of that.
“The band, the Riot Squad, the cheerleaders, the dance team, and all the fans in the community make this a hard place to play because when we go on the road in this league it’s tough,” Pikiell said. “It’s a tough league to go on the road and we’ve made Jersey Mike’s a place that’s tough for people to come in and play and I thank the fans for coming out and making that happen.”
It is hard to take anything anyway from Purdue considering it had three players score double figures as Trevion Williams had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds along with 15 points from Jordan Ivey and 13 from Zach Edey. This was just the type of game that came down to who had the ball last and, in this instance, lady luck favored Rutgers and the many Scarlet Knights supporters who stormed the court in celebration.
SOAK IT IN
While one can argue what the biggest win in Rutgers history is, this one ranks right up there considering it marked the first time the Scarlet Knights have ever defeated the No. 1 team in the nation. For a fanbase that has been beaten down and left heartbroken so many times, this is a moment worth soaking in because it does not happen too often.
“History was made tonight and all these guys were a big part of it,” Pikiell said. “We held a team that averaged 93 points a game to 68. A lot of great things happened tonight against a really good Purdue basketball team so it took all 40 minutes.”
The sight of Harper Jr. hitting the shot and the fans storming the court will likely be played on every highlight reel and hype video from now until the end of time. So while there is a big matchup with rival Seton Hall on the horizon, take the time to appreciate this win because who knows when something of its magnitude will come around again.
Rutgers will look to capitalize on its newfound momentum when it takes on Seton Hall at the Prudential Center on Sunday (12/12) at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1.
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