After recruiting score, Rutgers basketball gives hope for this season with Seton Hall win

NEWARK – In what was already been a groundbreaking week for Rutgers basketball, there’s no way to minimize how important Saturday night’s events in the Prudential Center were for the Scarlet Knights.

It was a heck of a moment Wednesday when five-star prospect Dylan Harper rounded out what folks in Piscataway hope will be a generational recruiting class, and is ranked third nationally.

But the 70-63 win over in-state rival Seton Hall was about this season, not the future. About getting a quality win in a frenetic atmosphere against an opponent that needed the game as much as they did, if not more.

“Great couple of days," Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell said. "Rutgers is a great university. Getting some of the best players in the country to come play in our program is a credit to these guys. They made it that way. It’s a hard place to come and play, Jersey Mike’s (Arena), and people want to be a part of that. Great week. We had some challenges and I liked how this team responded. We’re going to continue to get better and that is what I always like about the journey of the season. We always get better and will continue that."

Returning to the NCAA Tournament this season won’t be easy. And a loss in this game would have made it that much more difficult, both in terms of resume and trying to build momentum before the bulk of the Big Ten schedule kicks in.

More: Rutgers basketball beats rival Seton Hall as Mawot Mag returns

Don’t discount the impact local bragging rights can have, against a program that had dominated the Garden State Hardwood Classic, winning seven of the first nine since the breakup of the Big East, even as Rutgers’ rise in the Big Ten had been a bigger part of the New Jersey college hoops narrative during that time.

"Just to come in here, it’s a rivalry game, it’s a big game," said forward Mowat Mag, who returned to the court for the first time since February and provided a big boost.

And for Rutgers, it’s not just the class that takes the court next season. Rookie Gavin Griffiths drained a trio of first-half 3-pointers, while classmate Jamichael Davis was a starter as part of a revamped lineup, as coach Steve Pikiell looked for a spark after back-to-back lopsided losses to Illinois in the Big Ten opener and Wake Forest.

"We haven’t played as well as I would like, and I just wanted us to be locked in. They were locked in,this group," Pikiell said. "They know the importance of the game. We wanted to paint the entire state red. And we felt like we came in here and were locked in and focused."

It all comes as the Scarlet Knights look to rebound from a disappointing finish last season that had them relegated to the NIT, where a first-round loss to Hofstra ended things quickly.

As for Seton Hall, with a fourth loss in five games, the Pirates are reeling. If they’d won, it would have been Rutgers wondering about what’s gone wrong and how to right the ship. That’s how fine the line is right now in college hoops.

What was telling about this one was that Rutgers was pretty much in control from the outset. Griffiths’ early shots provided a quick lead. And while Seton Hall got even several times early on, the Scarlet Knights kept the Pirates at arm’s length.

Aundre Hyatt opened the second half with a huge triple that gave Rutgers a 36-25 lead, and the Scarlet Knights were off and running. Seton Hall rallied, cutting the lead to eight points on a Kadary Richmond jumper. But Seton Hall simply couldn’t score enough or get enough stops at the defensive end to get all the way back.

The Harwood Classic Trophy is fashioned from wood from the Asbury Park boardwalk destroyed by Superstorm Sandy, and it might be the best piece of hardware Rutgers receives this season. But it might also end up being symbolic, part of a resurrection this season, as the Jersey Shore bounced back from the storm.

What’s clear is that one team left the floor in the Rock Saturday night with some added hope, while the other finds itself in search of answers.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rutgers basketball beats Seton Hall to follow Dylan Harper signing