Only six men’s college basketball teams were still alive Thursday night, and two were busy meeting in Indianapolis to decide the winner of the NIT.
At the end of a 40-minute dog fight featuring a nail-biting finish, Seton Hall stood victorious over Indiana State, posting a 79-77 win to bring home the school’s first NIT title since 1953.
With three minutes left, Seton Hall’s fate looked dire as the Pirates faced a seven-point deficit after a three-pointer from Indiana State’s Isaiah Swope. However, Seton Hall made a few of its biggest plays all night in crunch time, using Dre Davis’ strong take inside with 16 seconds left to cap off a game-ending 9-0 run that proved to be the difference.
Before that, Al-Amir Dawes drained a straightaway three with 1:07 left to tie the score at 77. Indiana State’s last possession could have broken Seton Hall’s heart, but Swope’s three-point attempt was blocked by Jaden Bediako before Ryan Conwell’s deep three caromed off the front rim.
“It hasn’t hit me yet,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “I’m still in the moment. I’m just so happy for those guys.”
The NIT championship was a classic game of runs that saw the Sycamores end the first half on an 11-0 run after falling behind 39-28. A couple of missed assignments behind the three-point line on sharpshooter Julian Larry cost the Pirates during that stretch. Indiana State also did a solid job of matching Seton Hall’s physicality down low, having been riled up by its home supporters who made the quick hour-plus commute from Terre Haute to support their heroes at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
The pace was fast out of the gate, which caused seven early turnovers from the Sycamores. After trailing 10-9, Seton Hall launched a 7-0 run on the strength of layups from Davis and Dylan Addae-Wusu, sandwiched around a three-pointer from Dawes. But the seven-point lead kept shrinking for the Pirates, who were unable to fully capitalize on Indiana State’s early miscues.
“We had moments where we could have controlled the game, but you have to give those guys credit for making plays,” Holloway said. “We credit our league. We played in a bunch of hostile environments, so this was nothing new for us.”
Fittingly, Dawes ended his career in style, being named tournament MVP after scoring 24 points to lead the Pirates and crushing the Sycamores’ soul in the process. He was sizzling hot the whole tournament, averaging 21 points on 46 percent shooting from three. In the championship setting, he came up with four steals to go along with his three three-pointers, including the game-tying bomb.
“We just gutted it out the whole way,” Dawes said. “We knew it was going to be a fight. Indiana State is a hell of a team. We knew they were going to make runs and that we would make runs. We wanted it more.”
Indiana State fought hard, and had to empty the tank, as described by head coach Josh Schertz after the game. Schertz will be replaying the last possession for a long time because of what this game meant to his team and the fan base. With rumors swirling about his future, Schertz instead heaped praise on his team for how it stuck together during moments of adversity this season to come away with a 32-7 mark, only one win shy of the program record set in 1978-79, when the Sycamores were led by a scrawny baller named Larry Bird.
“They are going to look back and have no regrets,” said Schertz, whose team stayed true to its bombs away mentality from three by going 12-of-32. “They couldn’t have played any harder.”
Holloway credited every person in the Seton Hall locker room, including the walk-ons for how they worked to prepare the starters for moments like Thursday night. The starters played big minutes, but Holloway saw no reason to lose faith late, even when Seton Hall fell behind.
“I ride with my guys, man,” Holloway said. “I rode with them all year.”
Davis, who played 40 minutes and scored 18 points, rewarded his head coach with the game-winning layup. It was the perfect homecoming for the Indianapolis native, who started his career at Louisville before joining forces in South Orange with Holloway.
“Obviously, he’s a great coach having gone to the Elite 8,” Davis said. “This is something he can add to his resume as well.”
Perhaps nobody said it better than Richmond, the Pirates’ best player in the regular season who had to overcome a midseason foot injury. He ended his phenomenal season with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists.
“We left the naysayers with something to remember,” Richmond said, as a final ode to Seton Hall’s NCAA Tournament snub. “We also opened the doors to the underdog players to be recruited by Seton Hall. It’s a great place to play.”
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