Seton Hall’s NIT championship run a microcosm of a season to remember

Forget the selection committee, and all the talk of being snubbed.

Seton Hall got a chance to end its season its way, go out on its terms, and prove to everyone once again that it does its best work when doubted.

No matter who the faces of the program have been over the past decade-plus, one thing has remained consistent in the Garden State: Seton Hall has usually outperformed its expectations.

It did in the regular season, turning a ninth-place preseason prediction into 13 Big East wins and a year that — if not for UConn’s dominance — would have landed Shaheen Holloway Coach of the Year plaudits in any other season. It did again in the postseason, when some thought the Pirates would either turn down the call of the NIT or mail it in like many other high-major teams have over the years.

Seton Hall is a champion as a result, maybe not the way most would have thought, but a champion nonetheless after a stirring takedown of Indiana State in a de facto road game for the Pirates’ first NIT crown since 1953 and the days of Richie Regan, the patron saint of South Orange. And the manner in which The Hall punched back at the powers that be was symbolic of how it had done so all year, not deviating from its blue-collar mentality for one second and seizing the moment.

This Pirate team was formed in Holloway’s own image early in the season. Even in a lackluster non-conference portion of the schedule, Seton Hall never strayed from the scrappy nature that defined it. Early victories over UConn and Marquette confirmed the long-term chops of a group some thought to be a fluke even in mid-January. With its back thought to be against the wall going into March, it responded again with wins over Villanova and DePaul to stay in the conversation.

Then, it was taken away in one soul-crushing hour on March 17. But, as everyone would soon find out, not without a fight.

Seton Hall’s starting five, a quintet made up entirely of seniors, made its intentions clear to Holloway when he left the decision of accepting the NIT invite in his veteran players’ hands. None of the five were ready for their season, or their careers to end, especially by someone else’s edict. But the affirmation came with a disclaimer.

If we’re going to be in it, Holloway reminded his team, we’re going to be in it to win it.

Message received.

Each of Seton Hall’s five starters contributed in each of the five postseason games they played. Al-Amir Dawes rallied the Pirates past a game St. Joe’s team looking to score an upset in the opening round, doing so with a flurry of backbreaking threes in the second half and overtime, a showing that set the tone for his entire postseason run. Kadary Richmond impacted the North Texas game unlike any other player, grabbing 15 rebounds and making sure he and his teammates got one last home game in the process.

Dylan Addae-Wusu, the St. John’s transfer, turned the momentum of the quarterfinal against UNLV with his steal and dunk to end the first half, setting the wheels in motion for a rout to get to Indianapolis and the semifinals of the nation’s oldest postseason tournament. Once at Hinkle Fieldhouse, Jaden Bediako dominated the second half against Georgia, making sure the double-digit lead the Pirates built in the opening minutes stayed that way on the scoreboard.

Finally, there was Dre Davis, the Indianapolis native and arguably the most consistent clutch performer for the Pirates all year. It was only fitting that he be the one to hit the final shot, the go-ahead drive that turned out to be the game-winner. And it was only fitting that The Hall have to sweat out one more possession on defense, the calling card for which the Pirates have come to be known before and during their current makeup.

The working man’s team did what the working man notoriously does. It went about its business, made the best of what the circumstances decreed, and crafted its own fate while giving its supporters an even greater incentive to stay along for the ride.

For those reasons, no matter what narrative one wants to spin, this group will be immortal in New Jersey hoops lore.