Seton Hall raises Boardwalk Trophy for first time since 2022 as Pirates routed Rutgers in Garden State Hardwood Classic. (Photo by Joey Jarzynka/Daly Dose Of Hoops)
By Jason Guerette (@JPGuerette)
NEWARK, N.J. — Last season in Piscataway, Seton Hall and Rutgers met in the Garden State Hardwood Classic at the RAC. Rutgers was favored with a pair of lottery pick freshmen in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, but the Pirates scrapped their way to a close game before Harper hit a buzzer-beating three to break the Pirates’ hearts.
This season, Seton Hall was the team favored to win while Rutgers came in a squad in transition, but the script was anything but last year’s, as the Pirates blitzed the Scarlet Knights with an 11-0 run out of the blocks and never looked back, earning an 81-59 win in front of a sold-out Prudential Center.
Here are the thoughts from the Pirates’ most-lopsided win over their rivals since 2015:
1. This Budd’s For You
My, oh my, what a difference a legitimate point guard makes.
The first half (and really the whole game, but particularly the first half) belonged to Seton Hall lead guard Budd Clark. He picked up three steals early to lead the Pirates out to their 11-0 lead, but his impact was so much more than that. Despite just two points of his own in the opening half, he had seven assists, just one turnover, four steals, and an eye-popping plus-24 rating that led all players in just 16 minutes of action.
Even when he wasn't stealing the ball, the presence and pressure on defense that he applied to Rutgers’ backcourt threw a wrench into whatever the Scarlet Knights wanted to do. Aside from picking up his second foul in the final minute, it was a near-perfect half from the Philadelphia native.
In the second half, Clark then picked up his own offense, finishing with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting, while his game-ending plus-minus rating ended up at a ridiculous plus-31 in 31 minutes. He rightfully earned a standing ovation from the 11,153 fans in Newark, along with the Joe Calabrese MVP Award given annually to the best player on the floor in this rivalry matchup.
“I thought he did a really good job,” head coach Shaheen Holloway said. “I mean, that’s what I’m looking for him to do. I thought the first half, he really controlled the game, got people involved, the second half, he took over. And we’ve got, to be honest with you — I don’t want to say nothing crazy — but when I saw (Rutgers’) starting lineup, I knew that we were gonna have to get after them early, and we kind of did that. I think that’s what changed the momentum of the game, those three steals early.”
When you have a maestro-like performance from your point guard, everything seems easier. The Pirates had Leonard Bernstein on their side tonight, and there was nothing Rutgers could do about it.
2. A(J)SMR
After a season in which he averaged 7.3 points per game at Miami last year, A.J. Staton-McCray had all the tools to be an impact player in Holloway’s system, given his length and athleticism, plus his experience as a graduate student.
But he's been more than that. He’s become the leading scorer on this balanced Seton Hall team, averaging nearly 14 points per contest on terrific percentages from everywhere: 45 percent from the field, nearly 40 from three, and over 90 at the free throw line. Not only that, but it seems whenever the Pirates need a big shot made, particularly from deep, it’s the Florida native providing it.
Tonight, when Rutgers had sliced the early Pirate advantage all the way down to one point at 18-17, it was Staton-McCray’s three from the right wing that sparked what became a game-breaking 15-0 run from which Rutgers never really recovered. Eight of his game-high 18 points came in the spurt.
“A.J.’s been good,” Holloway said. “He hurt his hand in practice, so the last three days, he’s had tape on his right hand, he really didn’t even shoot that much. So to come out and play the way he played, he made a big shot. I want him to do that. He’s one of our leaders, he’s been around for a while, he’s got some experience and I knew we needed him to make plays. And he’s more than just a jump shooter. Think about it: He had 18 points today, he only made one three. That’s pretty good.”
Staton-McCray has also had his biggest games in The Hall’s biggest games: He had 22 points in 31 minutes against NC State, 17 points against USC, 20 against Washington State in the bounce-back game after the Pirates’ lone loss, 16 at Kansas State, and now 18 points this evening. If he can continue to do that (tonight was his ninth straight game in double figures), it raises the ceiling for this team going forward.
3. The Hines Center
One other thing that stood out to me tonight is the play of Najai Hines. The freshman big man and Plainfield native put an early stamp on the chief rivalry in his home state quietly at first, rotating on defense well to shut off Rutgers’ driving lanes, and picking up a couple blocks in the first half.
In the second half, though, his offense came around, as he finished with 10 points, six rebounds, and four blocked shots. Five of his rebounds were on the offensive end, displaying the desire that all great rebounders have. His plus-9 rating in 23 minutes was solid as well.
“I’ve been on him for the last week since we got back from the (Kansas State) trip,” Holloway said. “He’s a freshman, right? He might (have) hit the wall, we had finals this week, I don’t know what was going on, but he wasn’t practicing well. Even today in the walkthrough, I got into him, and I thought he came out and responded. That’s what I want from him. I want him to play the way he’s capable of playing, just being physical and throwing his body around.”
As my colleague and this blog’s namesake Jaden Daly posted during the contest, “the more I watch Najai Hines, the more Delgado-like he becomes,” referring of course to Seton Hall modern legend Angel Delgado. While Hines may not be the flat-out dominant instinctual rebounder that the Big East’s all-time leading boardsman was, he is more offensively advanced at his age than the former Pirate, with soft hands and quick feet around the basket to compliment his natural physicality.
As the saying goes in baseball, “he’s a dude.” The Pirates hope that the dude abides for a long time.
4. Road Work Ahead
Coming off a seven-win season with an entirely new roster, there was a lot that was not known coming into this year: A lot of mystery, and a lot of hope from the Seton Hall fanbase that at the very least, the team would improve.
Now that their non-conference schedule is through, the Pirates has capitalized on that hope with a pre-Big East schedule that, outside of a bad call against USC in Maui, could not have really turned out much better. At 10-1 entering Big East play, the Pirates have been the biggest surprise of the season in the conference.
As local bracketologist Brad Wachtel tweeted, “heading in (to Big East play) with no bad losses and a couple of nice wins gives the Pirates a realistic chance to receive an at-large bid.”
They have to get it done in conference play, however, and it starts on the road in Providence, one of the toughest places to win in the Big East. The aforementioned Mr. Daly and I will be on hand at the Dunk (yes, it will always be the Dunk to me) next Friday night to provide you coverage on Daly Dose of Hoops.
As the classic Vine once said: “Road work ahead? Yeah, I sure hope it does.”
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