Rutgers looks to pick up steam in clash vs. Seton Hall

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Their expectation levels may have been different, but neither Rutgers nor Seton Hall has had the most promising start to the season.

New Jersey's two power-conference programs will try to author a signature win when the Pirates visit the Scarlet Knights for the Garden State Hardwood Classic on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway, N.J.

Rutgers (6-4) endured a three-game losing streak before picking up its first Big Ten win of the season Tuesday, 80-76 over Penn State. The Scarlet Knights have enjoyed plenty of attention thanks to five-star freshmen Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, but they've also put a loss to Kennesaw State on their resume.

They'll try to assert their dominance over Seton Hall (5-5), which has lost to Fordham, Hofstra and Monmouth while fielding one of the weakest offenses in Division I. At 60.1 points per game, the Pirates rank sixth-to-last in the country, even as they limit opponents to 59.4 points per outing (the No. 11 scoring defense).

Rutgers is 5-0 at home after leading by as many as 15 in the Penn State victory. Harper had 24 points, 12 rebounds and five assists and Bailey produced 15 points and 15 rebounds.

"They're like a sixth defender for us," Harper said of the fans. "We've been on the road for 20 days so seeing all of our fans, and seeing how loud they were, it meant the world to us."

The student section will be especially fired up to see the rival Pirates, which could make free-throw shooting an issue for them. They rank No. 350 in the country at 60.3 percent from the foul line entering Friday.

However, Seton Hall pulled out a road win the last time the game was played at Rutgers. In a defensive rock fight in 2022, the Pirates prevailed 45-43.

Rutgers got revenge last season at Seton Hall's place, winning 70-63. But most players on both rosters are new and will experience the rivalry game for the first time.

"I don't have a Jersey player on my team, right?" Pirates coach Shaheen Holloway told NJ.com. "So I have to get those guys to understand rivalries."

Seton Hall will lean on Chaunce Jenkins (11.8 ppg) -- who was limited in the team's 85-76 loss to Oklahoma State on Sunday due to a knee injury, but is cleared to face Rutgers -- and Isaiah Coleman (11.7 ppg), one of three returning players from last year's team.

For Rutgers, Harper is excited about the rivalry having grown up in New Jersey and watched his older brother, Ron Harper Jr., play in the game. At 23.4 ppg, Dylan Harper is the third-leading scorer in the country, and he adds 5.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest.

Seton Hall leads the all-time series 42-32.

--Field Level Media