Instant classic shows why Seton Hall-UConn rivalry matters, as Pirates win 90-87 in OT

NEWARK – The elements were all there.

The Prudential Center crowd was energized from the outset, as a national audience peered in Saturday afternoon.

As for the drama on the court, it was an instant classic that needed more than 40 minutes to decide, highlighted by a host of strong individual performances.

So by the time Jared Rhoden forced a turnover late in overtime and Bryce Aiken sank a pair of throws to all-but seal No. 24 Seton Hall's 90-87 victory over Connecticut, it sure seemed like everyone had just witnessed something that’s part of an intense rivalry.

Because while it’s still early in UConn’s second stint in the Big East, this one went a long way toward rekindling what used to be a very good rivalry back in the league’s glory days, with the potential to blossom into one of those twice-a-season showdowns that get circled the minute the schedule comes out.

Down four points at halftime and nine early in the second half, Seton Hall rallied behind Kadary Richmond’s monster second half, scoring 17 straight points as part of a 27-point outburst. Then Aiken missed a chance to win it in regulation for the Pirates when his triple in the final seconds refused to fall.

After Adama Sanogo scored inside to give the Huskies an 87-86 lead with 41.7 seconds left in overtime, it was Richmond scoring inside and drawing the foul with 31.6 seconds left. While he missed the free throw, it gave the Pirates a one-point lead.

With the Huskies holding the ball to go for the win, Seton Hall forced a turnover with 2.6 seconds left. Aiken then hit a pair of free throws with 1.7 seconds to play.

The storylines coming in were impressive, from the return of UConn coach Dan Hurley, the former Seton Hall guard and son of legendary former St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley, to the reboot of both programs after COVID shutdowns and games with short benches.

“When coaches say they don’t want you in the league it’s probably the biggest compliment you can get because they don’t want to go against you twice,” Seton Hall coach Kevin Willard said.

Hurley a 'high-level coach'

“Danny is as good a coach as I go against all year long. It’s why I wasn’t happy that they came into the league. It wasn’t anything - I know I made a wise-ass comment. I don’t want to go against Danny twice a year.

“Danny, the way he runs his program, the players he gets and recruits and the level he coaches at, it’s a high-level program and he’s a high-level coach. It’s great that our games are battles, I think they’re going to be battles because we’re very similar. Danny and my personalities are very similar. We’re very intense. His teams and my teams play very similar - both physical. They’re always going to be a high level.”

Both programs rose up from the bottom of the Big East in the 1980s. Now each are playing like headliners in what remains one of the country’s top leagues.

UConn’s last season in the Big East was 2013-13, when conference realignment forced UConn to do a seven-year sentence in the AAC before returning last season.

“That was a high-level game,” Hurley said. “That felt like a Sweet 16 game, a Big East championship game. Two high level teams. It’s great for basketball in the tri-state, the Northeast.”

It’s not without its pitfalls, mind you. Seton Hall and UConn each are recruiting the same areas hard. Between them they have 11 players from the New York metropolitan area on their respective rosters. Each one of these games has the potential to impact recruiting decisions.

Last year it was the Huskies putting one of the final nails in the Pirates’ NCAA Tournament coffin with a late-season win in Newark.

Rivalries are what make sports so compelling. They make it all worthwhile for players and fans, equate to dollars with packed arenas and create signature moments that everyone relives annually.

Over the last decade, Seton Hall’s rivalry with Villanova has produced some of the Pirates’ most dramatic games during that time. And the now annual game with Rutgers always draws a ton of interest.

And if Saturday was any indication, the Seton Hall-UConn rivalry could blossom into one of the best.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Seton Hall wins in OT over UConn, as Big East rivalry rekindles