PISCATAWAY, N.J. – An eagerly anticipated in-state rivalry will be renewed on Sunday night. Separated by just 27 miles, Seton Hall makes the trip south to Rutgers, who will host the game at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday night.

ON THE AIR

The game will be broadcast on FS1 with John Fanta and Jim Spanarkel on the call. Rutgers' radio broadcast will be on 880 AM, with Chris Carlin and the 2012-13 Calabrese Game MVP winner Austin Johnson on the call.

RUTGERS LAST TIME OUT

Rutgers was seconds from a ranked road win on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio, as the Buckeyes hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to deal RU a heartbreaking 67-66 loss. The visitors battled back from an 11-point deficit to lead in the waning seconds but fell on the late heave.

Clifford Omoruyi led the team with 16 points and eight rebounds, scoring 14 of those points after halftime. Aundre Hyatt (13 points) and Cam Spencer (11 points) joined him in double-figure scoring.

ABOUT SETON HALL

Seton Hall will enter the matchup at 5-4 following an 82-55 win on Thursday over Division II Lincoln, which snapped a three-game losing streak (to Oklahoma, Siena, and No. 9 Kansas). Tyrese Samuel leads the team at 12.0 ppg and with 7.0 rebounds per game. He is followed closely by Al-Amir Dawes (11.8 ppg), who faced RU twice while at Clemson (NCAA Tournament, ACC/Big Ten Challenge). 
 
The Pirates lead the nation in getting to the free throw line at 28.3 attempts per game, converting 19.3 free throws per game which is fifth nationally. SHU is coming off of a 21-11 season and NCAA Tournament berth.

First-year Seton Hall head coach Shaheen Holloway came to the Pirates following an Elite Eight run at St. Peter's. A former Seton Hall player, Holloway was 4-1 against RU while playing in South Orange. 
 
ABOUT THE SERIES

This meeting marks the 73^rd all-time matchup, dating back to 1919, with SHU leading 41-31. The teams have played 58 times since 1974-75. Over the last 27 meetings, 21 have been decided by six points or fewer and five contests have gone to overtime. Rutgers is 2-3 against Seton Hall under head coach Steve Pikiell. The home team has won the past five meetings in the series. 
 
WITH A WIN

A victory over Seton Hall would represent:

• The third win in the last four games over Seton Hall
• 32^nd win all-time over Seton Hall
• A 7-0 record this year at home
• A 21-3 record at home over the past two seasons
• A 49-8 record at home over the past four seasons

THE TROPHY

The #GSHClassic Trophy is a perpetual rivalry trophy constructed primarily from recycled Asbury Park boardwalk planks, which were retrieved during a re-decking after Superstorm Sandy. The trophy topper is formed in the state of New Jersey with the base mimicking the form and texture of a basketball.

"1916" is branded on the topper, which signifies the year of the initial meeting between the schools on the hardwood. The athletics logos are affixed at their geographic locations.

The official logo of the Garden State Hardwood Classic, which was conceived and created by former Seton Hall women's soccer student-athlete Peggy Nicolle, adorns the base.

The trophy stands 32 inches tall and weighs 33 pounds. New Jersey resident Colin Pezzano, a 2014 graduate of the University of the Arts, created the one-of-a-kind award. The trophy was constructed in a workshop on a farm in Cumberland County.

CONNECTION

Director of Athletics Pat Hobbs joined Rutgers on Nov. 29, 2015, moving south down the New Jersey Turnpike after notable achievements at SHU. He served as Dean at the Seton Hall School of Law from 1999 to 2015 and oversaw the Department of Athletics from 2009 to 2011.

RECENT JOE CALABRESE GAME MVP WINNERS

The MVP of the annual Garden State Hardwood Classic is presented the Joe Calabrese Game MVP Award. The award honors the memory of longtime New Jersey sports writer Joe Calabrese, who covered the rivalry and college athletics or the Newark Star Ledger, Trenton Times, and Bridgewater Courier News.
 
Season .....................Player ............................................................. Team
2021-22...................Bryce Aiken........................................... Seton Hall
2020-21...................No Game Contested
2019-20 ...................Ron Harper Jr. ............................................. Rutgers
2018-19 ...................Myles Powell ........................................... Seton Hall
2017-18 ...................Corey Sanders.............................................. Rutgers
2016-17 ...................Angel Delgado ......................................... Seton Hall
2015-16 ...................Angel Delgado ......................................... Seton Hall
2014-15 ...................Isaiah Whitehead .................................... Seton Hall
2013-14 ...................Eugene Teague........................................ Seton Hall
2012-13 ...................Austin Johnson ............................................ Rutgers
2011-12 ...................Dane Miller.................................................. Rutgers
2010-11 ...................Jordan Theodore ..................................... Seton Hall
2009-10 ...................Jeremy Hazell .......................................... Seton Hall
2008-09 ...................John Garcia.............................................. Seton Hall
2007-08 ...................Corey Chandler............................................ Rutgers
2006-07 ...................Adrian Hill.................................................... Rutgers
 
RU'S DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE

Rutgers boasts the second best three-point defense in the NCAA, holding opponents to 22.7 percent shooting from behind the arc. RU is also sixth in scoring defense (55.6 ppg), 12^th in field goal percentage defense (36.7%), 13^th in steals (10.4 spg) and 18^th in turnover margin (+5.1) and 28^th in turnovers forced (17.56). RU leads the Big Ten in offensive rebounds (13.78, also 15^th in the nation), scoring defense, steals per game, three-point percentage defense, turnover margin, and turnovers forced. Per Ken Pom, RU is sixth in the nation in adjusted defense.

CLIFFORD OMORUYI, DUNK KING

Junior center Clifford Omoruyi has continued his success from last season being one of the nation's top dunkers. He led the country in dunks heading into the NCAA Tournament last season and is off to another hot start in 22-23. Omoruyi has 23 dunks in nine games thus far (2.56 per-game). That is good for four-best in the country.

STANDOUT STATS

Junior guard Cam Spencer has 26 steals. He currently is seventh in the nation at 2.89 steals per game and fourth overall in total steals. The Davidsonville, Md. Native is posting 13.4 points-per-game and 3.8 assists. Spencer is shooting 95.5 percent from the free throw line.

Junior center Clifford Omoruyi is leading RU in scoring (15.4 points per game), rebounding (9.6 rpg) and blocks (16). He also has three double-doubles. Omoruyi has been a force to be reckoned with in the paint thus far and is shooting 52.3 percent from the field.

Senior forward Aundre Hyatt has been a huge contributor on the offensive side of the ball averaging 11.4 points. He's averaging 4.7 rebounds in 28.0 minutes thus far. After entering the year with just four career double-figure scoring games, he has scored in double figures seven times thus far this season and had a career-high three made three-pointers at Miami.

Mawot Mag, who averaged 2.9 points per game last season, has produced 7.6 points per game thus far this year, starting all nine games. He has posted between seven and 11 points in seven of the nine games.

UP NEXT

This marks the fourth game in a challenging five-game slate against major conference opponents. RU is back home following this one next Saturday, as they will host Wake Forest on Saturday, December 17 at noon.