3 Things About Saturday's GSHC Game vs. Rutgers

2018 Garden State Hardwood Classic Seton Hall Pirates (6-3, 0-0 BIG EAST) vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (5-4, 0-2 Big Ten)
Date/Time/Location	Saturday, December 15 \| 2 p.m. \| Prudential Center (Newark, N.J.)
Tickets	SOLD OUT...but visit the Prudential Center box office Saturday to see if any tickets were returned.
Television Broadcast	FS1 \| FOX Sports GO
Radio Broadcast	AM970 The Answer \| XM 380 \| Pirate Sports Network
Game Notes	Seton Hall \| Rutgers
Links	Live Stats \| Twitter \| Facebook \| Instagram

From the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

rivalry

noun
ri·val·ry | \ˈrī-vəl-rē \
plural rivalries

: the act of rivaling : the state of being a rival : COMPETITION

The word rival most commonly refers to a person or group that tries to defeat or be more successful than another person or group, which means that rivals tend to come in pairs. Candidates running for the same political office are political rivals, and two people trying to earn the exclusive affection of a third are romantic rivals. Teams, schools, or companies might be longtime rivals if they try over many years to outdo each other.

Seton Hall and Rutgers are rivals. Their schools are 27 miles apart. They play in the same state. They wear opposite colors. Both fan bases are probably out of their minds.

But it's the last sentence from above that interests us, right? Seton Hall and Rutgers are two schools that try over many years to outdo each other.

Other than Rutgers winning the Garden State Hardwood Classic last season and winning three in a row in the series from 2012-13, when was the last time Rutgers outdid Seton Hall on the basketball court? Since Rutgers last qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1991, Seton Hall has been to nine NCAA Tournaments, won seven NCAA Tournament games, have been ranked 61 times and won 58 games against nationally ranked teams.

It's not even close. Seton Hall Basketball is the better product and is New Jersey's Basketball Team. The Pirates are New Jersey's NCAA Tournament Team.

But in a world where rivalry is a buzzword, and it's all about "what have you done for me lately," the only thing that seems to matter is that Rutgers won the game last year, and Seton Hall didn't.

So here we are. The trophy and another year of New Jersey bragging rights are up for grabs. Both teams want it bad, and only one team will walk away happy.

Saturday's blue vs. red collision will be televised on the FS1 with Brian Custer and Steve Lavin on the call. You can also catch it on the FOX Sports app. Gary Cohen and Dave Popkin will don their headsets and go to work on AM970 The Answer, simulcast on XM 380, the Pirate Sports Network and the SHU Pirates Mobile App.

Three Things to Know About Saturday's Game vs. Rutgers

1. Avoid the Kentucky Letdown
Seton Hall is coming off a huge win over a nationally ranked team in front of a national broadcast network audience. Rutgers lost to a far inferior Fordham team. The Pirates need to avoid the letdown of winning a big game while also recognizing that Rutgers will be steaming mad coming off a loss. Last season, the Pirates fared pretty well coming off a big win. After dispatching a nationally ranked Texas Tech squad, they went to Louisville and took down the nationally ranked Cardinals. After beating nationally ranked Creighton in a draining, comeback victory, they marched forward and took care of rival St. John's.

2. Rebounds and Turnovers Will Once Again Be Key
Rutgers' strength is in rebounding (39.7, +4.4), and the Pirates have struggled with that a tad (33.3, -0.8). Angel Delgado ain't walking through the Prudential Center doors. The Pirates will want to box out, limit second chance opportunities and get out in transition against a Scarlet Knights team that will try to slow things down. In the turnover game, Seton Hall's offensive turnover percentage is 15.5 percent, which is 22nd best in the country. Rutgers is at 19.5 percent, 196th best in the nation. Win the turnover battle and you've got a good chance of winning the game.

3. Get Ready to Stand the Second Half
Because it's a heated rivalry, these games are traditionally close. Seton Hall wiped the floor with Rutgers in 2014 and 2015, but 20 of the last 24 meetings have been decided by six points or fewer or overtime. Chances are Saturday is coming down to the end. Will the hero be wearing blue or red?