Current:Home > ContactSeton Hall defeats Indiana State in thrilling final to win NIT -SecureWealth Vault
Seton Hall defeats Indiana State in thrilling final to win NIT
View
Date:2025-04-16 23:40:28
INDIANAPOLIS – It was a title game that lived up to its billing, a showcase of two NCAA Tournament snubs that proved they belonged, waged before a relentlessly raucous crowd at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.
You could not have asked for a more compelling NIT final, and in the end, Seton Hall dug deep and rallied late for a 79-77 triumph Thursday. Senior wing Dre Davis, an Indianapolis native, hit the go-ahead layup with 16 seconds left, slicing past three defenders to do it.
Seton Hall’s quest for its first NIT crown since 1953 succeeded despite a crowd that was totally pro-Indiana State. The Pirates finish a memorable season with a 25-12 record, the foundation having been laid in year two of Shaheen Holloway’s regime. It’s just the fifth time the program has won 25-plus games in its 120-year history.
Indiana State’s banner campaign ends at 32-7. The Sycamores, like the Pirates, put on a show for much of the tournament, raising their profile and garnering national buzz.
NIT highlights
Too many whistles
No one wants to see a ref show, especially not in a championship contest. But that’s what happened as the crew of Brent Hampton (who works Big East games), Steven Anderson and Jeb Hartness made it a ticky-tack affair.
FOLLOW THE MADNESS: NCAA basketball bracket, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Indiana State fans deservedly let the officials have it, but the onslaught of calls killed the Pirates, who had to go deep into their bench in the first half. Indiana State finished the period on an 11-0 run as a result.
A worthy title-game venue
It’s not Madison Square Garden, which hosted the NIT semis and final for decades, but Hinkle is an outstanding replacement. At a cozy 9,100-seats, with a balcony that surrounds the court and provides an intimate old-school setting, outstanding acoustics and dripping with history (as everybody knows, the ultimate scene of “Hoosiers” was filmed there), this was a quality host.
It's a shame Fox is launching an alternate consolation tournament for high-majors next season, to be played fully in Las Vegas, because the charms of the NIT in venues like Walsh Gym and Hinkle were evident these past few weeks.
A trip for the die-hards
As expected, Hinkle was jammed with Indiana State fans. About 300 Pirate supporters were in the house, and they made themselves heard.
Among them was Kevin Regan, the son of Seton Hall legend Richie Regan – who was point guard on the Pirates’ 1953 NIT championship squad. Kevin was wearing the gold watch his father got for winning the tournament. It was willed to him when Richie Regan died in 2002.
“It’s been a great run, and it brings back fantastic memories,” said Kevin Regan, a Brielle resident who came to Indianapolis with his daughter Erinne and sisters Kate and Marybeth. “Now everyone knows how important it was in 1953 – because 70 years later they’re bringing it up. I’ve gotten texts about it from people I haven’t talked to in years.”
What would Richie think of this team and its season?
“He’d be happy as he could be because they’re playing well and they represent the school so well,” Kevin said, adding that he’d be particularly proud of Holloway’s leadership. “To see him come up the ranks at Seton Hall and do so well, he would love that.”
Also on hand were former Hall star and NBA coach Adrian Griffin, 1989 Final Four team member Pookey Wigington, and members of Seton Hall’s student section who drove 700 miles for the occasion.
Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. Contact him at [email protected].
veryGood! (7761)
Related
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Police investigating hate speech targeting Olympics opening ceremony artistic director Thomas Jolly
- Hyundai recalls nearly 50,000 of its newer models for airbag issues
- The Most Instagram-Worthy Food & Cocktails in Las Vegas
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Olympian Kendall Ellis Got Stuck in a Porta Potty—& What Came Next Certainly Doesn't Stink
- Billie Eilish and Charli XCX Dance on Pile of Underwear in NSFW Guess Music Video
- Appeals court: Separate, distinct minority groups can’t join together to claim vote dilution
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Maren Morris says 'nothing really scares me anymore' after public feuds, divorce
Ranking
- Jamie Foxx reps say actor was hit in face by a glass at birthday dinner, needed stitches
- Deadly force justified in fatal shooting of North Carolina man who killed 4 officers, official says
- What DeAndre Hopkins injury means for Tennessee Titans' offense: Treylon Burks, you're up
- When does the Pumpkin Spice Latte return to Starbucks? Here's what we know.
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Mama June Shannon's Daughter Lauryn Pumpkin Efird and Husband Josh Break Up After 6 Years of Marriage
- Memo to the Supreme Court: Clean Air Act Targeted CO2 as Climate Pollutant, Study Says
- Surviving the inferno: How the Maui fire reshaped one family's story
Recommendation
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
Christina Hall Slams Estranged Husband Josh Hall’s Message About “Hope”
Horoscopes Today, August 2, 2024
What DeAndre Hopkins injury means for Tennessee Titans' offense: Treylon Burks, you're up
Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
Death of a Black man pinned down by security guards outside a Milwaukee hotel is ruled a homicide
Georgia governor suspends Newton County commissioner accused of taking kickback
Ground cinnamon products added to FDA health alert, now 16 with elevated levels of lead