PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Ron Harper Jr. crossed half-court and took one more dribble before taking one last shot.
The ball floated toward the basket. Rutgers trailed by one point to Purdue, the No. 1 team in the nation.
The crowd, so raucous all night long, could only watch and hope.
Then it erupted.
The ball swished through the net for a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that sent the Scarlet Knights to a momentous, upset victory at Jersey Mike’s Arena, the biggest regular-season victory in the program’s history, stunning the college basketball world in the process.
The crowd stormed the court, turning the floor into a sea of red.
“That’s like a dream,” Harper said. “Honestly if I woke up and I was in my bed after that, I wouldn’t have been surprised. That was crazy.”
The Boilermakers had won their first eight games of the season – a winning streak they watched end in shocking fashion.
It was Rutgers’ first victory over a top-ranked team, and it was the Scarlet Knights’ highest-ranked win since beating No. 2 UCLA back in 1981.
“History was made tonight,” coach Steve Pikiell said.
Harper was stellar, finishing with 30 points on 10-of-15 shooting (5-of-7 from 3-point range) to go along with 10 rebounds.
This was the best the Scarlet Knights have played so far this season, using every ounce of grit they had to fight off one of the best teams in the country.
“Once Ron shot the ball, it was like a dream,” Mawot Mag said. “I just stopped and stared at the ball.”
Rutgers dealt with…
