College basketball may be a mess on this side of the river, but across the Hudson, things are just fine, thank you.
Just ask Seton Hall. And after an amazing week laced with upsets, might as well ask Rutgers, too.
Brian Laing had 23 points and eight rebounds and Jamar Nutter had 20 and four as the Pirates outlasted Cincinnati, 64-61, yesterday in front of 7,523 fans at Newark’s Prudential Center.
Seton Hall (14-6, 4-3 Big East) has won four consecutive games, all in the league, and did more than its part to set up what should be a Jersey battle royale against the surging Scarlet Knights (10-11, 2-6) in Piscataway Wednesday night.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Seton Hall coach Bobby Gonzalez said. “I would say [Rutgers] would have the advantage because they’re at home, and they’re certainly playing with a lot of confidence.”
Rutgers will be fresh off back-to-back upsets of ranked teams. The Knights followed an 80-68 win over No. 18 Villanova with a 77-64 stunner over No. 13 Pittsburgh Saturday, giving a much-needed spark to what’s been a lackluster college season in the metropolitan area.
“It’s going to be big,” Laing said of the date at the RAC. “They’re a good team, and they’re really playing well right now. “But we’re trying to do something special, too.”
They’re on their way. With the victory over the Bearcats (9-11, 4-4), the Pirates surpassed last season’s overall win total, matched last year’s Big East win total and took one step closer to gaining a berth in the league tournament at the Garden.
“Our team is starting to get it,” Gonzalez said. “They’re learning how to make plays when the game is on the line. And they’re still hungry. They’re still not satisfied with where they are.”
The opposition is starting to notice.
“We’re a young team and I told the guys that it was going to take a great defensive effort to beat Seton Hall,” Cincinnati coach Mick Cronin said. “We did a good job, not a great job, and it showed.”
Seton Hall 64 Cincinnati 61
tsullivan@nypost.com