Scarlet Knights Host Rutgers-Newark in Exhibition Sunday Afternoon
Nov 02 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Rutgers men’s basketball team will host Rutgers-Newark in an exhibition contest the Sunday (Nov. 6) at the Rutgers Athletic Center at 2 p.m. Parking and admission to the game are free and seating will be facilitated on a first come, first served basis.
The exhibition provides Rutgers fans their initial opportunity to see the Scarlet Knights, under the leadership of second-year head coach Mike Rice, in action. RU enters the season on the heels of a productive 2010-11 campaign and with a positive energy surrounding the program. Rutgers returns seven letterwinners, including two starters and welcome seven highly-touted newcomers into the fold for 2011-12.
The Scarlet Knights have a pair of BIG EAST Conference All-Rookie honorees on the roster in junior wing Dane Miller (Rochester, N.Y.) and sophomore forward Gilvydas Biruta (Jonava, Lithuania). Miller was one of two unanimous selections to the squad in 2009-10 and augmented his game last season by developing into one of the league’s top defensive stoppers. Biruta was first among all BIG EAST freshmen last season in rebounding, field goal percentage and free throw percentage.
The Scarlet Knights and Rutgers-Newark met 12 times on the hardwood from 1947 to 1958, with Rutgers University winning 11 of the meetings, including all nine at home.
Rutgers-Newark competes at the NCAA Division III level in the highly-competitive New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). The team is under the leadership of 11th-year head coach Joe Loughran. Last season, the Scarlet Raiders posted a 19-8 overall record and advanced to the ECAC Metro Championship playoff finals after making a trip NCAA D-III Tournament in 2010.
The Scarlet Raiders are led by senior All-America candidate Pedro Burgos and junior point guard Al’Don Muhammed. Burgos was a First Team All-NJAC, All-ECAC Metro, All-Met Basketball Writers and NABC All-Atlantic Region selection in 2010-11 after averaging a team-best 21.1 points-per-game. Muhammed was a Second Team All-NJAC choice after leading the league in assists (173).
