PISCATAWAY – Rutgers (6-3) plays its third of five games over a 10-day span when it welcomes Garden State foe NJIT (5-3) to the RAC on Thursday. After playing two nationally-ranked Big Ten opponents, the Scarlet Knights will be working to improve to 15-1 in home, non-conference games under Steve Pikiell. RU has won the prior five meetings between the schools, played yearly from 2007-11, including four at the RAC.

It will be International Students Night on Thursday, with a Caribbean Fusion Dance Performance at halftime.

Rutgers strength of schedule is 98th, which is better than eight programs ranked in this week's AP Top 25: No 16. Arizona State (99), No. 14 Minnesota (120), No. 5 Florida (126), No. 12 Gonzaga (145), No. 9 Notre Dame (164), No. 23 Baylor (212), No. 10 Miami (272) and No. 17 Cincinnati (314). The Scarlet Knights are among the top 10 in six NCAA statistical categories and are first or second in the Big Ten in eight stat categories.

Thursday's game will be streamed live the web on BTN Plus, with Kevin Fitzgerald calling the action and Dom Savino providing the analysis. On the radio, the contest will be broadcast live on the Rutgers IMG Sports Network, WOR 710 AM in New York and WCTC 1450 AM in New Brunswick. Jerry Recco will serve as play-by-play announcer and Joe Boylan will provide commentary. WRSU (88.7 FM) will also broadcast the game.

Rutgers battled No. 3-ranked Michigan State for 40 minutes, but was unable to find its shot in a 62-52 loss to the Spartans Tuesday evening at the RAC. The Scarlet Knights limited MSU to a season-low 62 points and 38.6 percent shooting, well below its season average of 50.2 percent. Rutgers drew even with the Spartans in rebounds, as both squads grabbed 45 boards. It snapped a streak of six straight games MSU has out-rebounded its opponent. Deshawn Freeman had a game-high nine rebounds to go along with a team-high 13 points, falling one board shy of his 14th career double-double. Geo Baker and Eugene Omoruyi joined Freeman in double digits. Both posted 11 points in a contest that featured four ties and five lead changes.

Freeman is third in the Big Ten in rebounding (9.2) and fifth in steals (1.7), while Baker leads all Big Ten freshmen in minutes-per-game (31.2).

Under second-year head coach Brian Kennedy, NJIT forced 23 turnovers in a 78-65 home win over UMass-Lowell (5-3) on Sunday. Picked 8th in the ASUN preseason coaches poll, the Highlanders rank 20th nationally in steals (9.4). Anthony Tarke, a preseason all-league selection, is averaging 10.4 points and 9.9 rebounds-per-game. Two of the team's losses came on the road versus ranked foes (No. 22 Seton Hall, No. 19 West Virginia). NJIT is 1-3 against Big Ten opponents, earning a win at No. 17 Michigan on Dec. 6, 2014 (72-70).

Single game men's basketball tickets are available online or by calling the Rutgers Ticket Office at 1-866-445-GORU. Fans also have the opportunity to purchase flex ticket plans or a "Pikiell's Presents" package. Flex ticket plans enable fans to select any four games from the home schedule to create their own package. "Pikiell's Presents" includes two section 110 tickets to the games versus Stony Brook (Dec. 22) and Hartford (Dec. 28), along with two food vouchers per game and ugly holiday sweater t-shirts.

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