PISCATAWAY – Rutgers men's basketball will play St. Bonaventure in the first-ever James Naismith Classic presented by Citi at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2019. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is sponsoring the one-day tripleheader that also includes games featuring Tennessee versus Washington and Buffalo against Harvard.

"It's a tremendous opportunity to play in an NBA arena against a strong opponent that advanced to its conference championship last season," said Rutgers head coach Steve Pikiell. "Toronto is an international city that is excited about the game of basketball. We look forward to bringing the Rutgers brand north."

The contest will mark the 40th meeting between the Scarlet Knights and Bonnies dating back to 1973, with RU holding a 21-18 advantage in the series. Rutgers and St. Bonaventure were both members of the Atlantic 10 Conference from 1979-80 to 1994-95.

"We are really excited about playing Rutgers in the Naismith Classic in Toronto," said St. Bonaventure head coach Mark Schmidt. "Rutgers is an up-and-coming, Power 5 team that is very well coached. It will be a good test for us early in the year. I think our players will be excited to play a Big Ten team in an NBA arena in a culturally-rich city where most of them have never been. Over the past 20-25 years, we've had many great players at St. Bonaventure who came from the Toronto area, including 2012 first round NBA draft pick Andrew Nicholson who was one of our all-time best. I also think we'll have strong fan support there, so all in all, this is an exciting opportunity and we are thrilled to be invited to participate."

The James Naismith Classic is one event in the Hall of Fame's series of collegiate events, which continues to grow in an effort to celebrate the game outside the museum walls. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is proud to continue its relationship with Learfield IMG College for sponsorship representation of its portfolio of collegiate events. This year's series of collegiate events will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the James Naismith Classic will go on-sale to the general public on Friday, May 31 via all Ticketmaster locations and the Scotiabank Arena box office. Rutgers and St. Bonaventure will tip off at 7:30 p.m. in the third game of the day. 

Rutgers men's basketball fans now have the opportunity to renew and secure 2019-20 season tickets online or by calling 866-445-GORU (4678). Fans can also visit RutgersGameday.com/WinterSports for more information on season ticket options.

The Scarlet Knights will play a 20-game Big Ten slate for the second-straight season welcoming Indiana, Minnesota, Northwestern, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Illinois, Purdue and Wisconsin to the RAC in 2019-20, in addition to hosting rival Seton Hall in the Garden State Hardwood Classic. Rutgers was named the Most Improved Team of the 2018-19 season by Sports Illustrated. Stemming from the progress, RU hosted five sell-outs and average attendance improved 31.1 percent. The Scarlet Knights return 90 percent of their scoring and 84 percent of their rebounding in 2019-20.

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