Photo by: Ben Solomon
Men’s Basketball Schedule Finalized
Sep 08 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Fresh off its first NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Steve Pikiell, Rutgers men's basketball revealed the team's schedule for the eagerly anticipated 2021-22 season.
The Scarlet Knights annually play a challenging overall slate. Last season, Rutgers' strength of schedule was ranked as the second hardest nationally per ESPN. The Scarlet Knights will play 11 games against teams currently ranked in the preseason per NCAA.com's Andy Katz, including seven games against teams ranked in the top-12 and 10 games against teams ranked in the top-20. RU will face No. 7 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan, and No. 11 Illinois twice apiece. The Scarlet Knights will open Big Ten play in December with two of the top programs in the league, with the early conference games coming at No. 11 Illinois and against No. 7 Purdue at home.
RU will host No. 7 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Illinois, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Maryland and No. 26 Michigan State in Piscataway as the program welcomes fans back into The RAC. RU is looking to continue a record streak of nine consecutive sellouts.
"I'm very excited to play another challenging schedule and the opportunity for our great fans to pack the RAC once again," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "When we last had Rutgers Nation at The RAC, we sold out nine consecutive games and I am eager to continue that streak when we get back in action. I can't wait to play again in a sold-out RAC on November 10 in front of the best fans in the country.
"Coming off our program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years, we've assembled a tremendously talented roster for this upcoming season," Pikiell added. "Our squad will be tested throughout this schedule, as we compete both in nonconference play and throughout a 20-game slate in the nation's best conference. We will have numerous challenges throughout conference play in a league that features several ranked programs and some of the top players and coaches in the country. It's going to be an exceptional season and I can't wait to get started."
With 17 home games on the slate for the upcoming campaign, season tickets are on sale now. Fans are encouraged to act fast as the 100 level and nearly the entire 200 level is sold out on a season basis. Discounts are available for Rutgers faculty & staff, young alumni, and letterwinners. Multi-game packages will go on-sale September 21st with single games on sale in early October. Further information will be released in the weeks ahead.
In nonconference play, the Scarlet Knights will have multiple premier matchups, as well as a loaded slate of home contests to allow Rutgers fans to return to The RAC to watch the Scarlet Knights for the first time since 2019. Outside of conference play, RU welcomes Lehigh, Merrimack, NJIT, Lafayette, Clemson, Rider, Central Connecticut and Maine to The RAC. The team will also travel to face DePaul, UMass and Seton Hall.
In Big Ten play, RU will have home-and-home matchups with Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights will also welcome Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State to the RAC next season for single-play home games. On the road in Big Ten play in 2021-22, Rutgers will travel to Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern for single games.
Times and television designations will be released at a later date.
2021-2022 Rutgers Men's Basketball Schedule
Head Coach Steve Pikiell has completed a tremendous rebuild of the Rutgers program, as the Scarlet Knights are coming off of the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. Rutgers defeated No. 7 seed Clemson for the team's first NCAA Tournament victory in 38 years, dating back to 1983. Rutgers has had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1990-91 and 1991-92 and won double-digit conference games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1989-90 and 1990-91.
The Scarlet Knights went 16-12 overall, posting a KenPom ranking of 38 and NET ranking of 40. The team spent 11 weeks nationally ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll, peaking at No. 11 in the nation.
In the regular season, RU earned wins over five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament - No. 1 seed Illinois, No. 4 seed Purdue, No. 10 seed Maryland, No. 11 seed Michigan State and No. 11 seed Syracuse. The Scarlet Knights then defeated No. 7 seed Clemson in the opening round, the highest seeded team defeated in the NCAA Tournament since 1979, before falling to an eventual Final Four team in No. 2 seed Houston. Rutgers led the Big Ten in blocked shots, finishing ninth nationally with 5.1 blocks per game.
Follow Rutgers men's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMBB), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersMBB) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersMBB) for additional news and updates.
The Scarlet Knights annually play a challenging overall slate. Last season, Rutgers' strength of schedule was ranked as the second hardest nationally per ESPN. The Scarlet Knights will play 11 games against teams currently ranked in the preseason per NCAA.com's Andy Katz, including seven games against teams ranked in the top-12 and 10 games against teams ranked in the top-20. RU will face No. 7 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan, and No. 11 Illinois twice apiece. The Scarlet Knights will open Big Ten play in December with two of the top programs in the league, with the early conference games coming at No. 11 Illinois and against No. 7 Purdue at home.
RU will host No. 7 Purdue, No. 9 Michigan, No. 11 Illinois, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Maryland and No. 26 Michigan State in Piscataway as the program welcomes fans back into The RAC. RU is looking to continue a record streak of nine consecutive sellouts.
"I'm very excited to play another challenging schedule and the opportunity for our great fans to pack the RAC once again," head coach Steve Pikiell said. "When we last had Rutgers Nation at The RAC, we sold out nine consecutive games and I am eager to continue that streak when we get back in action. I can't wait to play again in a sold-out RAC on November 10 in front of the best fans in the country.
"Coming off our program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in 30 years, we've assembled a tremendously talented roster for this upcoming season," Pikiell added. "Our squad will be tested throughout this schedule, as we compete both in nonconference play and throughout a 20-game slate in the nation's best conference. We will have numerous challenges throughout conference play in a league that features several ranked programs and some of the top players and coaches in the country. It's going to be an exceptional season and I can't wait to get started."
With 17 home games on the slate for the upcoming campaign, season tickets are on sale now. Fans are encouraged to act fast as the 100 level and nearly the entire 200 level is sold out on a season basis. Discounts are available for Rutgers faculty & staff, young alumni, and letterwinners. Multi-game packages will go on-sale September 21st with single games on sale in early October. Further information will be released in the weeks ahead.
In nonconference play, the Scarlet Knights will have multiple premier matchups, as well as a loaded slate of home contests to allow Rutgers fans to return to The RAC to watch the Scarlet Knights for the first time since 2019. Outside of conference play, RU welcomes Lehigh, Merrimack, NJIT, Lafayette, Clemson, Rider, Central Connecticut and Maine to The RAC. The team will also travel to face DePaul, UMass and Seton Hall.
In Big Ten play, RU will have home-and-home matchups with Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue and Wisconsin. The Scarlet Knights will also welcome Iowa, Michigan State and Ohio State to the RAC next season for single-play home games. On the road in Big Ten play in 2021-22, Rutgers will travel to Indiana, Minnesota and Northwestern for single games.
Times and television designations will be released at a later date.
2021-2022 Rutgers Men's Basketball Schedule
| Day | Date | Opponent | Site |
| Wednesday | Nov. 10 | Lehigh | RAC |
| Saturday | Nov. 13 | Merrimack | RAC |
| Tuesday | Nov. 16 | NJIT | RAC |
| Thursday | Nov. 18 | @ DePaul (Gavitt Games) | Chicago, Ill. |
| Monday | Nov. 22 | Lafayette | RAC |
| Saturday | Nov. 27 | @ UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| Tuesday | Nov. 30 | Clemson (B1G/ACC) | RAC |
| Friday | Dec. 3 | @ Illinois | Champaign, Ill. |
| Thursday | Dec. 9 | Purdue | RAC |
| Sunday | Dec. 12 | @ Seton Hall (GSH Classic) | Newark, N.J. |
| Saturday | Dec. 18 | Rider | RAC |
| Thursday | Dec. 23 | Central Connecticut State | RAC |
| Wednesday | Dec. 29 | Maine | RAC |
| Tuesday | Jan. 4 | Michigan | RAC |
| Saturday | Jan. 8 | Nebraska | RAC |
| Tuesday | Jan. 11 | @ Penn State | State College, Pa. |
| Saturday | Jan. 15 | @ Maryland | College Park, Md. |
| Wednesday | Jan. 19 | Iowa | RAC |
| Saturday | Jan. 22 | @ Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. |
| Tuesday | Jan. 25 | Maryland | RAC |
| Saturday | Jan. 29 | @ Nebraska | Lincoln, Neb. |
| Tuesday | Feb. 1 | @ Northwestern | Evanston, Ill. |
| Saturday | Feb. 5 | Michigan State | RAC |
| Wednesday | Feb. 9 | Ohio State | RAC |
| Saturday | Feb. 12 | @ Wisconsin | Madison, Wis. |
| Wednesday | Feb. 16 | Illinois | RAC |
| Sunday | Feb. 20 | @ Purdue | West Lafayette, Ind. |
| Wednesday | Feb. 23 | @ Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Saturday | Feb. 26 | Wisconsin | RAC |
| Wednesday | March 2 | @ Indiana | Bloomington, Ind. |
| Sunday | March 6 | Penn State | RAC |
| Wednesday-Sunday | March 9-13 | Big Ten Tournament | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, Ind.) |
Head Coach Steve Pikiell has completed a tremendous rebuild of the Rutgers program, as the Scarlet Knights are coming off of the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. Rutgers defeated No. 7 seed Clemson for the team's first NCAA Tournament victory in 38 years, dating back to 1983. Rutgers has had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1990-91 and 1991-92 and won double-digit conference games in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1989-90 and 1990-91.
The Scarlet Knights went 16-12 overall, posting a KenPom ranking of 38 and NET ranking of 40. The team spent 11 weeks nationally ranked or receiving votes in the AP Poll, peaking at No. 11 in the nation.
In the regular season, RU earned wins over five teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament - No. 1 seed Illinois, No. 4 seed Purdue, No. 10 seed Maryland, No. 11 seed Michigan State and No. 11 seed Syracuse. The Scarlet Knights then defeated No. 7 seed Clemson in the opening round, the highest seeded team defeated in the NCAA Tournament since 1979, before falling to an eventual Final Four team in No. 2 seed Houston. Rutgers led the Big Ten in blocked shots, finishing ninth nationally with 5.1 blocks per game.
Follow Rutgers men's basketball on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersMBB), Twitter (www.twitter.com/RutgersMBB) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/RutgersMBB) for additional news and updates.
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