PISCATAWAY, N.J. (Monday, July 29) – The Rutgers men's basketball program has unveiled its official non-conference schedule heading into the highly–anticipated 2024-25 season.
RU will host a total of sixteen games at Jersey Mike's Arena and play 11 away games this season. The Scarlet Knights will also compete in four neutral-site games including a competitive Feast Week Tournament in Las Vegas.
RU's non-conference lineup includes several notable matchups to prepare the team for the gauntlet of 20 Big Ten Conference games, featuring contests against New Jersey foes Seton Hall and Princeton, and a presence in the innovative Players First Era Festival in Las Vegas.
The Scarlet Knights begin the regular season at home against Wagner on Wednesday, November 6, followed by matchups with Saint Peter's on Monday, November 11, Monmouth on Friday, November 15, and Merrimack on Wednesday, November 20. Wagner (Northeast Conference) and St. Peters (MAAC) won their respective conference championships last season.
On Friday, November 24, Rutgers travels to Georgia to take on Kennesaw State for the lone road game of the non-conference slate.
The Players Era Festival will feature eight schools and a field of six teams that participated in the NCAA tournament last season. Rutgers will play three games with matchups against Notre Dame, Alabama, and Houston. The order of the Scarlet Knights' three opponents will be announced at a later date with games set for Tuesday, November 26, Wednesday, November 27 and Friday, November 29.
Notre Dame was the Scarlet Knights' last NCAA opponent. Both Alabama and Houston are receiving votes in the preseason rankings as the top team in the nation. The event, scheduled during Thanksgiving week, aims to revolutionize NIL opportunities in college basketball.
Rutgers returns home to defend The Garden State Hardwood Classic trophy against Seton Hall on Saturday, December 14, and then takes on another Jersey foe in Princeton at the Prudential Center in Newark on Saturday, December 21. Seton Hall won the 2024 NIT Tournament last season and Princeton finished with the best record in the Ivy League in 2023-24. Rutgers concludes the non-conference schedule with a home game against Columbia on Monday, December 30.
The Big Ten Conference schedule with dates and times will be announced by the conference at a later date. Rutgers conference opponents were announced in May as the Scarlet Knights will host Michigan, Penn State, and Purdue for both home and away games with additional home games against Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Michigan State, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin. Road-only games include matchups against Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State, and Washington.
The 2024–25 Scarlet Knights, under ninth-year head coach
Steve Pikiell boasts a home-court advantage at Jersey Mike's Arena in which they've sold out 64 straight home games with the entire home slate for the upcoming season sold out.
The Scarlet Knights welcome the highest-ranked freshmen class in school history which is ranked as high as second in the nation. The class features five top-150 recruits in
Dylan Harper,
Airious Bailey,
Lathan Sommerville,
Dylan Grant, and
Bryce Dortch.
Pikiell and staff also welcome back three players from the 2023-24 roster (
Jeremiah Williams,
Jamichael Davis, and
Emmanuel Ogbole) as well as a highly regarded transfer class of four new additions (
Zach Martini, PJ Hayes,
Tyson Acuff, and
Jordan Derkack).
The full non-conference schedule is listed below:
| DAY |
DATE |
OPPONENT |
SITE |
| Wed. |
Nov. 6 |
Wagner |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
| Mon. |
Nov. 11 |
Saint Peter's |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
| Fri. |
Nov. 15 |
Monmouth |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
| Wed. |
Nov. 20 |
Merrimack |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
| Sun. |
Nov. 24 |
Kennesaw State |
KSU Convocation Center |
| Tues. |
Nov. 26 |
Notre Dame, Alabama, or Houston |
MGM Arenas (Las Vegas) |
| Wed. |
Nov. 27 |
Notre Dame, Alabama, or Houston |
MGM Arenas (Las Vegas) |
| Fri. |
Nov. 29 |
Notre Dame, Alabama, or Houston |
MGM Arenas (Las Vegas) |
| Sat. |
Dec. 14 |
Seton Hall |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
| Sat. |
Dec. 21 |
Princeton |
Prudential Center |
| Mon. |
Dec. 30 |
Columbia |
Jersey Mike's Arena |
