Friday, November 6
Piscataway, N.J.
7 PM
Rutgers
vs
New Haven
Photo by: Dakota Moyer/Rutgers Athletics
Nov 03 | Men's Basketball
7 pm contest at Jersey Mike's Arena on B1G+
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers opens the 2026-27 season Friday, Nov. 6, when it hosts New Haven at 7 p.m. at Jersey Mike's Arena. The game streams on B1G+ with Dom Savino on play-by-play and Justin Walters and Paul Mulcahy as analysts. It will be Brandin Knight's first official game as acting head coach while head coach Steve Pikiell undergoes cancer treatment. Knight, an East Orange, N.J., native and Seton Hall Prep alum, is in his 11th season on the Rutgers staff.
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Both exhibitions came down to the final possessions against BIG EAST opponents. Rutgers erased an 11-point deficit in the final 2:27 before Villanova held on for a 77-75 win on Oct. 11, then led St. John's 46-28 at halftime at Madison Square Garden before falling 104-99 in four overtimes on Oct. 18.
Senior guard Tariq Francis scored 24 points in 47 minutes at the Garden. Francis averaged 17.0 points last season, and his 578 points were the most by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby in 2005-06. Sophomore center Christian Gurdak had 19 points against Villanova and 20 points and 15 rebounds at St. John's.
Forward Darin Smith Jr., the reigning NEC Player of the Year (20.7 ppg at Central Connecticut), scored 20 points against Villanova. He scored 40 against New Haven on Feb. 12 in an 81-76 Central Connecticut win in West Haven, Conn. Rutgers returns 60.4 percent of its possession minutes, secondmost in the Big Ten, and carries 93 straight sold-out regularseason games at Jersey Mike's Arena into the opener, the sixthlongest active streak in the nation.
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New Haven is in its second season in Division I and the NEC, and the second year of a three-year transition from Division II. The Chargers went 14-17 and 9-9 in the NEC last season, finishing fifth after being picked last, and won four of their final six games. They played UConn, Vanderbilt and Boston College on the road, falling 67-63 at BC.
New Haven must replace Second Team All-NEC guard Jabri Fitzpatrick (15.0 ppg). Graduate guard Kheni Briggs (6.9 ppg) is the top returning scorer. Sophomore forward Teshaun Steele made the NEC All-Rookie Team, and sophomore guard Aidan Losiewicz was an NEC Rookie of the Week. Newcomer Moussa Camara, a 6- 9 forward/center, averaged 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds at Felician in Rutherford, N.J. Junior guard Faquir Mosley (Newark) and junior forward Nathan Narcisse (Montclair) are New Jersey natives.
The Chargers opened Monday with a 74-58 loss at Syracuse in Gerry McNamara's debut as Orange head coach. Syracuse scored the game's first 18 points and led 39-17 at halftime, but New Haven shot 59.3 percent in the second half, including a stretch of nine straight made field goals, and pulled within 64-47 with seven minutes left. Steele led the Chargers with 18 points, and Camara added 10.
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Rutgers hosts NJIT on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. on BTN, and Bryant on Friday, Nov. 13, before opening the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas against Houston on Nov. 17.
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| About Rutgers |
Both exhibitions came down to the final possessions against BIG EAST opponents. Rutgers erased an 11-point deficit in the final 2:27 before Villanova held on for a 77-75 win on Oct. 11, then led St. John's 46-28 at halftime at Madison Square Garden before falling 104-99 in four overtimes on Oct. 18.
Senior guard Tariq Francis scored 24 points in 47 minutes at the Garden. Francis averaged 17.0 points last season, and his 578 points were the most by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby in 2005-06. Sophomore center Christian Gurdak had 19 points against Villanova and 20 points and 15 rebounds at St. John's.
Forward Darin Smith Jr., the reigning NEC Player of the Year (20.7 ppg at Central Connecticut), scored 20 points against Villanova. He scored 40 against New Haven on Feb. 12 in an 81-76 Central Connecticut win in West Haven, Conn. Rutgers returns 60.4 percent of its possession minutes, secondmost in the Big Ten, and carries 93 straight sold-out regularseason games at Jersey Mike's Arena into the opener, the sixthlongest active streak in the nation.
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| About New Haven |
New Haven is in its second season in Division I and the NEC, and the second year of a three-year transition from Division II. The Chargers went 14-17 and 9-9 in the NEC last season, finishing fifth after being picked last, and won four of their final six games. They played UConn, Vanderbilt and Boston College on the road, falling 67-63 at BC.
New Haven must replace Second Team All-NEC guard Jabri Fitzpatrick (15.0 ppg). Graduate guard Kheni Briggs (6.9 ppg) is the top returning scorer. Sophomore forward Teshaun Steele made the NEC All-Rookie Team, and sophomore guard Aidan Losiewicz was an NEC Rookie of the Week. Newcomer Moussa Camara, a 6- 9 forward/center, averaged 13.5 points and 7.7 rebounds at Felician in Rutherford, N.J. Junior guard Faquir Mosley (Newark) and junior forward Nathan Narcisse (Montclair) are New Jersey natives.
The Chargers opened Monday with a 74-58 loss at Syracuse in Gerry McNamara's debut as Orange head coach. Syracuse scored the game's first 18 points and led 39-17 at halftime, but New Haven shot 59.3 percent in the second half, including a stretch of nine straight made field goals, and pulled within 64-47 with seven minutes left. Steele led the Chargers with 18 points, and Camara added 10.
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| Up Next |
Rutgers hosts NJIT on Tuesday, Nov. 10, at 6:30 p.m. on BTN, and Bryant on Friday, Nov. 13, before opening the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas against Houston on Nov. 17.
Players Mentioned
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