Rutgers Men’s Basketball has officially announced its full 2023-24 schedule, and this upcoming season’s schedule is filled with several challenging stretches.
Rutgers was given zero favors by the Big Ten in terms of the conference schedule as the Scarlet Knights face a difficult January stretch, which includes road tilts against Ohio State, Michigan State, and Illinois. Rutgers also gets Indiana and Nebraska at home during that stretch.
February presents a different challenge as Rutgers must carefully navigate several tough opponents, including Purdue, Maryland, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio State, to round out the season. If Rutgers wants to prove it’s an NCAA Tournament team, the Scarlet Knights are going to have to finish strong at the end of February.
Not only will it be important for Rutgers to get off to an excellent start to the season, but they must avoid any land mines that lie in their path through the months of November and December. Rutgers must take care of business from day one and continue to build momentum as the season progresses.
November will truly measure how good this team is as they battle Princeton right out the gates and face stiff tests from Bryant, Georgetown, and Howard. If Rutgers can get to 6-0 by the end of November, they will be in great shape and it could set the tone for the rest of December, which includes a Big Ten matchup with Illinois, road contests against Wake Forest and Seton Hall as well as a neutral site affair with Mississippi State.
I detailed my top five out-of-conference opponents back in mid-July, but now let’s look at my top five key Big Ten games on the schedule.
No. 1 - Illinois (December 2nd at Jersey Mike's Arena)
As stated earlier, Rutgers should be 6-0 by the end of November as they head into December and play their first Big Ten contest at home against Illinois. Brad Underwood and company are coming off a 20-13 (11-9) campaign that ultimately ended in disappointment as the Illini were bounced from the NCAA Tournament in the First Round by Arkansas. Nonetheless, Underwood has Illinois humming along in the Big Ten with three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and they are projected to make the Big Dance once again. Illinois returns Terence Shannon Jr., Coleman Hawkins, and Dain Dainja, all three who gave Rutgers major fits last year as the Scarlet Knights lost to the Illini on the road 69-60. Rutgers must find ways defensively to shut down Shannon Jr., Hawkins, and Dainja, and stay consistent offensively to deliver a knockout blow to the Illini. There’s no better way to get the Big Ten season off on the right foot by capturing a big win over the lllini at Jersey Mike’s Arena. After all, Brad Underwood hates playing at Jersey Mike’s Arena. After losing to Rutgers at Jersey Mike's Arena in 2020, Underwood was quoted saying, "Quite the learning lesson today. We got taken out behind the woodshed and whooped physically.”
No. 2 - Indiana (January 9th at Jersey Mike's Arena)
There’s no question Rutgers-Indiana has developed into a bitter rivalry on the hardwood. The Scarlet Knights have had the upper hand in this series since their infamous upset of the Hoosiers at Madison Square Garden in March 2018. Rutgers has won 8 out of the 10 last meetings, and last year the Scarlet Knights hammered the Hoosiers at Jersey Mike’s Arena 63-48. Despite losing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifino, the Hoosiers will be dangerous as they return a few key players, including Xavier Johnson and Trey Galloway, but also welcome several studs from the transfer portal and top five recruit Mackenzie Mgbako. Rutgers fans will be salivating from the mouth when Indiana comes to Piscataway, and the Scarlet Knights will be looking to add another quality win to their season resume.
No. 3 - Michigan State (January 14th at Breslin Center)
Almost immediately after playing Indiana, the Scarlet Knights must quickly turn around and prepare for a daunting trip to East Lansing to take on Sparty. Tom Izzo’s team will be absolutely loaded this season and there are whispers around the college basketball world that the Spartans are good enough to reach the Final Four this year. What will be a pivotal contest for the Big Ten standings and a huge measuring stick for Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights will look to pull off the upset and capture a sure Q1 win at a place they have never won.
No. 4 - Michigan (February 3rd at Crisler Center)
Just like Rutgers has had zero success winning in East Lansing, the Scarlet Knights have had zero success winning in Ann Arbor. After a date with Penn State on Jan. 31, Rutgers will travel to Ann Arbor to take on Michigan in what will be a much-anticipated contest. Rutgers will look to steal a quality road victory and achieve its first win in Ann Arbor since joining the Big Ten in 2014. However, it won’t be easy as Michigan returns Dug McDaniel and Jaelin Llewellyn as well as a few quality transfers to the mix. After missing the NCAA Tournament last year, Michigan will likely play this game with a chip on their shoulders and will try to protect their homecourt to stay ahead of Rutgers in the Big Ten standings. This game will surely be filled with some fireworks.
No. 5 - Ohio State (March 10th at Jersey Mike's Arena)
The matchup with the Buckeyes to finish off the regular season is what fans and players dream of. This game will pit two teams who will likely be fighting for seeding in the Big Ten Tournament and a chance for either team to come away with a quality resume boosting win. Last year, Rutgers split the series with Ohio State, however, the last two trips to Jersey Mike’s Arena have ended in disappointment for the Buckeyes. Last season, the Buckeyes were hampered with injuries and finished near the bottom of the Big Ten, but this year Chris Holtmann has improved the roster with several upgrades from the transfer portal and returns multiple key players. This is a game Rutgers will probably need at the end of the season to keep themselves in the top half of the Big Ten.
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