7/20/2023 basketball Edit

Rutgers Women's Hoops releases 2023-24 OOC schedule

Alec Crouthamel

Staff Writer

The nonconference schedule for Rutgers women’s basketball was released today, filling in a part of the map for the upcoming season for the Scarlet Knights. Following a 12-20 campaign, second-year head coach Coquese Washington looks to take a step forward in bringing the program back to national relevance.

Rutgers tips off its season at home with a matchup against defending CAA champion Monmouth on November 6th. The first six games of the season will be played in New Jersey, with five of them at home. The Scarlet Knights follow the opener by hosting Wagner on November 9th, then welcome SEC opponent Auburn to Jersey Mike’s Arena on November 12th. The Tigers qualified for the WNIT last season.

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The first road game of the season will take place on November 15th, when Rutgers travels up the New Jersey Turnpike to face another WNIT team in Seton Hall, who they fell to a year ago at home. The Scarlet Knights close out their homestand the following Saturday and Monday hosting St. Francis (PA) and Fairfield.

Rutgers’ first road trip comes on Thanksgiving weekend, as they travel out to Las Vegas to play in the South Point Shootout, which will be played at the South Point Hotel Casino & Spa. While the opponents have yet to be announced, the Scarlet Knights will be playing on Black Friday and the following Sunday. This tournament figures to be a big test for the squad, much like when Rutgers played in last year’s Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas, where they faced multiple high-level opponents.

The team returns home to close out November and bring in December with matchups against Delaware State and Lafayette, two matchups where the Scarlet Knights should be favored against low-major teams coming off sub-.500 seasons. Another mid-major opponent in La Salle comes to Jersey Mike’s Arena on December 6th, before the schedule gauntlet begins.

While they have not been announced yet, it’s safe to assume that Rutgers will have its two-game December Big Ten slate in the week between the La Salle matchup and the final two nonconference games.

In those two nonconference games, the Scarlet Knights will face their toughest test of the early season, facing two reigning conference champions coming off NCAA Tournament runs.

First up is a ride down Route 1 to face Princeton on December 13th, as the Tigers won the Ivy League and advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Utah.

Rutgers closes out nonconference play by hosting Virginia Tech in what might be the best opponent they face all season. The Hokies went 31-5 last season, winning the ACC and making the program’s first Final Four before falling to the eventual national champion LSU. They return their top two scorers, including 6’6 center Elizabeth Kitley, who opted to return for her fifth and final year despite garnering top 10 interest in the WNBA Draft.

After facing Virginia Tech, the team will enter its Big Ten slate for the remainder of the season.

Washington and the Scarlet Knights crafted the nonconference schedule with a good mix of strong, middle-of-the-pack, and weaker opponents to give fans and media a good litmus test of where the program is headed going into conference play and beyond. With an upset or two, Rutgers could turn some heads with an improved roster and another year of Washington and her staff at the helm. And of course, with 11 of the 13 games being played in New Jersey, it gives fans ample opportunity to watch the team in action as well