On Wednesday, Rutgers basketball added two marquee matchups to their non-conference schedule. The Scarlet Knights will take on the Princeton Tigers in the inaugural 2023 Jersey Jam on November 6, 2023, at CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J. Two days before Christmas, they are set to face Mississippi State in the 2023 Gotham Classic.
While Rutgers will entire the season with a brand-new roster, starting the 2023-2024 campaign against another New Jersey team in Princeton has created a lot of excitement. It is a night that head coach Steve Pikiell has circled on his calendar.
“We are so excited to open up our 2023-24 season schedule against Princeton,” Pikiell said in a statement released by Rutgers. “This is a matchup between two teams from the great state of New Jersey with a ton of history. We look forward to a great matchup in Trenton.”
In Princeton, Rutgers will face a team fresh off a season in which they won the Ivy League Championship. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament before falling to Creighton. Rutgers has won 11 out of the last 15 meetings with Princeton since 2000.
Two marquee neutral-site games in New Jersey are set for our non-conference schedule ✅.
🎟️ info: https://t.co/1zvy5TQ73u#TheKnighthood🛡️⚔️ pic.twitter.com/wFcBMV6Jtx
— Rutgers Men’s Basketball 🏀 (@RutgersMBB) August 2, 2023
Like Princeton, Mississippi State is coming off an impressive 2022-2023 campaign. The Bulldogs posted a 21-13 record and made it to the NCAA Tournament. They will be the first SEC team to face Rutgers since Vanderbilt in 2014.
While both matchups will be good tests for Rutgers, it is a challenge that Pikiell is looking forward to.
“We are also looking forward to another marquee non-conference opponent in Mississippi State in Newark,” Pikiell said. “These are two great games against competitive opponents that will prepare our team for the gauntlet of the Big Ten Conference schedule ahead.”