Rutgers women\u2019s basketball has released its 2025 nonconference schedule, after overhauling much of its roster and coaching staff. The non-conference schedule features 11 games, in addition to the 18 games of Big Ten play. It features a mix of low and mid-majors coupled with a few high-profile showdowns against strong opponents.<\/p>\n
The season will start on Monday, November 3rd, with a home matchup against the Wagner Seahawks, before hosting Quinnipiac on November 6th and Stony Brook on November 9th, which is a Sunday afternoon game. The following week, Rutgers women\u2019s basketball will host Rhode Island at 11 AM on November 13th for Recess Day before in-state foe Fairleigh Dickinson comes to Jersey Mike\u2019s Arena on Sunday, November 16th.<\/p>\n
Rutgers\u2019 first road game will be against the Auburn Tigers on November 2oth, before returning home for a game against Siena on November 24th and Northeastern on November 28th. The Scarlet Knights will end November with a matchup against St. Peter\u2019s at Jersey Mike\u2019s Arena, before Rutgers women\u2019s basketball concludes its nonconference schedule with a road game at Princeton on Wednesday, December 10th, and a home game against Lafayette on Saturday, December 20th.<\/p>\n
Local Rematches and High-Profile Showdowns<\/p>\n
Rutgers will play several teams that they saw in the 2024-24 season, with rematches coming at home and on the road. The Scarlet Knights defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 83-58 on December 11th, 2024, before taking down Wagner 86-48 on December 16th. In addition, Rutgers topped Lafayette 72-65 on December 21st, 2024, which was also the last game on their nonconference slate last season.<\/p>\n
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Rutgers\u2019 toughest tests will also come against familiar opponents. The Scarlet Knights will make the return trip to Auburn after falling to the Tigers 76-56 in Piscataway back in November of 2023. Former Rutgers guard Mya Petticord will be suiting up for Auburn in this contest after transferring to Auburn over the offseason.<\/p>\n
Rutgers is also looking to snap a three-game losing streak to Princeton, after most recently falling to their in-state rival 66-49 in November 2024. Previous matchups include a 77-56 loss in Piscataway back in December 2022, before a 66-55 loss to the Tigers in Princeton\u2019s Jadwin Gymnasium. Princeton has made it to the NCAA tournament for four consecutive seasons, setting a benchmark for the Scarlet Knights in their home state.<\/p>\n
Similar to the men\u2019s team, Coquese Washington\u2019s program has bought into the philosophy of resume and confidence-building by scheduling lower-ranked opponents to make up a large part of its nonconference schedule. Its opening day opponent, Wagner, comes in with a NET ranking of 359, while Northeastern is just above at 358. Rutgers will end the nonconference slate with Lafayette, which has a NET of 312, while in-state school Saint Peter\u2019s is slightly higher at 301.<\/p>\n
On the tougher end, Rutgers\u2019 second opponent, Quinnipiac, comes in with a NET rating of 103, after finishing the 2024-25 season with a 28-5 record and as runners-up in the MAAC to Fairfield. Quinnipiac defeated Princeton last season and lost to Miami (FL) in overtime, for a good comparison against bigger-conference programs. Their next opponent, Stony Brook, will come in with a NET of 277 and will play the Scarlet Knights for the first time since 2021. With Rutgers falling to the Sea Wolves 53-44, they will be looking for their first win against the program since 2018.<\/p>\n
Rutgers will take on #115 Rhode Island for the first time since 1995, when both programs were in the Atlantic 10 conference, while #165 Fairleigh Dickinson is coming off an NCAA tournament appearance and an overall record of 29-4 last season. On the high end, Auburn has a NET of 64, while Princeton is slotted even higher at 46. The Scarlet Knights themselves enter 2025 with a NET rating of 112, just below Quinnipiac and slightly above Rhode Island. Fellow Big Ten member Wisconsin sits just above Rutgers with a NET ranking of 111.<\/p>\n