Rutgers men’s basketball has added another opponent to its non-conference schedule, as it is now slated to host Sacred Heart on Tuesday, November 24. This game will immediately follow the team’s trip to Las Vegas, where they will play in the Players Era Tournament against Houston and either Notre Dame or Florida.
The Scarlet Knights’ matchup against the Pioneers has many interesting personal connections for head coach Steve Pikiell compared to most of Rutgers’ out-of-conference games. One reason is that Pikiell’s son, Kevin Pikiell, is currently a sophomore on the Sacred Heart basketball team. Kevin, who plays guard for Sacred Heart, decided to redshirt last year and did not see the court once. It will be interesting to see if he sees playtime in this game. Another connection Pikiell has to Sacred Heart’s basketball program is that former Rutgers director of external basketball operations, Tom Barrett, is now an assistant coach for the Pioneers.
Last season, Sacred Heart went 14-19 and 9-11 in MAAC play. The Pioneers played two games against high-major competition last season, losing in blowout fashion to both Villanova and Penn State. They did make it to the second round of their conference tournament last year, defeating Iona before being dominated by Merrimack, who was the No.1 seed.
Sacred Heart will be a much different team this season, with several of its scorers from last season no longer with the program, either due to graduation or the transfer portal. This sort of turnover makes it hard to predict what type of team they will be next year; however, due to their level of competition, this is a game that Rutgers should be able to handle with ease.