The Big Ten released its 2020-21 conference schedule on Wednesday, seven days before opening day. Better late than never. It gives Rutgers and its conference colleagues a month to map out what surely will be a chaotic winter in more ways than one.
The schedule also makes good fodder for fan predictions and beat writer prognosis on what lies ahead for the Scarlet Knights.
Here are nine Rutgers 2020-21 Big Ten conference schedule takeaways:
Toughest stretch
Sunday, Dec. 20: Illinois at Rutgers
Wednesday, Dec. 23: Rutgers at Ohio State
Tuesday, Dec. 29: Purdue at Rutgers
Saturday, Jan. 2: Iowa at Rutgers
Tuesday, Jan. 5: Rutgers at Michigan State
Saturday, Jan. 9: Ohio State at Rutgers
In six games, Rutgers faces three of the projected top four teams in the Big Ten, an Ohio State team with a high ceiling twice, and the tough-as-nails Boilermakers. Brutal.
Easiest stretch
Sunday, Feb. 21: Maryland at Rutgers
Wednesday, Feb. 24: Indiana at Rutgers
Sunday, Feb. 28: Rutgers at Nebraska
Saturday, March 6, or Sunday, March 7: Rutgers at Minnesota
To close the season, Rutgers hosts Maryland and Indiana, then heads to Nebraska and Minnesota. All four teams are picked to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten.
Toughest game
Sunday, Dec. 20: Illinois at Rutgers
Hosting the favorite to win the league in the first home game of the conference season is a bad beat. Head coach Brad Underwood stars Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, a solid supporting cast of Trent Frazier and Giorgi Bezhanishvili and a talented freshman class to Piscataway.
Runner-up: Rutgers at Michigan State three days after a likely shootout against offensive juggernaut Iowa.
Speaking of which…
Most intriguing matchup
Saturday, Jan. 2: Iowa at Rutgers
The Hawkeyes finished fifth in the country in offensive efficiency last season while the Scarlet Knights finished sixth in defensive efficiency, per KenPom. Both teams return much of their production and more talent that has been added.
The last three times they’ve played, Rutgers and Iowa put together entertaining contests. This January should be more of the same between the Scarlet Knights’ immovable defense and the Hawkeyes’ unstoppable offense.
Most anticipated game
Thursday, Feb. 18: Rutgers at Michigan
Rutgers was unbeatable at home last season, except when it played Michigan. The Wolverines handed the Scarlet Knights the only blemish on their 18-1 record at the Rutgers Athletic Center, and they also defeated them at a de-facto Rutgers home game at Madison Square Garden.
Head coach Steve Pikiell said Rutgers is aiming for its best season ever. The current leader in that category is the 1975-76 team, which featured an unbeaten regular season and a Final Four appearance, where the Scarlet Knights lost to … Michigan.
Rutgers has never beaten Michigan (in men’s basketball). It gets one chance this season. It will be circled on many calendars in Piscataway.
Runner-up: the opener against Maryland. It’s been a l-o-n-g offseason. Players, coaches and fans are counting the days until Big Ten basketball is back.
Closest thing to a revenge game
Tuesday, Jan. 12: Rutgers at Penn State
The last time Rutgers shared the floor with Penn State, it looked like Geo Baker pulled off another last-minute miracle and completed another wild comeback. A mid-range jumper gave the Scarlet Knights a 2-point lead with 44 seconds to play, but Nittany Lions guard Myles Dread made his own clutch shot on the other end to seal the dramatic win.
It was the latest twist in a roller-coaster series, a circle of revenge that started when Penn State won a thrilling game at the RAC in March 2019. In January 2020, Rutgers avenged the loss and thrashed the Nittany Lions. A month later, Dread got even with the Scarlet Knights.
Will Rutgers continue the cycle when it returns to State College this January? It has plenty of motivation to do so.
Runner-up: Michigan for all the reasons listed above.
Likeliest trap game
Sunday, Jan. 31: Rutgers at Northwestern
After hosting Wisconsin and Michigan State and playing Indiana at Assembly Hall, a trip to Evanston sounds like a vacation. That, right there, is the problem.
The Wildcats were B-A-D last season. And yet it took a Herculean effort from Baker for Rutgers to defeat them in overtime at the RAC. Barring a level of development never before seen in college basketball, Northwestern will be bad again this season. On the other hand, the Scarlet Knights are projected to be near the top of the standings.
You could smell the trap game from a mile away.
Runner-up: Big Ten opener against Maryland. Without Jalen Smith and Anthony Cowan, Terrapins are not the top-10 team the Scarlet Knights beat at the RAC last season, they’re picked to finish 10th in the Big Ten and they are the worst-coached team Rutgers faces in the first quarter of the season. But they have talent. This game has T-R-A-P written all over it.
Seton Hall Week?
While the in-state rivalry is on life support, there is still a lifeline.
Pirates head coach Kevin Willard told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein last month that they were holding a non-conference slot open for the Scarlet Knights in hopes they can find a date on a bye week during conference play.
Rutgers has two periods that fit that criteria: a nine-day gap in mid-January and a seven-day gap in early February. The former seems to make the most sense — it’s in the middle of the conference slate and it’s enough time for the Scarlet Knights to recover before and after the contest.
Seton Hall does not know its itinerary for 2021 yet — the Big East only released the first half of its conference schedule thus far — but if the Garden State Hardwood Classic is to be played this season, those are the only two stretches that make sense for Rutgers.
First time for everything
In its most anticipated season in decades, Rutgers has a chance to make some program history.
The Scarlet Knights have never beaten Michigan or Michigan State, so any win over the Great Lake State opponents would be a first. They also have chances to win road games at Ohio State (0-5), Indiana (0-3), Maryland (0-5 at XFinity Center) and Minnesota (0-5) for the first time.
Here is Rutgers’ complete Big Ten schedule:
Monday, Dec. 14: Rutgers at Maryland
Sunday, Dec. 20: Illinois at Rutgers
Wednesday, Dec. 23: Rutgers at Ohio State
Tuesday, Dec. 29: Purdue at Rutgers
Saturday, Jan. 2: Iowa at Rutgers
Tuesday, Jan. 5: Rutgers at Michigan State
Saturday, Jan. 9: Ohio State at Rutgers
Tuesday, Jan. 12: Rutgers at Penn State
Friday, Jan. 15: Wisconsin at Rutgers
Sunday, Jan. 24: Rutgers at Indiana
Thursday, Jan. 28: Michigan State at Rutgers
Sunday, Jan. 31: Rutgers at Northwestern
Thursday, Feb. 4: Minnesota at Rutgers
Wednesday, Feb. 10: Rutgers at Iowa
Saturday, Feb. 13: Northwestern at Rutgers
Thursday, Feb. 18: Rutgers at Michigan
Sunday, Feb. 21: Maryland at Rutgers
Wednesday, Feb. 24: Indiana at Rutgers
Sunday, Feb. 28: Rutgers at Nebraska
Saturday, March 6, or Sunday, March 7: Rutgers at Minnesota
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at [email protected].