PISCATAWAY, N.J. – The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team is set to travel down the New Jersey Turnpike to take on in-state foe No. 23 Rutgers on Friday night at the RAC. The game, which is part of the 2020 New Jersey Hoop Group Classic, will air live on Big Ten Network.

Game Info
FDU (0-1, 0-0 NEC) at #23/24 Rutgers (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Nov. 27 - 7:00 PM | Rutgers Athletic Center (Piscataway, N.J.)

Coverage: BTN | Live Stats
Talent: Lisa Byington (PxP) and Ben Brust (Analyst)
In-Game Updates: @FDUKnightsMBB

Game Notes: FDU | Rutgers

All-Time Series
Rutgers leads 14-2
at RU..2-13
Streak..L5
First Meeting..Rutgers 74, FDU 72 (11/27/81 at RU)
Last Meeting..Rutgers 90, FDU 55 (11/9/18 at RU)

Scouting Rutgers
The nationally-ranked Scarlet Knights opened their season with an 86-63 triumph over the Knights' Northeast Conference nemesis Sacred Heart. Five Scarlet Knights reached double-figures in the win, led by junior forward Ron Harper Jr.'s 18-point, 10-rebound double-double. The Scarlet Knights are coming off of a 20-win season, which included an 18-1 record at home. Senior guard Geo Baker was selected to the Preseason All-Big Ten Team.
More on Rutgers

Scouting the Knights
The Knights were selected first in this season's NEC Preseason Poll, their second time earning the designation in the Greg Herenda era. Jahlil Jenkins, an All-NEC Second Team honoree a season ago and classmate Elyjah Williams were each named to the All-NEC Preseason Team. The Knights are coming off a campaign in which they averaged 72.2 points per game and shot 45.2 percent from the floor. As has been the case throughout Herenda's eight seasons at the helm, the Knights featured a balanced attack with four players averaging 10.0 or more points per game.

Last Time Out
The Knights dropped the opening game of their 2020-21 campaign 84-66 at Quinnipiac on Wednesday (11/25). In the loss, sophomore Brandon Rush poured in a career-high 21 points, while senior forward Elyjah Williams also scored 21, which matched his career-best output. Three Knights made their collegiate debuts including freshman forward Pier-Olivier Racine, who filled up the box score with six points, eight rebounds, five blocked shots and three assists. Racine's five blocks are the most by a Knight in a game since 2014.

Coach Herenda's Postgame Comments
"First and foremost, it was an accomplishment just getting back on the court and playing together for the first time. I was so happy for our players to get the chance to put on a uniform and compete. All of our players deserve a ton of credit for persevering through a great deal just to get to this point."

"As far as our performance is concerned, I thought we came out ready to play and got off to a very solid start but we just did not finish the first half well and that gave Quinnipiac a ton of confidence. B-Rush brought it all night long and he benefited from all of the attention that they gave Jahlil tonight. Everywhere Jahlil went, there seemed to be three yellow jerseys. I know that both Elyjah and Jahlil will bounce back but I just love how well our freshmen played in their first college outing. They all brought great energy and were not afraid to make things happen on both sides of the ball. I am very happy for all three of them. 
 
Coach Herenda's Thoughts on the New Season
"Obviously we are very excited to start a season that will be like no other. I really love this team and how they have come together so quickly during these most difficult times."

"Having two premier players in Jahlil and Elyjah leading the way is crucial. These guys have helped make history here and we all want more. Our returners have all come back hungry and improved and I cannot say enough about our three freshmen. They have adapted incredibly well and will be asked to make an immediate impact."

"Our mantra all year will be to finish the race and to stay the course. If we can do that each and every day then our ultimate goal of winning another NEC Championship and finding ourselves in Indianapolis will be within our grasp again."

What's Next
The Knights play their second and final game of the 2020 New Jersey Hoop Group Classic when they travel to Hofstra on Monday, November 30 to take on the Pride at 7:00 p.m. in Hempstead, N.Y.