Rutgers Women’s Basketball’s 2025-26 nonconference schedule has been released.
The program announced its upcoming schedule ahead of head coach Coquese Washington’s fourth year at the helm, with a near-entire overhaul of the roster and coaching staff.
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Rutgers’ schedule
| Date, Time (All times EST) | Opponent (Final 2024-25 NET Ranking) | Venue |
| Monday, November 3rd, 7pm | Wagner (359) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Thursday, November 6th, 7pm | Quinnipiac (103) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Sunday, November 9th, 2pm | Stony Brook (277) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Thursday, November 13th, 2pm | Rhode Island (115) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Sunday, November 16th, 2pm | Fairleigh Dickinson (165) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Thursday, November 20th (Time TBA) | at Auburn (64) | Neville Arena (Auburn, AL) |
| Monday, November 24th, 7pm | Siena (241) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Friday, November 28th, 7pm | Northeastern (358) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Sunday, November 30th, 2pm | Saint Peter’s (301) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
| Wednesday, December 10th (Time TBA | at Princeton (46) | Jadwin Gymnasium (Princeton, NJ) |
| Saturday, December 20th | Lafayette (312) | Jersey Mike’s Arena (Piscataway, NJ) |
Schedule analysis
The Scarlet Knights’ schedule features 11 nonconference games to go along with the 18 Big Ten matchups. Here are some of the big takeaways from the 2025-26 slate.
New Faces
While the Scarlet Knights still face several local programs from the mid- and low-major ranks – some of whom return to Jersey Mike’s Arena again – there are some new opponents ahead.
The Scarlet Knights’ second game of the year comes against Quinnipiac – one of the mid-major darlings of the 2024-25 season – setting up the first game between the two teams. Though star guard Gal Raviv transferred to Miami (FL), plenty of infrastructure remains for the MAAC finalists.
Rutgers faces off against Stony Brook three days later for the third time, and the first since 2021, Washington’s first season at the helm. The Scarlet Knights fell 53-44 in that game, so they are looking for their first win against the Sea Wolves since 2018.
Rhode Island used to be the fixture on Rutgers’ schedule during Atlantic 10 play, but the teams have not met up since 1995, before the Scarlet Knights’ move to the Big East. Rutgers is 28-2 all-time against the Rams.
Auburn (more on them later) will host the Scarlet Knights late in November, pitting the Tigers against Rutgers for the fourth time. The Scarlet Knights have not won against Auburn since 2009.
Rutgers starts “Feast Week” by hosting Siena out of the MAAC for only the second time in program history. The Scarlet Knights beat the Saints 59-47 in 2017.
Another team with history against Rutgers, though not recent, Northeastern comes to town for the eighth time. The Scarlet Knights are 6-1 in the previous seven matchups, with the most recent coming in 2014.
Old Friends
Two games on the schedule stick out for storyline purposes, thanks to their relationships with Rutgers’ personnel.
The Scarlet Knights play a delayed return of a home-and-home against Auburn, with the Tigers emerging victorious in 2023. The most interesting note on the matchup, however, is on Auburn’s roster. Former Rutgers guard Mya Petticord opted to transfer to the Tigers following two years as a Scarlet Knight. She returns to the SEC under new head coach Larry Vickers.
On the coaching staff side, when Rutgers faces off against Northeastern to close November, it will see new assistant coach / video coordinator James Spinelli match up against his former school. Spinelli worked as an assistant coach for the Huskies in the previous two seasons.
Building Confidence
The Scarlet Knights continue the recent scheduling trends in recent years, facing off against several lower-caliber local opponents.
Six of the 11 games will be against teams that finished outside of the top 250 in the end-of-year NET rankings, including schedule staples Wagner, FDU, and Lafayette.
The lighter scheduling furthers a trend across college basketball, focusing on building confidence early in the year. The schedule’s two biggest tests are road trips to Auburn and in-state rival Princeton.
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