Rutgers Men’s Basketball

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 10: Derek Simpson #0 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights shoots against Zach Edey #15 of the Purdue Boilermakers during the first half in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament at United Center on March 10, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

Rutgers accepted its invite to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) that begins in earnest on Tuesday night when the Scarlet Knights play host to Hofstra at 7 p.m. from Jersey Mike’s Arena.

Rutgers is a number 1 seed in a regional that features Hofstra, Seton Hall, Cincinnati, Colorado, Virginia Tech, New Mexico, and Utah Valley.  There is a chance the two Jersey schools: Rutgers and Seton Hall could face each other at Jersey Mike’s Arena in a regional final.

Head Coach Steve Pikiell on the placement in the NIT:

“It is like any game,” Pikiell said. “You must be ready to get your team off the mat. I want them to know I played in the NIT myself as a player and we had an unbelievable run when I was at the University of Connecticut in 1988. It was one of the great experiences that I had in basketball. Today they don’t want to hear those things, but tomorrow we will get them in a room and try to make sure they understand that a lot of teams have hung up their uniforms and we have a chance to keep playing as a group.”

Our coverage of Rutgers vs. Hofstra begins at 6:30 on Tuesday night.