Rutgers
Villanova
Oct 09 | Men's Basketball
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers men's basketball takes the floor for the first time this weekend ahead of the 2026-27 season, hosting Villanova in an exhibition Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena.
Tickets are available at ScarletKnights.com. The game will stream live on B1G+, with Dom Savino and Justin Walters on the call. Rutgers students from WRSU will carry the radio broadcast, with Chase Jacoby and Will Carmenaty calling the action; it will be available on ScarletKnights.com and the Scarlet Knights app.
About Rutgers
Rutgers' roster is set for the upcoming season, with seven returners, eight departures and nine newcomers. The Scarlet Knights return five of their top seven scorers from last season.
Associate head coach Brandin Knight, in his 11th season on Steve Pikiell's staff, will lead the Scarlet Knights on the sideline as Pikiell undergoes treatment for cancer. Pikiell remains involved with the program.
Rutgers brings back five guards from last season's roster: Jamichael Davis, Tariq Francis, Lino Mark, Kaden Powers and Max Fradkin. Francis led Rutgers at 17.0 points per game last season and shot 91.1 percent from the free-throw line. His 578 points were the most by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby in 2005-06 and rank second among returning Big Ten players.
Davis is Rutgers' most experienced returner, set to become a four-year player and a two-time team captain. He has played in 97 career games, averaging 5.9 points with 199 assists and 94 steals.
Mark and Powers stood out for Rutgers as freshmen last season. Mark emerged as a key contributor down the stretch, scoring in double figures in eight of the final 11 games. Powers flashed his potential with 15 starts and five double-figure scoring games, highlighted by 18 points against UCLA.
Rutgers also returns guard/forward Darren Buchanan Jr. and center Gevonte Ware. Buchanan, a key two-way contributor, ranks second among returners after averaging 8.1 points per game last season.
The Scarlet Knights add five Division I transfers:
- RaSheed Jones (14.8 ppg at Coastal Carolina)
- Darin Smith Jr. (NEC Player of the Year at Central Connecticut State)
- Will Sydnor (MAAC Rookie of the Year, 13.9 ppg as a freshman at Manhattan)
- Christian Gurdak (5.6 ppg on 63.2 percent shooting at Virginia Tech)
- Dorin Buca (team-high 35 blocks at Kansas State)
Rutgers also welcomes freshman Imahri Wooten and three international signees: Diego Garavaglia (Italy), Martin Tonejc (Slovenia) and Mervedi Miteo (DR Congo).
About Villanova
Villanova was picked third in the preseason BIG EAST poll. In their first season under head coach Kevin Willard, who faced Rutgers during his tenures at Seton Hall and Maryland, the Wildcats won 24 games and reached the NCAA Tournament. Villanova returns Tyler Perkins, a Third Team All-BIG EAST pick who led the Wildcats at 13.7 points per game last season.
Newcomers Kwame Evans Jr. and Devin Royal joined Perkins on the Preseason All-BIG EAST team, and both faced Rutgers in the Big Ten last season. Evans averaged 13.3 points and 7.4 rebounds at Oregon, and Royal averaged 14.0 points and 6.0 rebounds at Ohio State. Both played at Jersey Mike's Arena in consecutive games during the first week of January: Royal scored 16 points with four assists for the Buckeyes, and Evans had 14 points and 13 rebounds in 41 minutes in Rutgers' overtime win over Oregon.
Rutgers and Villanova were BIG EAST rivals who played annually from 1977 to 2013. Villanova leads the all-time series 29-9, and the teams have not met in the regular season since 2013. Rutgers' most recent wins in the series came in 2011 and 2008. The 2011 win came on Jonathan Mitchell's famous four-point play in the final seconds, which lifted Rutgers to a 77-76 victory over No. 9 Villanova. The Scarlet Knights erased a 13-point deficit in the final five minutes, and students rushed the court to celebrate. In 2008, Mike Coburn and Anthony Farmer each scored 23 points as Rutgers beat No. 18 Villanova 80-68.
Up Next
Rutgers plays one more exhibition before the season. The Scarlet Knights face St. John's at Madison Square Garden next Sunday, a game that will also stream on B1G+. Rutgers opens the regular season Nov. 6 against New Haven, the first of three straight home games, followed by NJIT on Nov. 10 and Bryant on Nov. 13.
