Rutgers vs. Princeton: A rivalry revived, a boon for New Jersey
Rutgers vs. Princeton: A rivalry revived, a boon for New Jersey
Bringing back the once-annual Rutgers-Princeton game now was wise for both sides.
On Dec. 11, 2013, the Princeton Tigers walked into the RAC and defeated Eddie Jordan’s Rutgers Scarlet Knights 78-73. T.J. Bray hit five 3-pointers en route to 23 points and eight assists to lead Princeton, while Myles Mack’s 21 points and five assists were tops for Rutgers.
The players headed to the locker rooms, Princeton took a victorious bus ride home… and the two programs never saw each other again.
After that first year on the job, Jordan stopped scheduling the Tigers, and Rutgers’ longest historical rivalry went dormant longer than any hoops fan in New Jersey could have anticipated.
By now you know what this is building to, especially since it was first reported last month. On Wednesday it became official: Rutgers and Princeton are rekindling their men’s basketball series in a season-opening clash Nov. 6 at CURE Insurance Arena in the state capital of Trenton.
Princeton leads the series 75-45, but we can dive into the deeper history of the rivalry at a later date. For now, the main takeaway is simple: It’s a win-win-win.
There is so much to like about this concept, not least of which being the date itself. Nov. 6 marks the 154th anniversary Rutgers defeating Princeton in the first-ever game of American football. For each program, and for the rising overall profile of New Jersey college basketball, the timing could not be better.
Let’s start with Princeton, which clearly had to make a concession to Rutgers in letting this be a neutral-site game instead of a home-and-home with a date in Jadwin Gym. (It’s worth noting that this is being marketed as “the inaugural 2023 Jersey Jam,” but only the 2023 installment has been announced thus far.)
“Generations of Princeton and Rutgers fans know what this game means to both programs, alums and the state of New Jersey,” Mitch Henderson, Princeton’s coach since 2011, said in a news release. “We are thrilled that this tradition will be renewed and the next generation of Princeton and Rutgers fans will be able to experience this rivalry.”
I’m reminded of last year, when the Tigers’ most challenging non-conference opponent was Rick Pitino’s Iona squad; Pitino didn’t want to have to bring his team to Princeton, so they settled on a one-time game on a neutral floor at Kean University, equidistant from the two schools. Iona won a close one.
This feeds into the larger point: Even before winning a pair of NCAA Tournament games, Princeton had worlds of trouble scheduling Power Six conference opponents. Between the style the Tigers play and the high-risk, low-reward proposition from the power-conference teams’ perspective, Henderson has a hell of a time making a schedule each year. This is a program that defeated Oregon State, South Carolina, Arizona State and USC and nearly beat Minnesota in recent years. If you’re Big State U. worrying about blemishes on your team sheet, why would you want to sign up for that?
The Tigers reaching the Sweet 16 likely made power-conference programs even more hesitant to face them… except Rutgers, who certainly realized that public desire for the rivalry’s return had reached an all-time high.
Princeton isn’t the only program in this state with a trajectory pointing way up. Rutgers was on the verge of making its third straight NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. The end of the Scarlet Knights’ 2022-23 season was thoroughly disappointing, of course, and among the main culprits for Rutgers’ NIT destiny was a non-conference strength of schedule ranked No. 314 in the country. That was a hindrance when it came time for the selection committee to sit down with the hard data. (Rutgers still had a worthier case to make the tourney than Nevada, but what’s done is done.)
Rutgers needed some more marquee opponents in the non-conference portion of the season. Steve Pikiell understood the assignment. The Scarlet Knights are also bringing in Mississippi State on Dec. 23 at Newark’s Prudential Center. Holding a game at Madison Square Garden or the Barclays Center didn’t work out, but this game will serve as the 2023 “Gotham Classic,” a series that last year saw St. Bonaventure beat Notre Dame at the new UBS Arena on Long Island. These are steps in the right direction if RU wants more games in the big city in the near future.
“We are so excited to open up our 2023-24 season schedule against Princeton,” Pikiell said. “This is a matchup between two teams from the great state of New Jersey with a ton of history. We look forward to a great matchup in Trenton.”
I did call it a “win-win-win.” That third win, obviously, is for the fans. Not just the fans and alumni of each program, but Jersey sports fans at large and Trentonians in particular. This game will overlap with the New York Jets playing at home on “Monday Night Football” against the Los Angeles Chargers, but you can believe it will still be a hot ticket in a part of the state that rarely hosts sporting events of any note.
Seriously, check out the Wikipedia entry for CURE Insurance Arena. The only current tenant is the Trenton Terror of the Professional Box Lacrosse Association. Minor-league hockey and several arena football teams have come and gone. The Trenton Thunder, meanwhile, through no fault of their own, went from the Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees to the MLB Draft League. According to Kyle Franko of the Trentonian, the Jersey Jam will be Trenton’s first college basketball game since the arena hosted a regional in the 2009 NCAA women’s tournament.
Amid an era when Saint Peter’s, Fairleigh Dickinson and Princeton have all done the unthinkable on the biggest stage in the sport, the renewal of this rivalry will make sure fans’ eyes stay trained on New Jersey. And a rising tide lifts all boats.
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Oh, hello! I know, it’s been a minute. I hope everyone likes the facelift I’ve given Guarden State. If you’re reading this via email, give a quick click over to guardenstate.substack.com to see what I mean. After two years, it needed a fresh coat of paint and some other cosmetic touches.
We’re still three months off from the start of the 2023-24 college basketball season, but this felt like the right moment for a summer check-in, especially as Dylan Harper potentially inches closer to a college commitment. The No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2024 and brother of Ron Harper Jr. is seriously considering Rutgers among his top five schools; it was pointed out to me that Rivals is predicting he’ll choose the Scarlet Knights, whereas 247Sports and On3 are split.
If he commits to Rutgers anytime between now and October, you can expect one more offseason edition of Guarden State. Otherwise, I am gearing up for Season 3 of covering the New Jersey college hoops scene in this here newsletter. Plans are in the works to hopefully increase my output and cover more storylines on and off the court than ever before. Stay tuned, consider a paid subscription and spread the word to the hoops fan in your life.