Rutgers men’s basketball wrapped up its 2025-2026 non-conference schedule and 2025 as a whole with a 65- 50 win over Delaware State. The Scarlet Knights were able to overcome very poor shooting from the
floor by having a solid game at the free-throw line to get the win.
The game was an offensive slog for both teams. After the first 10 minutes of play, the Knights held a 13-12 lead over the Hornets. In the three minutes and 24 seconds before the halfway point in the first half, both teams combined for just two points. Rutgers would start to put pressure on Delaware State over the next five minutes, extending their lead to six with five minutes left to play in the first half. The score differential would remain mostly the same for the rest of the half, with the Knights adding one more point to their lead to go into the locker room up 31-24.
Both teams’ offensive struggles would continue into the second half. Rutgers and Delaware State would go on several multiple-minute-long droughts without a field goal in the final 20 minutes of play. After five minutes passed in the second half, the knights held a 14-point lead. That lead would get pushed to 16 with 10 minutes left to play as Rutgers held a 46-30 advantage going into the home stretch. The Knights would push their lead to 20 several times throughout the last 10 minutes, as the Hornets would pose no serious threat for the rest of the game.
Despite Rutgers getting the win, they looked very sloppy against a bottom-10 team in the country, according to KenPom. The Knights only hit 29.6 percent of their field goals, and 25.9 percent from three. Meanwhile, Delaware State hit 33.3 percent of their field goals and 33.4 percent from three. They also committed more turnovers than the Hornets, as Rutgers had 17 while Delaware State had 15. These are both areas that the Knights have struggled in all season, and neither has made significant improvements despite the constant changes in the starting lineup.
Three areas where Rutgers excelled in this game were drawing penalties, free-throw shooting, and rebounds. The Knights got to the line 29 times and hit on their buckets 24 times, good for 82.8 percent free-throw shooting. They also grabbed 24 more rebounds than the Hornets, grabbing 14 more than their opponent on the offensive glass in the process.
Two players who stood out for the Knights in this game were Dylan Grant, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds, and Tariq Francis, who netted 19 points.
With the win, Rutgers men’s basketball concludes its non-conference play for the season. For the next two and a half months, the Knights will be facing in-conference high-major opponents. The first of those games will be against Ohio State at home. Tip-off for that game will be at 8 pm on January 2nd. Live coverage for the game will be available on Peacock.
