Men’s Basketball Suffers Tough Week Ahead of Michigan State
Rutgers fell 82–59 to Indiana at Jersey Mike’s Arena, struggling defensively while allowing 45 points from three-point range. Tariq Francis led the Knights with 28 points, but the decisive loss dropped
RU to 2–7 in Big Ten play.
Earlier in the week, the Scarlet Knights also suffered a loss at Iowa, 68-62. Darren Buchanan Jr. led the way with 17 points, while Francis scored 15, but the Hawkeyes held on late at home behind 20 points from Bennett Stirtz and 17 from Tate Sage.
Rutgers will host No. 10 Michigan State next on Jan. 27th before heading to California to take on USC and UCLA on Saturday and next Tuesday.
Women’s Basketball in the Midst of Defining Homestand
The Rutgers women have begun a critical three-game homestand with a deflating loss to #7 Michigan, 94-60. Faith Blackstone had a career performance with 21 points, while Kaylah Ivey knocked down five threes to provide 15 points. But the Wolverines were way too much, forcing 28 turnovers and scoring 38 points off of them. Four scorers scored 15 or more points for Michigan as they dominated inside and outside while shooting the ball extremely well.
Due to the inclement weather, the game against #25 Washington has been postponed to 3 PM tomorrow, while Rutgers finishes the homestand against Oregon on Wednesday at 7 PM. Both games will be available to be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
#17 Wrestling Splits Illinois Trip 1-1
The No. 17 Scarlet Knights secured a big road win at Northwestern, 30–10, on Friday night, continuing strong conference momentum. Rutgers won seven out of ten matchups, including bonus-point victories from No. 14 Shane Cartagena-Walsh (184), No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), No. 20 Andrew Barbosa (165), and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (133).
The next day, Rutgers narrowly dropped a 17-16 decision to #12 Illinois, despite a 5-5 match split and 16-16 score at the end of the dual. The Fighting Illini secured the win on total match points, with 46 to Rutgers’ 42. Ryan Ford (174) delivered a ranked major decision over No. 25 Colin Kelly. No. 16 Remy Cotton (197), No. 19 Hunter Catka (HWT), No. 31 Andrew Clark (149), and Tahir Parkins (141) all secured decisions in the tough loss to Illinois, but No. 27 Ayden Smith (125) and No. 27 Dylan Shawver (133) lost decisions to ranked opponents, including Shawver to defending national champion and #1 Lucas Byrd.
Rutgers returns home to face Maryland on Friday evening at Jersey Mike’s Arena before traveling to Lawrenceville, NJ, to face Rider on Saturday evening out of conference.
The Best From Around Rutgers Athletics
Women’s tennis fell in its season opener, losing at Princeton 5-2. Rutgers won the first doubles point of the season with Karina Jumazhanova and Naomi Karki, who first recorded a big 6-2 win on the second court. Mai Nguyen and Zuzanna Frankowska sealed the deal with a 7-6 victory on court No. 1 to give RU a 1-0 lead, but only Frankowska could win in singles play. Rutgers tennis will next travel to NJIT on Friday, January 30th.
Swimming and diving returned to action at home against La Salle on Friday, honoring eight seniors before the meet, including seven swimmers and one diver in Sephora Ford. Upon taking the pool, Rutgers had the event winner in every race, placed someone 1-2 in every race except for three, and had the top three finishers in two events.
In diving, Rutgers had the top four finishers on both 3-meter and platform. Amelia Scott also posted the tenth-best all-time score in Rutgers history in platform diving with a 238.80. The Scarlet Knights easily sealed the victory, 225 to 71, in a dominant homecoming performance after over a month off. Next up, Rutgers travels to Lincoln to take on Nebraska on Friday, January 30th, for a Big Ten meet.
In track and field, Rutgers once again closed out competition at Boston University’s Scarlet and White Invitational with a school record, as Stephen Kyvelos set the top time in the 3,000-meter run on Saturday, Jan. 24. The Scarlet Knights posted eight performances on the school’s top-10 all-time list.
Rutgers swept the podium in the women’s 400-meter. Charlee Crawford finished first in the event, running a time of 53.34, followed by Celine-Jada Brown in second in 53.40 and Success Duruzor in third with a time of 55.13. On the men’s side, Lathan Brown won the 400-meter in 47.68, while Joseph Oduro finished first in the triple jump with a distance of 15.71m (51′ 6.25″).
Shamali Whittle finished second in the 60-meter, running a time of 6.78, and Gabriel Rodriguez placed fifth in the 800-meter in 1:51.02. Rutgers next travels back to Philadelphia and The Ott Center for the third time this season for the Penn Invitational on Friday, Jan. 30.
Finally, Rutgers gymnastics narrowly fell to Washington in Seattle, losing 195.225 to 193.600. Gabriele Dildy won the all-around for the third time in four meets, scoring a 9.8 or better in three of four events, including a 9.875 on floor. The Scarlet Knights posted a season-high on vault with a 48.925, with Lisa Chevaire leading off the rotation with a career high 9.825, and Dildy posted a strong 9.800. Emily Leese won the event with a nearly perfect 9.850.
Rachael Riley led the team on beam with a season high 9.850, while Keeley Smith tied a career high with a 9.825, and Dildy anchored with a 9.800 for a team score of 48.350. On floor, three Knights posted high scores, starting with Delaney Adrian’s 9.850. Elliot Goldsmith followed with a season high of 9.875, with Dildy matching that score and the team finishing with a 48.650. The Scarlet Knights will return home to take on Penn State next weekend for the Black Excellence Meet at 2 PM on Sunday.
Football Adds 2027 Tight End, Schedule Release Soon To Drop With BC Date Set
Rutgers continues to build momentum in the offseason with the commitment of in‑state three-star tight end Sydney Padilla from West Orange High School. Padilla (6‑4, 215 lbs) is a versatile athlete who excelled both as a pass-catcher and a defensive playmaker, giving the Scarlet Knights an early impact player for the 2027 class while strengthening their New Jersey recruiting footprint.
Fans are also eagerly awaiting the official release of the 2026 Big Ten football schedule on Tuesday, January 27, which will provide full clarity on week-by-week matchups, kickoff times, and TV designations, including the non-conference Boston College game on Friday, September 1, which is now the Red Bandanna Game and a meaningful early-season contest for both teams.
Between Padilla’s commitment and the imminent schedule release, Rutgers football is setting the stage for an important offseason of roster development and season planning. The remaining question is who will take over as the next defensive coordinator. As the offseason rolls on, the tension will continue to build among Rutgers fans.
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