Rutgers Women's Basketball 2025-26 Season Preview: The Schedule
With the calendar flipping to October, college basketball season is right around the corner. Rutgers Women’s Basketball is headed into a pivotal fourth season with head coach Coquese Washington, with an overturned roster and coaching staff. The Scarlet Knights’ season unofficially kicked off over the weekend, as did many programs’ in the October scrimmage craze, as On3’s Talia Goodman reported Rutgers fell 67-63 to Temple.
The regular season will officially start in two weeks.
For the second straight year, The Knight Report has put together a comprehensive preview of the Scarlet Knights’ season, going over each aspect of the team.
In the first part, Rutgers’ schedule is broken down, with another full slate of nonconference and Big Ten opponents on the ledger.
Rutgers’ full schedule
Schedule analysis
Continuing a common theme, Rutgers has once again put together a nonconference slate with plenty of winnable games against local mid- and low-major programs, likely to help gauge the team’s comfort level and gain confidence early on before the Big Ten schedule kicks off.
Last season, the Scarlet Knights’ strength of schedule ranked 34th nationally in the NET rankings, according to Warren Nolan. The Big Ten did plenty of heavy lifting, as the nonconference strength of schedule saw a stark difference, ranking 287th nationally. They went 12-1 in Quad 4 games – several coming in the nonconference slate – while going 2-3 in Quad 3, and 0-16 in Quad 1 and 2 games combined.
This year’s schedule features much of the same.
According to Bart Torvik’s preseason metrics, Rutgers will have 11 Quad 4 games total, just two Quad 3 games, and the remaining 18 games in Quads 1 and 2. All but two of those top-half Quad games are in conference play, with the toughest nonconference games coming on the road against Auburn (Quad 2) and Princeton (Quad 1).
Torvik’s preseason ratings also place the Scarlet Knights at 54th nationally in total strength of schedule, but 254th in the nonconference slate.
Below is a graphic breaking down how the “Quad” games are determined.
Overall, the Scarlet Knights’ schedule took a slight uptick in difficulty, with two road games against NCAA Tournament-caliber Quad 1 teams and multiple fascinating matchups against stronger mid-majors. The conference schedule remains a constant in terms of strength across the Big Ten, especially considering the West Coast members entering their second season.
Torvik’s ratings predict a 13-16 record overall, with a 5-13 mark in Big Ten play, which would match Washington’s best conference record, tied with her first year in 2022-23.
Games to Watch
Here are the most intriguing matchups on the schedule for Rutgers.
November 6th vs Quinnipiac: While the entire college basketball world – including the Scarlet Knights themselves – became familiar with new MAAC power Fairfield over the last two years, the Bobcats made a similar leap last season. They went 28-5 and split the regular season series with the Stags before ultimately falling to them 76-53 in the MAAC title game, and ending their season with a WBIT loss to Seton Hall. Breakout star guard Gal Raviv took her talents to South Beach to play for Miami (FL), but much of the infrastructure remains in place for Quinnipiac coming into this season. It will be a very early test for Rutgers and its new-look roster, against a team with mid-major NCAA Tournament aspirations.
November 13th vs Rhode Island: Rutgers’ “Recess Game” – where schools from all over the nearby area come and enjoy the Scarlet Knights’ morning tip-off – brings another mid-major challenger in the Rams. The two teams face off for only the second time – Rutgers won the lone other matchup in 2004. Head coach Tammi Reiss has built up Rhode Island into a consistent threat in the Atlantic 10 Conference, and enters the season picked fourth in the A-10 preseason poll. A revamped roster in the transfer portal led to a plateau in terms of record last year, but the Rams finished top two in the regular season in each of the prior two campaigns.
November 20th at Auburn: In the new age of college basketball, straight home-and-home agreements between high-major programs are rare, but the Scarlet Knights hit the road for the first time to finish off the two-game deal after falling 76-56 at home two seasons ago, in a wild game that saw both teams go on big-time runs in the first half. Both rosters have been nearly completely overhauled since that game, with new head coach Larry Vickers taking the reigns for the Tigers. This matchup adds some extra intrigue, as former Rutgers guard Mya Petticord opted to return to the SEC and play her final collegiate season at Auburn. Petticord had an up-and-down two seasons in Piscataway battling injuries, but consistently held a high effort level, and will face her former team for the first time. This game has the potential to be the biggest nonconference test of the season.
December 6th vs Iowa: The Big Ten slate opens against the Hawkeyes, who defeated the Scarlet Knights last year in a 55-43 slugfest at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Head coach Jan Jensen enters her second season at the helm, and while Iowa does not appear to have the game-breaking lead guard of a Caitlin Clark or Lucy Olsen, many key pieces have stuck around, including star forward Hannah Stuelke. Emely Rodriguez and potential Big Ten Name of the Year candidate Chit Chat Wright arrived in the transfer portal as extremely solid options and were highly sought after. This will be an early litmus test for how prepared Rutgers is for Big Ten play.
December 10th at Princeton: The other big-time nonconference matchup comes on a trip down Route 1 – or Route 27, depending on traffic – as the in-state rivals face off for the 15th time in the last 21 seasons. The Tigers have gotten the best of the Scarlet Knights in each of the last three years, with an average margin of victory of 16 points. Former UConn star Carla Berube has long proven herself as a fantastic coach, winning over 80% of her games in 17 years at Division III Tufts and six at Princeton. The Tigers have made four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, and likely would have six straight had the COVID-19 pandemic not derailed two postseasons of Ivy League play. The big question: Can Rutgers’ new-look squad finally conquer the Tigers?
January 11th at Northwestern: Wildcats head coach Joe McKeown, one of the most well-respected leaders and the second-longest-tenured coach in the Big Ten, will close his career this season after his 17th year in Evanston, and 40th as a head coach. Not only is this matchup a part of the farewell tour for McKeown, but it will also likely have standings ramifications. Despite the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament expanding to include all 18 teams, the women’s side remains at the 15-team tournament from last season. Each team will be seeking a head-to-head win against the other, as both figure to be on the tournament’s bubble.
McKeown’s roots also travel back to the Garden State, where he wowed on the court for two years at Mercer County Community College, before starring at Kent State and starting a legendary coaching career. He was inducted into the Mustangs’ Athletic Hall of Fame in 2024.
January 18th/February 21st vs/at Penn State: Another battle that will almost certainly have standings implications for two teams jockeying for conference tournament position, the two matchups between the interstate rivals have another host of fascinating storylines. The big one, of course, is former guard Kiyomi McMiller‘s first two games against her former team. As a five-star true freshman, McMiller dazzled on the court, but her time in Piscataway was marred by off-court issues, including multiple absences during the second half of the year. Whether McMiller’s mindset heading into the games is one of seeking revenge, or just another game on the court, her play on the floor attracts eyes at all levels.
Washington also plays her own former team, as she won three Big Ten titles in 12 years in State College as the head coach, though the Nittany Lions found themselves in a downturn by the end of her tenure. Penn State head coach Carolyn Kieger finds herself in a similar spot after a last-place finish in the 2024-25 campaign, though the addition of McMiller coupled with the return of Gracie Merkle and Moriah Murray gives Kieger a solid nucleus to build around. The combination of personnel and Kieger’s frenetic style of play gives the Nittany Lions a “League Pass Team” label, as they will certainly not lack entertainment value on the floor.
Rutgers swept the season series last year, and will certainly be looking to build on some momentum against a former star to get a leg up in the standings.
Final verdict
While the Scarlet Knights as a full team appear to have improved, questions remain about who the top option will be and how the retooled roster and coaching staff will come together once the season gets into gear. There will be opportunities for confidence-building wins early on, while sprinkling in big-time tests against two strong nonconference opponents.
TKR Record Prediction: 14-15 (5-13 Big Ten).
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