Rutgers
Traveling – A College Basketball Journey – Game 31
Home Team: Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Away Team: Nebraska Cornhuskers
Final Score: Rutgers def. Nebraska, 87-82 in OT
Venue: Jersey Mike's Arena, Piscataway, NJ
Date: January 17, 2024
Time: 7:00 P.M.
Despite both teams being in the Big Ten for at least a decade now, a Rutgers-Nebraska matchup is still something I struggle to wrap my mind around. The places they are located and furthermore, their alumni, are complete opposites. As someone who grew up the NYC metro area, but has spent time in Fort Collins surrounded by Nebraska transplants, I know this firsthand. Nebraskans are some of the nicest people I have met - always kind, not easily bothered. New Jerseyans, on the other hand, are easily bothered. They will stick by their sports teams when they are doing well, but the second they start to lose, the fans are relentless.
This stark difference is starting to be overlooked though. As the conference plans to add four west coast schools to their ranks, focus has been shifted. Suddenly, the distance between New Jersey and Nebraska is a lot smaller. I get it, that’s the way college athletics are going, but when I think about Rutgers football having two conference home games against UCLA and Washington next year, I can’t help but wonder if too much regionality is being sacrificed for money.
Jersey Mike’s arena is one of the most iconic arenas I have been to from an exterior view, maybe only rivaled by Gampel Pavilion. They don’t call it the Trapezoid of Terror for nothing. Seriously, I thought that the arena may have had a trapezoid-ish structure, but the building is straight up shaped like the trapezoid we all learn about in grade school. Aside from the shape, the outside is quite plain. The ends of the trapezoid are flat and grey, with nothing but a few windows and doors. On the slanted sides, comically large Jersey Mike’s signs glow bright letting visitors know that they have arrived.
The entrance to the arena is situated on one of the slanted sides. Upon entering, an obscured view of the court can be seen from one of the ends. A crowded lobby type area has a few concessions. Directly above is a second level that appears to be either some suites or press boxes, although it was hard to tell. On that end of the court there are a few different levels of luxury seats. On the court level are three rows and above them are some temporary seats that seem out of place, especially for what look like premium priced seating. On opposite ends of the lobby, hallways lead to seats on either side of the court.
A hallway leading out of the lobby to access the seats runs under the upper seating and is quite cozy. As I started to forget about my days learning trapezoids and other shapes, I was again pulled back into that time in my life. Brick walls and ceiling tiles had me feeling like I was walking through my elementary school.
There is no better way to describe the arena than voluminous. It is almost as if they focused first on making a trapezoid building and then tried to incorporate a basketball arena into the space. In the corners of the arena, ominous blackness provides an eerie vibe. While there is definitely some character to these negative spaces, it just gave a feeling of emptiness despite the large crowd.
On the end opposite the premium seats is a student section with the only bleacher seating in the building. The sides of the arena where the majority of fans sit are identical. There is a lower section on each side flush with the court, and a much large upper section that goes all the way up to the top of the building. A large jumbotron and video boards on the corners of the court give the space a bit more of a modern feel and keep from it feeling super outdated.
This arena joins many others that have fallen victim to over excessive banners. However, Rutgers is especially egregious with theirs. While many arenas may have too many banners, at least they are readable to most fans from where they sit. The layout Rutgers uses is not in that boat. All banners are meant to be read from the ends of the court, so the ones all the way in the middle that are hanging just look like little slivers of red and white. I honestly could not even tell you if they have only basketball achievements or all sports, because I could barely see any of them.
I was treated with a game that showcased all moods of a New Jersey sports fan. They booed free throw misses when they were down 12 in the first half. The building shook as they tied it before half time. Boo’s were once again rampant as they went down by 12 again in the second half, but an even bigger eruption happened when they came back once again to send it to OT, where they came out on top.
Team Conference and State Statistics
Rutgers and Nebraska are the first and second Big Ten teams I have seen home or away
Rutgers is the first Big Ten arena I have been to
Rutgers is the final team from New Jersey I have seen home or away. I just have Seton Hall and Princeton left to visit
Nebraska is the first team I have seen from Nebraska
Previous: Game 30.5 - Fairfield 2.0
Next: Game 32 - Albany
It'll always be The RAC to me.