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Stadium: Rutgers Athletic Center
The Louis Brown Athletic Center, more commonly known as the "RAC" (for Rutgers Athletic Center), is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Piscataway, New Jersey on the University's Livingston Campus. The arena opened on November 30, 1977 with a win against rival Seton Hall. The building is shaped like a truncated tent with trapezoidal sides on the north and south ends. It is home to the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights basketball teams, both men's and women's. Previously, the University used the 3,200-seat College Avenue Gym from 1931 to 1977.
The arena was known as the Rutgers Athletic Center until 1986, when it was renamed for Louis Brown, a Rutgers graduate and former member of the varsity golf team, who made a large bequest to the University in his will. The building is still largely referred to as "The RAC" (pronounced "rack"), however.
It is known as one of the most difficult arenas in all of college basketball for opposing teams to play in. During the 2002-2003 season, the Rutgers Men's Basketball team defeated Syracuse University, the eventual National Champion, at the RAC. It has become a common occurrence during recent years for the Rutgers Men's Basketball team to beat teams at the RAC that they lose badly to at the opposing team's arena. For example, in 2003, the Scarlet Knights lost to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by 11 points at Notre Dame's Joyce Center, but beat the Fighting Irish by 13 points in their other meeting at the RAC.
Team History:
The Rutgers Men's Basketball Team was among the "Final Four" in the Division I NCAA Tournament and ended the 1976 season ranked fourth in the United States, after an 86-70 loss against the University of Michigan in the semifinal round, and a 106-92 loss against UCLA in the tournament's third-place consolation game.[46]
Also, this was the last men's Division I tournament to date to feature two unbeaten teams, as both Indiana and Rutgers entered the tournament unbeaten. Both advanced to the Final Four, with Indiana winning the title and Rutgers losing to Michigan in the semifinals and UCLA in the third-place game. Rutgers went 31-0 before losing in both the semifinals (to Michigan) and the third-place game (to UCLA).
Season Preview:
Good news: Coach Fred Hill is making headway in recruiting and in coaching up a pretty decent core of players. Add in some quality recruits like Michael Coburn and Corey Chandler, and Hill can continue to build.
Bad news: Do the young Knights really believe? How will they react when they get punched in the nose, which cannot be avoided in the Big East? The really bad news is that someone has to finish in the lower half of the league, and for too many seasons, it has been Rutgers.
Official Site:
scarletknights.com