Go Rutgers. If you are visiting it is an older arena with some limited food options but I come to the RAC to watch Rutgers, grab a drink and some popcorn and enjoy the visit. read more

Rutgers Athletic Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Piscataway Township, New Jersey

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The RAC is an old facility that was built decades ago and honestly, looks pretty drab from the outside. With that being said, I have been to many of the basketball games and I would say the Rutgers environment makes for a great atmosphere, full of energy and volume especially for the basketball games (and especially since they've been winning at home). The student section offers pretty good seating and it houses the loudest section for sure, with the band playing right there as well. The other bleacher seating offers pretty good views until the 300s. Also, once you get to the 300s there is no back support (if that's what you're looking for). There is a number of concession stands around the arena with multiple food and drink options. I would say there should probably be more bathrooms since the lines can get ridiculously long during games. When judging the RAC on its own, it's pretty a good arena. However, compared to its Big Ten rivals, it has a lot of room for improvement and hopefully, they get an upgrade with the recent surge in basketball relevance. read more

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I think it's important to put a few disclaimers out here right off the bat. I did not attend Rutgers, though I visited friends there two or three times in college. I'm a big college basketball fan (a non-bandwagon Gonzaga fan - I've been rooting for them since the late 90s) but most of my exposure to the sport is via ESPN telecasts, which understandably focuses on the bigger, blue blood programs like Duke, Kansas, etc. This is the first time I attended a college basketball game in person, and it might be the first time I've been to any type of competitive collegiate athletic event, period. I attended the Rutgers/Michigan game at the RAC this past Tuesday with one of my chums (where Rutgers recorded their first ever win against the Wolverines - congratulations, gentlemen). It was a very nippy evening, and we both felt terrible for the employees outside directing traffic. Everyone we interacted with, from the parking attendants to the woman who checked our tickets, was remarkably pleasant, with one good-naturedly bemoaning the temperature but remaining in good spirits. We had a parking pass for the yellow area (looked to be the third-closest area to the arena, after the parking garage and the green area), but for those not lucky enough, it cost $15. Pretty high in my opinion, especially since the primary demographic you're catering to is the college student. The arena itself is pretty drab and very much in need of an upgrade. I'm willing to acknowledge that I might not feel as strongly about it if I didn't see spiffier courts like Cameron Indoor and Rupp Arena on TV, but without getting too mired in the weeds about Division I, major conference athletics, this is absolutely one of the reasons high ranking recruits from the NY/NJ area are going elsewhere. Why play in what looks eerily similar to a salt storage building when you can get the luxury treatment (and the media exposure that comes with it) elsewhere? The interior is predominantly cold concrete, and it felt like we were attending a local high school game rather than a Big Ten showdown. The bathrooms were clean enough, but the toilet paper is extremely cheap and rips easily, though that's unfortunately pretty standard for these types of venues. Due to COVID restrictions, the only items for sale beyond merchandise were water and soda. Absolutely seek sustenance beforehand. I get the mindset behind that decision (you're trying to limit COVID transmission), but there were still lines of people densely packed together and I didn't see anyone enforcing the indoor mask rule, so I'm not sure anything was really achieved here beyond empty virtue signaling. Maybe the compromise is no alcohol, but bringing back food options? The waters and soda were $5, which is probably slightly cheaper than at a professional sports stadium, but again, why upcharge for a contingent that's dominated by 18-year-olds with part-time jobs? We were fortunate to attend a game featuring a solid performance by the home team. That certainly helped with atmosphere, especially in the second half when it was becoming clearer that we were witnessing an historic win for the program. The student section was appropriately rowdy, but this obviously isn't the level of enthusiasm that you're going to see from the home crowd of a nationally ranked team. Rutgers is also remote right now (and I believe they'd be on winter break anyway), so keep that in mind; for this particular game, I saw a lot of older people in the stands who weren't manically jumping up and down all game long. With the amount they're charging for parking and amenities, MAYbe you're getting your money's worth, but it's hard to ignore the fact that you're sitting in a ye olde relic from the 1970s. A major conference program should play in a major conference arena. read more

Rutgers Athletic Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Piscataway Township, New Jersey

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I've been to the RAC several times in the past twenty years and it's time to review this venue. As an athletic center I will review the physical plant and the facilities. The Louis Brown Athletic Center was built in 1977 with a capacity crowd of 8000. It replaced the antiquated College Avenue Gym ( the Barn ). It is the home of the men's & women's basketball teams. The seating is very comfortable in the lower sections(100's) and poor in the higher nosebleed areas ( 200's-300's ). You get what you pay for. In the 300 area I see there are no backs to the seats. If you go that high bring a cushion to sit on. There are areas that sell Rutgers clothing and other memorabilia $$$. The snack stands sell the usual arena food, nothing really healthy. Since you can't bring in any food from the outside, you either don't eat or you pay the piper. There are many attendants to help you find your seat. I felt parking to be a rip $10 and you still have to walk a quarter mile to get inside. Since RU is in the Big 10, they charge big time, since the last time I was there. read more

Rutgers Athletic Center - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Piscataway Township, New Jersey

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Arena recently updated but still has a high school feel unfortunately. Regarding Rutgers men's basketball tickets are affordable but arena is no comparison to other Big Ten arenas across the country. Concessions priced competitive to minor league baseball. Hot dogs $5 pretzels $3 candy $4. Great way to spend an afternoon at an affordable price with family. One thing I noticed, security will NOT allow you to bring umbrellas inside for whatever reason. It was raining and security was making fans walk back to the car to drop it off which pissed off quite a few people. read more

Rutgers Athletic Center - Row 4 begins visiting bench. St. John's vs Rutgers charity game - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Piscataway Township, New Jersey

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I was here the other night for the Penn state vs Rutgers mens basketball game. Rutgers won by 1 point which was a crazy game, came down to the last second. The venue itself was really nice in my opinion. Now called the jersey mikes arena. Plenty of concession stands and souvenir shops around. Plenty of parking as well. The stadium holds a lot of people, the basketball team puts on a good show. Even the cheerleaders, dancers, mascot and halftime show. It's really fun seeing a game there. read more

I attended my first (and probably last) Rutgers basketball game here over the weekend, mainly because they were playing the Pitt Panthers in a nationally televised game and it was only about a half an hour away. Well, apparently nobody bothered to inform Pitt the game started at 11:00 am because they slept most of the way through it and did (or didn't do) just enough to lose. Anyway, the Louis Brown Athletic Center, aka The RAC, is a pretty decent college athletic facility, with a ton of seating on three sides of the court. I had a first row (bench) seat way up in the 300 section, but once the game started I moved into one of the empty 200 chairs a couple of rows down. Thank you to those fans/students who didn't show up. The acoustics definitely favor the home team, as the crowd noise seems to be magically amplified during the constant and repetitive chant of "R! U!" As with most sports venues, concessions are the typical overpriced stuff. However, the covered parking across the Green, Yellow and Red lots is very organized and not hard to navigate during the post-game rush. read more

Rutgers Athletic Center - Pitt vs Rutgers - Stadiums & Arenas Near Me - Piscataway Township, New Jersey

Ahhh, the RAC. My college graduation ceremony was held here in 2001. The place was sad and dumpy back then. I recently took my son to the Rutgers-Nebraska basketball game here, my first time back. It's even more sad and dumpy than I remembered. It's time to put this old dog down and build something new. My high school gymnasium felt more lux than this. read more

Atmosphere and game 5 Everything else 3. Was here for Seton Hall Rutgers. First red flag was no security. Some guards were checking purses and bags, but no signs of metal detectors or wands. This is a big mistake in todays society. Hate to say it but this is a soft target, 8,000+ in attendance and no one checking security. I don't know if Rutgers can't afford it or what but security has to be the top priority. Food options were a little limited. Hot dogs, empanadas and popcorn. No sandwiches or burgers. Reasonable pricing compared to other sporting venues, but they need to expand the menu a little bit. I will say Rutgers has a good and enthusiastic fan base. Fans were standing the last 5 minutes of the game in the upper deck. That only happens in the lower bowl. $10 parking, lots of spaces. read more

I cant believe how loud that place gets!!!! When Geo Baker or Ron Harper makes a three that place gets electric!!!!!!!!! The fans are great screaming and cheering. If you are a opponet at the rac be careful we get loud !!!!!!!!!!! GO RUTGERS!!!!!!! read more

More commonly referred to as the RAC than the Louis Brown Athletic Center, this is where Rutgers plays their Men's and Women's Basketball games and hosts their larger wrestling matches. The capacity is only 8K which is much smaller than the other Big 10 arenas. This place was definitely on par with the Big East but they've now made the move to the Big 10 so I'm sure an expansion or an upgraded arena may be in the works. The parking is a bit of a drawback when you see a popular event. The last time I was there they charged $10 which is a bit excessive. There are no parking garages; it's all lots which can take a while to get out of when the place is packed. As far as the actual arena/center, there's really not a bad seat in the house even when you are up top. You have pretty good views of everything which is cool. There aren't too many vendors or concessions but I've also never bought food here. I'll continue to come back from time to time. read more

I've been to the RAC tons of times over my life first watching the amazing Women's team and their renowned Coach Stringer and most recently I was there to watch the WVU/Rutgers Men's game. After seeing so many other great arenas the RAC is in dire need of renovation. Still a classic sporting venue in the world of College Basketball but a few updates won't hurt! read more

The rutgers athletic center (or 'the RAC') is a typical college basketball venue. The good: the view from most seating areas is very good. Lighting and acoustics are very good. The bad and the ugly...the food is absolute garbage: 1970s era stadium dogs, stale pretzels, greasy chicken (mostly bread) fingers. To add insult to injury, the venue charges prices that would make Yankee Stadium blush. The entire food service is an embarrassment. They should open it up to local vendors and showcase some of the great world foods that are being sold in the area. read more

it's an OK venue, watched RU men's basketball lose a nail biter to Cincinnati in the last game of the season there. typical high priced, greasy, fast food dining options. a bit of a trek to restrooms from some parts and one has to fight with the lines for the food to walk through the halls, a better pedestrian traffic arrangement inside might be devised. read more