JERSEY CITY, N.J. — As the quest begins this November for the program's 14th New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) title and New Jersey City University men's basketball's first back-to-back championships since 1974, head coach Marc Brown, entering his 15th season at the helm of the Gothic Knights, has officially released NJCU's 2021-22 slate of games today, Monday, August 16. Brown's squad ended the year with a 7-1 overall record and was ranked #15 in the final d3hoops.com national poll.

The Gothic Knights will face off with some of the biggest names in Division III this season outside of the NJAC, including:

• University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) — coached by the legendary Jim Calhoun.
• Randolph-Macon College — the Yellow Jackets ended the 2020-21 campaign ranked #1 in the final d3hoops.com national poll.
• Yeshiva University — the Maccabees ended 2020-21 ranked #3 by d3hoops.com and currently own the nation's longest active winning streak at 36 in a row.

Things get started with a pair of games in the first weekend of November when the Gothic Knights take part in the USJ Tip-Off Tournament — hosted by the aforementioned Blue Jays and coach Calhoun in West Hartford, Conn. — on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 6-7. NJCU then opens up home play at the John J. Moore Athletics and Fitness Center (JMAC) on Coach Charlie Brown Court, where the squad has won six straight, when Farmingdale State College comes to visit on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 13. The Gothic Knights have topped the Rams in four straight, including 66-61 in Farmingdale, N.Y., in 2019, thanks in part to 25 points from Denzel Banks (Newark, NJ/East Orange Campus), who is returning to Jersey City for another go this year.

Its then north to Hudson County neighbor the Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday evening, Nov. 17. NJCU and the Ducks met once each season from 2017-19 before last year's abbreviated, conference-only campaign. The Gothic Knights are looking to halt Stevens' two-game streak in the series. Finally, home NJAC play kicks off when Rutgers-Newark comes to the JMAC on Tuesday night, Nov. 23. The Scarlet Raiders have won three straight against the Knights, but NJCU looks to to get back into the win column and start a run of its own.

After the Thanksgiving break, the Gothic Knights head down to Newport News, Va., for the Christopher Newport University Invitational. NJCU will first matchup with reigning #1 ranked Randolph-Macon on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 27. The two programs have only met once before, back in 1990 as part of the Randolph-Macon Tournament — the Gothic Knights topped the Yellow Jackets 62-52. The following afternoon, Sunday, Nov. 28, NJCU faces off with Alvernia University for the first time since 2011, looking for another victory.

NJAC competition resumes when the squad heads to Wayne and meets William Paterson University on Wednesday night, Dec. 1. The Gothic Knights are in search of their third win in their last four with the Pioneers, although the teams did not meet last season due to cancelations. NJCU returns to the JMAC for two straight, first against Rutgers-Camden on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 4, and then against Kean University on Wednesday night, Dec. 8. The Gothic Knights have topped the Scarlet Raptors in 11 straight, including last season's NJAC Tournament Quarterfinal romp at the JMAC. It's been 14 consecutive victories against the Cougars, including last season's season-opening home-and-home sweep. NJCU then hits the road for one NJAC matchup at The College of New Jersey — the teams did not meet last season in the abbreviated campaign.

Up next is another big-time Division III matchup back at the JMAC as Yeshiva comes to Jersey City on Wednesday night, Dec. 15. The Maccabees are riding a D3-best 36-game winning streak, however the Gothic Knights played YU tough back in 2019, falling by just five points in Washington Heights. Both teams also had strong representation on the d3hoops.com All-Atlantic/Mid-Atlantic Region team — Brown was Coach of the Year, while Banks was a Second Team honoree and the Macs had two players recognized, including the Regional Player of the Year — and the Division III All-Met team — Banks was honored here as well, while Yeshiva had three players and a coach awarded.

It's then back to the NJAC grind for the remainder of the regular-season, starting with a trip down to Glassboro to face Rowan University for NJCU's first game of 2022 on Wednesday night, Jan. 5. The Gothic Knights have won two straight against the Profs, but the two did not face one another last year as Rowan opted out. That weekend, Jersey City returns to the JMAC on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 8, as it looks to make it two straight and five-of-seven against Ramapo College — the Roadrunners also opted out of the 2020-21 campaign. South Jersey once again comes a-calling as the Gothic Knights trek down to Galloway on Wednesday night, Jan. 12, for a big-time rematch of last year's outstanding NJAC Title game against Stockton University. NJCU topped the Ospreys in buzzer-beating fashion following a 21-point comeback to end the year, and prior to that split the regular-season series with Stockton, winning the most recent meeting also on a home buzzer-beater.

The squad returns home briefly for one against Montclair State University on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 15, having topped the Red Hawks in three straight, including twice last season thanks in large part to rising sophomore Ryan Savory's back-to-back double-doubles, which led to a sweep of the NJAC Player and Rookie of the Week honors. The following week is back-to-back road contests against the two Rutgers programs. First, the Gothic Knights close out the regular-season series with Newark on Wednesday night, Jan. 19, at the Golden Dome as they look to pick up their first win there since Jan. 2019. Then on Saturday afternoon, Jan. 22, NJCU heads down to Camden and looks to make it 15 straight on the road against the Scarlet Raptors. Back at the JMAC, the Knights close out another two regular-season series, this time with William Paterson (Jan. 26) and TCNJ (Jan. 29).

The month of February begins in Union at Kean on Wednesday night, Feb. 2 — the Gothic Knights have not dropped a contest to the Cougars at Hardwood Arena since Feb. 2014. Then on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 5, NJCU finishes up its regular-season series with Ramapo in search of its first win in Mahwah since Nov. 2013. The Knights then host Rowan on Charlie Brown Court on Wednesday night, Feb, 9, followed by their regular-season road finale at Montclair State on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 12, looking to make it three straight wins at the Panzer Athletic Center. Finally, the regular-season finale comes when the Ospreys return to the JMAC on Wednesday night, Feb. 16, for the first time since their NJAC Title loss to the Gothic Knights.

The 2022 NJAC Tournament is scheduled to begin with the First Round on Saturday, Feb. 19, followed by the Semifinal Round on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The Title Game takes place on Saturday, Feb. 26. The NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship selection show takes place on Monday, Feb. 28, with the First and Second Rounds taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, March 4-5, at various host sites around the country. The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight then take place the following Wednesday and Thursday, March 11-12, at four to-be-determined sites, with the Final Four and National Championship Game scheduled to take place on Wednesday and Thursday, March 18-19, at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum Arena in Fort Wayne, Ind.