Rutgers basketball vs. Indiana: How N.J. state of emergency impacts home game and weather forecast

Despite a state of emergency in New Jersey, the Rutgers basketball game against Indiana is expected to proceed as planned.

Despite the declaration of a state of emergency in New Jersey due to a fierce storm that's expected to blast the state with flooding rains, wind gusts as strong as 60 mph, and the potential for widespread power outages, Rutgers basketball's home game against Indiana on Tuesday night is expected to be played as scheduled, school officials told NJ Advance Media.

The game is set to start at 7 p.m. Eastern time and will be streamed on Peacock.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in New Jersey on Monday, effective from 5 p.m. Tuesday across the entire state. Although states of emergencies do not ban people from the roads or require them to shelter in place, they allow the state to organize its emergency response and help the state in applications for federal disaster aid.

Murphy stated during a storm briefing on Monday that he would not be surprised if the storm leads to "tens of thousands" of power outages across the state. Col. Patrick Callahan, the head of the State Police, said there will likely be substantial traffic detours throughout the state because of anticipated flooding and downed trees.

"This is one (storm) I would strongly, strongly, strongly encourage folks not to underestimate," the governor said, noting that past storms have shown "a lot of rain and high winds, and flooding can cause not just a lot of damage but put lives at risk."

The National Weather Service has issued a statewide flood watch, alerting the public about the strong possibility of flash flooding on highways, plus widespread flooding along rivers and streams, as well as alerts for high winds and coastal flooding.

The weather forecast for Tuesday night in New Brunswick, per the NWS: "Rain, mainly before 3am. The rain could be heavy at times. Low around 46. Windy, with a south wind 30 to 35 mph becoming southwest 20 to 25 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between 1 and 2 inches possible."

"If you don't have to be out between (Tuesday) sort of early evening and Wednesday morning," Murphy said, it's safer to remain home.

The Scarlet Knights (8-6, 0-3) will need as many fans as they can get in the building. Following a tough road trip to Ohio State and Iowa that resulted in two losses last week, Steve Pikiell's program sits in last place in the Big Ten standings as the only team in the league that has not yet won a conference game this season.

Rutgers will hope its dominance over Indiana (10-4, 3-1), who it has beaten four consecutive times in Piscataway, will continue. A victory over the Hoosiers would snap a four-game losing streak in Big Ten home games for the Scarlet Knights.

NJ Advance Media staff writers Brent Johnson and Len Melisurgo contributed to this report.

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