The Rutgers basketball team has lofty goals for 2019-20, but the Scarlet Knights' non-conference schedule looks decidedly low-profile.

The 11-game slate, unofficial right now but pieced together by USA Today Network New Jersey and all but finalized barring last-minute contractual changes, includes eight contests against mid- or low- majors, plus a Division II opponent in Caldwell University (head coach Steve Pikiell also scheduled non-Division I foes in 2016 and 2017).

Of Rutgers’ 10 Division I opponents, only one — rival Seton Hall — finished inside Kenpom’s top 100 last season. None of the others qualified for the postseason (NCAA/NIT), and seven of the 10 furnished losing records.

It's an unconventional approach for a program poised for progress after finishing with a 14-17 record, including 7-13 in the Big Ten, and a No. 78 Kenpom ranking. The Scarlet Knights return all but two players and add three impact newcomers.

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Here is the tentative schedule, along with each team’s record and Kenpom ranking for 2018-19:

Thursday, Nov. 7 vs. Bryant (10-20, Kenpom 327)

Sunday, Nov. 10 vs. Niagara (13-19, Kenpom 315)

Wednesday, Nov. 13 vs. Drexel (13-19, Kenpom 251)

Saturday, Nov. 16 vs. St. Bonaventure in Toronto (18-16, Kenpom 121)

Wednesday, Nov. 20 vs. Stephen F. Austin (14-16, Kenpom 311)

Tuesday, Nov. 26 vs. NJIT (22-13, Kenpom 183)

Friday, Nov. 29 vs. UMass (11-21, Kenpom 236)

Tuesday, Dec. 3 at Pittsburgh (14-19, Kenpom 101)

Saturday, Dec. 14 vs. Seton Hall (20-14, Kenpom 60)

Sunday, Dec. 22 vs. Lafayette (10-20, Kenpom 298)

Monday, Dec. 30 vs. Caldwell (17-12 in Division II)

Schedule quality is important because the No. 1 metric for NCAA and NIT qualification is quality wins (quadrant one or two), with extra weight for road and neutral victories. In all likelihood, Rutgers has just two quad one or two opportunities aside from what should be a typically strong Big Ten schedule. That puts added onus on the 20-game Big Ten gauntlet if Rutgers is to break its 14-year postseason drought as expected.

Here are the three matchups that could make or break the Scarlet Knights’ resume:

St. Bonaventure returns four of their top seven after going 12-6 in the Atlantic 10, including three players who saw significant time as freshmen, led by Kyle Lofton (14.4 ppg). It should be noted that his game was supposed to be against South Carolina, which backed out. St. Bonaventure might be just as good as the Gamecocks, but its metrics almost certainly will be worse (last year South Carolina finished 51 spots ahead in Kenpom despite having a worse record).

Pittsburgh started three freshmen last year under new coach Jeff Capel: point guard Xavier Johnson (15.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg), guard Trey McGowens (11.6 ppg) and wing Au'Diese Toney (7.5 ppg, 5.6 rpg). They're also bringing in a strong recruiting class. Improvement is almost certain. As the lone road game on Rutgers’ non-conference schedule, this is a crucial opportunity.

Seton Hall returns four starters. The Pirates will be ranked in the preseason Top 25 and are the only likely quad 1 opponent on the Scarlet Knights' non-conference schedule. Rutgers stunned the Hall at the RAC two years ago before falling by six in Newark last December. This always was going to be a big game, but given Rutgers’ non-league plan, it becomes a virtual must-win if the Scarlet Knights are going to make an NCAA Tournament push.

Jerry Carino has covered the New Jersey sports scene since 1996 and the college basketball beat since 2003. He is an Associated Press Top 25 voter. Contact him at jcarino@gannettnj.com.