a nugget from todays article….
His phone kept ringing. Rutgers has become an attractive option for the neutral-site showcases that dot the college hoops landscape each November. Pikiell has resisted committing to a traditional Feast Week tournament – he’s wary of extended non-conference travel and would rather give his players Thanksgiving off – but he’s warmed to the concept of the one-off “We had a chance to play a one-off in San Diego," Pikiell said. “But when you go across the country, that’s three days. I didn’t want to fly to Seattle either, but that was for Gonzaga.”
So RU is the only team that is concerned about long travel and missing Thanksgiving ? sounds like a big excuse to me to avoid tough competition