Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball

History

The history of Rutgers men's basketball dates back to 1906 when they began their first season of play. Their first recorded game was a loss to New York University by a score of 38–16. The team was dissolved following the 1907-1908 season, only to be reformed in 1913 where they remained intact uninterrupted until the 1943 season.

The team played in the Final Four in the 1976 NCAA tournament and ended the 1976 season ranked fourth in the nation, after a 86–70 loss against the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinal round and a 106–92 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the tournament's third-place consolation game. This was the last men's Division I tournament to date to feature two unbeaten teams, as both Indiana, who won that year's title, and Rutgers entered the tournament unbeaten. Rutgers went 31–0 during the regular season.

The Scarlet Knights also played in the championship game of the 2004 NIT Final, losing to the Michigan Wolverines 62–55.

The Scarlet Knights had a prolonged down period through the following decade, cycling through a number of coaches and routinely finishing at the bottom of the Big East standings. This period included a scandal in 2013 with then head coach Mike Rice Jr. being shown on video verbally and physically abusing players. The scandal resulted in the firing of Coach Rice as well as the resignation of then Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti.

Rutgers basketball played their first season in the Big Ten conference in 2014–2015. After the hiring of Head Coach Steve Pikiell in 2016, the program began to see renewed success. In the 2019–20 season, led by guards Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., the Scarlet Knights reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2003-04 season, including an 18–1 home record and four wins against ranked opponents. That year, they ranked in the top 25 of the AP men's college basketball poll for the first time since 1979. Experts widely predicted Rutgers' inclusion in the 2020 NCAA tournament, but the event was cancelled before the field was announced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The following season, the team would officially break its 30-year tournament drought when it earned a 10-seed in the 2021 NCAA tournament, where it would also achieve its first tournament win since 1983 in a first round win over Clemson. The Scarlet Knights returned to the tournament again the next season, becoming the team with the lowest NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) ranking at 77th overall to receive an at-large bid since the NCAA has utilized the NET to inform tournament selection choices.

After disappointing back-to-back seasons of missed tournaments, the Scarlet Knights now anticipate the arrival of their 2024 recruiting class, which ranks among the best of all collegiate basketball programs for the year, headlined by two McDonald's All-American players: forward Airious "Ace" Bailey and guard Dylan Harper.

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The Scarlet Knights have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times. Their combined record is 6–9.

NIT results

The Scarlet Knights have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) 15 times. Their combined record is 16–15.

Retired numbers

Three Rutgers players have had their numbers retired:

Scarlet Knights in the NBA

23 Rutgers alumni have been selected in the NBA draft. Dylan Harper is the highest selected Scarlet Knight ever in the draft being selected as 2nd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft.

15 Rutgers alumni have played at least one game in the NBA, including:

• Bob Lloyd, 1968–1969
• Bob Greacen, 1970–1972
• Phil Sellers, 1977
• Eddie Jordan, 1978–1984
• Hollis Copeland, 1980–1982
• James Bailey, 1980–1988
• Roy Hinson, 1984–1991
• John Battle, 1986–1995
• Charles Jones, 1999–2000
• Dahntay Jones, 2004–2017
• Luis Flores, 2005
• Quincy Douby, 2007–2009
• Hamady N'Diaye, 2011–2014
• Eugene Omoruyi, 2022–2023
• Ron Harper Jr., 2023
• Caleb McConnell, 2023
• Dylan Harper, 2025-present
• Ace Bailey, 2025-present

Players in international competition

• Junior Etou (born 1994), Congolese basketball player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Steve Kaplan, American-Israeli basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League

References

References

1. [https://scarletknights.com/sports/2017/6/11/sports-m-baskbl-archive-history-html.aspx Rutgers Men's Basketball History], 22 December 2020.
2. "2023-24 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF)".
3. [http://www.shrpsports.com/collbask/1976.htm 1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament] {{webarchive. link. (2008-01-19 at shrpsports.com, accessed 29 December 2006.)
4. The Guardian, [https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/apr/03/rutgers-fire-basketball-coach-mike-rice Rutgers' firing of coach Mike Rice exposes a toxic locker-room culture], 3 April 2013.
5. ESPN, [https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/28524985/rutgers-returns-basketball-poll-first-1979].
6. NCCA.com, [https://www.ncaa.com/live-updates/basketball-men/d1/ncaa-cancels-mens-and-womens-basketball-championships-due].
7. twitter.com, [https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/1371227002951327746].
8. Bennett, Brian. "NET returns: How the selection committee's main metric has fared, and what's ahead".
9. "ESPN Basketball Recruiting - Player Rankings".
10. [https://s3.amazonaws.com/sidearm.sites/scarletknights.com/documents/2019/10/1/Rutgers_2019_20_MBB_Guide.pdf Rutgers Men’s Basketball Media Guide] (PDF), ''2020 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men’s Basketball Media Guide'', Rutgers Sports Information Department, Pages 92–94.