Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition and competes in the Big Ten Conference. Rutgers made the NCAA Final Four in 1976. Rutgers has appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times, most recently appearing in 2022. Rutgers has produced many NBA players, most notably Roy Hinson, John Battle, and James Bailey.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights
2024–25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team
UniversityRutgers University
First season1906–07[1]
All-time record1,298–1,263 (.507)
Head coachSteve Pikiell (9th season)
ConferenceBig Ten
LocationPiscataway, New Jersey
ArenaJersey Mike's Arena
(capacity: 8,000)
NicknameScarlet Knights
ColorsScarlet[2]
 
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


NCAA tournament Final Four
1976
NCAA tournament Elite Eight
1976
NCAA tournament Sweet Sixteen
1976, 1979
NCAA tournament round of 32
1975, 1976, 1979, 1983, 2021
NCAA tournament appearances
1975, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1989, 1991, 2021, 2022
Conference tournament champions
1975, 1976, 1979, 1989
Conference regular season champions
1943, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1991

History

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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 16-38.[3] 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 70–86 loss against the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinal round and a 92–106 loss to the UCLA Bruins in the tournament's third-place consolation game.[4] 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 55–62.

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.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9]

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.[10]

Postseason

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NCAA tournament results

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

Year Seed Round Opponent Result
1975 First Round Louisville L 78–91
1976 First Round
Sweet Sixteen
Elite Eight
Final Four
National 3rd Place Game
Princeton
Connecticut
VMI
Michigan
UCLA
W 54–53
W 93–79
W 91–75
L 70–86
L 92–106
1979 #6 Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#3 Georgetown
#10 St. John's
W 64–58
L 65–67
1983 #9 First Round
Second Round
#8 Southwest Louisiana
#1 St. John's
W 60–53
L 55–66
1989 #13 First Round #4 Iowa L 73–87
1991 #9 First Round #8 Arizona State L 76–79
2021 #10 First Round
Second Round
#7 Clemson
#2 Houston
W 60–56
L 60–63
2022 #11 First Four #11 Notre Dame L 87–89 2OT

NIT results

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

Year Round Opponent Result
1967 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Utah State
New Mexico
Southern Illinois
Marshall
W 78–76
W 65–60
L 70–79
W 93–76
1969 First Round Tennessee L 51–67
1973 First Round Minnesota L 59–68
1974 First Round Utah L 89–102
1977 First Round St. Bonaventure L 77–79
1978 First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
3rd Place Game
Army
Indiana State
Texas
Georgetown
W 72–70
W 57–56
L 76–96
W 85–72
1982 First Round
Second Round
Iona
Purdue
W 55–51
L 65–98
1990 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Holy Cross
Fordham
Penn State
W 87–78
W 81–74
L 55–58
1992 First Round
Second Round
James Madison
Manhattan
W 73–69
L 61–62
1999 First Round
Second Round
Hofstra
Clemson
W 58–45
L 68–78
2000 First Round Kent State L 62–73
2002 First Round Yale L 65–67
2004 First Round
Second Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Final
Temple
West Virginia
Villanova
Iowa State
Michigan
W 76–71
W 67–64
W 72–60
W 84–81
L 55–62
2006 Opening Round
First Round
Penn State
Saint Joseph's
W 76–71
L 62–71
2023 First Round Hofstra L 86-88OT

Retired numbers

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Three Rutgers players have had their numbers retired:[11]

No. Player Pos. Tenure
12
Phil Sellers 1972–1976
14
Bob Lloyd 1964–1967
20
James Bailey 1975–1979

Scarlet Knights in the NBA

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23 Rutgers alumni have been selected in the NBA draft.

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

Players in international competition

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References

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  1. ^ Rutgers Men's Basketball History, 22 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Colors | Visual Identity System". Retrieved April 6, 2017.
  3. ^ "2023-24 Men's Basketball Media Guide (PDF)" (PDF). Rutgers University Athletics. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  4. ^ 1976 NCAA Division I basketball tournament Archived 2008-01-19 at the Wayback Machine at shrpsports.com, accessed 29 December 2006.
  5. ^ The Guardian, Rutgers' firing of coach Mike Rice exposes a toxic locker-room culture, 3 April 2013.
  6. ^ ESPN, [1].
  7. ^ NCCA.com, [2].
  8. ^ twitter.com, [3].
  9. ^ Bennett, Brian. "NET returns: How the selection committee's main metric has fared, and what's ahead". The Athletic. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  10. ^ "ESPN Basketball Recruiting - Player Rankings". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
  11. ^ Rutgers Men’s Basketball Media Guide (PDF), 2020 Rutgers Scarlet Knights Men’s Basketball Media Guide”, Rutgers Sports Information Department, Pages 92–94.
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