Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball

Last updated
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Basketball current event.svg 2023–24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team
Rutgers Scarlet Knights logo.svg
University Rutgers University
First season1906–07 [1]
All-time record1,298–1,263 (.507)
Head coach Steve Pikiell (8th season)
Conference Big Ten
Location Piscataway, New Jersey
Arena Jersey Mike's Arena
(Capacity: 8,000)
NicknameScarlet Knights
ColorsScarlet [2]
 
Uniforms
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Home
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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

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.

Contents

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 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

NCAA tournament results

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

YearSeedRoundOpponentResult
1975 First RoundLouisvilleL 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 #6Second Round
Sweet Sixteen
#3 Georgetown
#10 St. John's
W 64–58
L 65–67
1983 #9First Round
Second Round
#8 Southwest Louisiana
#1 St. John's
W 60–53
L 55–66
1989 #13First Round#4 IowaL 73–87
1991 #9First Round#8 Arizona StateL 76–79
2021 #10First Round
Second Round
#7 Clemson
#2 Houston
W 60–56
L 60–63
2022 #11First Four#11 Notre DameL 87–89 2OT

NIT results

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

YearRoundOpponentResult
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 RoundTennesseeL 51–67
1973 First RoundMinnesotaL 59–68
1974 First RoundUtahL 89–102
1977 First RoundSt. BonaventureL 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 RoundKent StateL 62–73
2002 First RoundYaleL 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 RoundHofstraL 86-88OT

Retired numbers

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

No.PlayerPos.Tenure
12
Phil Sellers
SF
1972–1976
14
Bob Lloyd
G
1964–1967
20
James Bailey
PF
1975–1979

Scarlet Knights in the NBA

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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The 1975–76 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball represented Rutgers University in the 1975–76 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Young, then in his third season with the Scarlet Knights. The team played its home games in College Avenue Gymnasium in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and was an NCAA Division I Independent. The Scarlet Knights played an exciting, up-tempo brand of basketball, averaging a school-record of 93.3 points per game. They entered the NCAA tournament with a perfect record (28–0), and went on to defeat Princeton, Connecticut, and VMI to reach the only Final Four in school history. After 31 consecutive wins, Rutgers fell to Michigan, 86–70, in the national semifinals, then to UCLA, 106–92, in the consolation game.

The 1982–83 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball represented Rutgers University as a member of the Atlantic-10 Conference during the 1982–83 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Tom Young and the team played its home games in Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway Township, New Jersey. The Scarlet Knights finished first in the conference's East division, but lost in the semifinals of the Atlantic-10 tournament. The Scarlet Knights received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. After an opening round win over Southwestern Louisiana, Rutgers fell to St. John's, 66–55, in the round of 32. Rutgers finished with a 23–8 record.

References

  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, .
  7. NCCA.com, .
  8. twitter.com, .
  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.