Kristian Ferrell
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University in the NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The team joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014 and has since seen renewed success, reaching the 20-win mark in the 2019-20 season for the first time since 2003-04. Rutgers has appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times, most recently in 2022, and has produced many NBA players, including Roy Hinson, John Battle, and James Bailey.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of the team | Rutgers Scarlet Knights |
| University represented | Rutgers University |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Year of joining the conference | 2014 |
| Number of appearances in the NCAA tournament | 8 |
| Number of appearances in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) | 15 |
| Number of alumni selected in the NBA draft | 23 |
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What You'll Learn
Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The team competes in the Big Ten Conference, which they first joined in the 2014-2015 season.
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 uninterrupted until the 1943 season.
Rutgers has a rich history in men's basketball, making the NCAA Final Four in 1976 and finishing the season ranked fourth in the nation. They have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times, most recently in 2022, and have produced several NBA players, including Roy Hinson, John Battle, and James Bailey. In the 2019-2020 season, led by guards Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., the Scarlet Knights reached the 20-win mark for the first time since the 2003-2004 season. They also ranked in the top 25 of the AP men's college basketball poll for the first time since 1979.
However, the team also experienced a prolonged down period, cycling through multiple coaches and finishing at the bottom of the Big East standings. A scandal involving then-head coach Mike Rice Jr. in 2013 further impacted the program.
In recent years, the Scarlet Knights have shown promising signs of improvement. After the hiring of Head Coach Steve Pikiell in 2016, the team broke a 30-year tournament drought by earning a spot in the 2021 NCAA tournament. They also achieved their first tournament win since 1983, defeating Clemson in the first round. With a strong 2024 recruiting class, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team looks to build on its recent successes and establish itself as a competitive force in collegiate basketball.
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NCAA Division I college basketball
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University in NCAA Division I college basketball. The team plays in the Big Ten Conference, which they joined in 2014. Rutgers has a rich basketball history, dating back to their first season in 1906. They have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times, most recently in 2022, and made the Final Four in 1976.
The Scarlet Knights have had notable success in recent years. In the 2019-20 season, they reached the 20-win mark for the first time since 2003-04 and ranked in the top 25 of the AP men's college basketball poll. The team broke a 30-year tournament drought when they earned a spot in the 2021 NCAA tournament, achieving their first tournament win since 1983.
Rutgers has produced several NBA players, including Roy Hinson, John Battle, James Bailey, and more recently, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey, who were selected in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Scarlet Knights women's basketball team has also been one of the more successful programs at the school, with a notable season in 2005-06 when they were ranked fourth in the nation and reached the Elite Eight.
Rutgers University is known for its athletic programs, with 24 teams competing in the Big Ten Conference across various sports, including baseball, basketball, football, soccer, and more. The university has historic rivalries with several colleges, including Lafayette College, Lehigh University, and Princeton University, with whom they share a long football history.
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Big Ten Conference
Rutgers University's New Brunswick campus is represented by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights athletic teams. The university is known for being the "'Birthplace of College Football', having hosted the first intercollegiate football game in 1869.
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team plays in the Big Ten Conference, having joined in 2014. The team represents Rutgers University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. 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 has experienced success in recent years, reaching the 20-win mark in the 2019-20 season for the first time since 2003-04. They also ranked in the top 25 of the AP men's college basketball poll for the first time since 1979. The Scarlet Knights broke a 30-year tournament drought when they earned a spot in the 2021 NCAA tournament, achieving their first tournament win since 1983.
The Big Ten Conference, which Rutgers is a part of, participates in Division I competition, as sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In addition to basketball, the conference includes various other sports such as baseball, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field, swimming and diving, wrestling, and volleyball.
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History of Rutgers men's basketball
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team has a long history dating back to 1906 when they began their first season of play. The team's 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 but was reformed in 1913, remaining intact until the 1943 season.
The Scarlet Knights have had their ups and downs over the years. They played in the Final Four in the 1976 NCAA tournament, ending the season ranked fourth in the nation. This was the last men's Division I tournament to feature two unbeaten teams, with both Rutgers and Indiana entering the tournament with perfect records. Rutgers went 31-0 during the regular season but lost to Michigan in the semifinals and then to UCLA in the third-place consolation game.
However, the team then experienced a prolonged down period, cycling through multiple coaches and finishing at the bottom of the Big East standings. This period included a scandal in 2013 involving then-head coach Mike Rice Jr., who was shown on video verbally and physically abusing players. Rice was fired, and the scandal also led to the resignation of Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti.
In 2014-2015, the Rutgers men's basketball team began playing in the Big Ten Conference. The hiring of Head Coach Steve Pikiell in 2016 marked a turning point for the program, with the team reaching the 20-win mark in the 2019-20 season for the first time since 2003-04. They ranked in the top 25 of the AP men's college basketball poll that year, and many predicted their inclusion in the 2020 NCAA tournament before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Scarlet Knights broke their 30-year tournament drought in 2021, earning a 10-seed in the NCAA tournament and achieving their first tournament win since 1983. They have appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times in total, most recently in 2022. The team has produced several notable NBA players, including Roy Hinson, John Battle, and James Bailey. In the 2025 NBA Draft, Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey became the highest-drafted Scarlet Knights in the team's history.
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Rivalries with other colleges
The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team has competed in the Big Ten Conference since the 2014–2015 season.
The Princeton–Rutgers rivalry is one of the most well-known rivalries in college athletics. The rivalry dates back to the first college football game in history in 1869 and even includes events prior to that game, such as baseball games and crew races. The two schools are located in the same state, New Jersey, and are nearly 17 miles apart along U.S. Route 1, giving rise to the nickname the "Route 1 Rivalry". While the football series ended in 1980, the rivalry has continued in other sports, primarily men's basketball. As of the 2016–2017 season, Princeton's men's basketball team has a 76–45 lead in the series, which they began playing in 1916–17. The rivalry was renewed in 2023 with a game played at the CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, promoted as the "Jersey Jam".
Rutgers also has a basketball rivalry with Seton Hall, and some commentators have suggested that Penn State could be a future rival, given the geography and the history of the two schools playing in the A-10 together.
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Frequently asked questions
Rutgers University's basketball team, the Scarlet Knights, is in the Big Ten Conference.
Rutgers joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014.
Rutgers remained independent until 1991 when it joined the Big East Conference for football. All sports programs at Rutgers became affiliated with the Big East in 1995.
The Rutgers men's basketball team is known for being the "Birthplace of College Football", hosting the first-ever intercollegiate football game in 1869. The team has also made the NCAA Final Four in 1976 and has appeared in the NCAA tournament eight times.
The Rutgers women's basketball team has been one of the more successful programs in the school in recent years. In the 2005-06 season, the team was ranked fourth in the nation and reached the Elite Eight. In the 2006-07 season, they finished second in the regular season and went on to win the Big East Championship game.
