Rutgers basketball is living on the extremes as of late.
With two projected top-5 NBA Draft picks on their roster, head coach Steve Pikiell’s team entered last winter with sky-high expectations. The Scarlet Knights failed to live up to the unprecedented hype, finishing with a 15-17 record and missing the NCAA Tournament.
With Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey moving on to the professional ranks, three players transferring (Lathan Sommerville, Jordan Derkack, Jeremiah Williams) and three others running out of eligibility (Tyson Acuff, Zach Martini, PJ Hayes), Rutgers had to revamp its entire roster this offseason.
The Scarlet Knights added four traditional freshmen (Lino Mark, Chris Nwuli, Kaden Powers, Gevonte Ware), three transfers (Darren Buchanan, Baye Fall, Tariq Francis) and two international prospects (Harun Zrno, Denis Badalau).
To Isaac Trotter, things have gone from bad to worse.
A year after holding national title aspirations, Rutgers could be headed toward a “long, cold winter” this upcoming season, according to the CBS Sports writer. When he recently ranked the Big Ten’s 18 programs into five tiers, Trotter placed the Scarlet Knights alongside Penn State and Northwestern at the lowest level: “The Basement.”
Trotter describes the trio as teams that “have a slim chance of making the Big Dance unless something drastically clicks or they make a late splash in recruiting.”
Here is his rationale:
Rutgers does not have the resources of some of its Big Ten foes, and the roster highlights that. Steve Pikiell is going to have to dip into his player-development bag and bring back a gritty, slow-playing, defense-first plan because Rutgers does not look to have the talent to go shot-for-shot in a high-possession game. The interior defense with Ogbole, Buchanan, Grant and Fall should be solid, but there’s real concern about how Rutgers can actually score consistently. Francis has a smooth-looking jumper, but he rarely got to the rim in the America East Conference. Playing jump shot roulette in the Big Ten is a terrifying thought. Zrno, a sweet-shooting, 6-6 Bosnian wing who generated real high-major interest and was once committed to Indiana, will need to be a massive smash from the international market for Rutgers to flirt with an NCAA Tournament bid.
Rutgers is set to begin its summer workout program next week.
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Brian Fonseca may be reached at bfonseca@njadvancemedia.com.