Rutgers Scarlet Knights Stats at Insiders Betting Digest

Scarlet Knights

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

NCAAB – BIG TEN

Arena: Jersey Mike’s Arena
Coach: Steve Pikiell

TEAM LEADERS

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Team Summary

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights have gotten off to a decent start to the 2021-22 college basketball season. Most thought that Rutgers was not going to be very good this year but they have impressed so far as they are 12-8 on the year. This is good for 7th in what is a very good Big Ten conference. Rutgers is 6-4 in conference play and is just two games back of the leader. If Rutgers is able to run the table then they could be in a unique position to take a good seed in the NCAA tournament. Look for Rutgers to get things under control very quickly and for them to have a turnaround over the next few years.

Ron Harper Jr. leads the team in scoring as he puts up 15.8 points a game. Paul Mulcahy leads the team in assists as he dishes off 5.0 per game. Clifford Omuruyi is leading the charge for the team with 8.3 rebounds per game. He also leads the team in blocks with 1.2 per game. Caleb Mcconnell paces the team with 2.1 steals per game.

Rutgers scores 67.0 points a game and they only allow 64.2 points a game. They grab 37.4 rebounds per game and they also dish off 15.9 assists per game as well.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Standings

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Betting Trends

Team History

Rutgers men’s basketball team reached the Final Four of the 1976 NCAA Tournament and finished fourth in the country after losing 70–86 to the Michigan Wolverines in the semifinal round and 92–106 to the UCLA Bruins in the tournament’s third-place consolation game. This was the last men’s Division I tournament to have two unbeaten teams, as both Indiana, who won the championship that year, and Rutgers went into the tournament undefeated. During the regular season, Rutgers went 31–0.

The Scarlet Knights again competed in the 2004 NIT Final, when they were defeated by the Michigan Wolverines 55–62. The Scarlet Knights went through a protracted period of decline over the next decade, changing coaches frequently and ending at the bottom of the Big East rankings. During this time, there was a scandal in 2013, when then-head coach Mike Rice Jr. was caught on camera verbally and physically assaulting players. Coach Rice was fired, and then-Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned, as a result of the controversy.

In 2014–2015, Rutgers basketball competed in the Big Ten Conference for the first time. Following the signing of Head Coach Steve Pikiell in 2016, the team’s fortunes began to improve. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights men’s basketball team improved its victory total from 14 to 20 in the 2019–20 season, including numerous wins against ranked opponents and an 18-1 home record, one of the best in the country.

Rutgers’ involvement in the 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament was widely projected, however, the tournament was eventually canceled before the field was released. This season was also the first time since 1979 that Rutgers basketball was ranked among the top 25 teams in the country. When the team received a 10-seed in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2021, they ended a 30-year drought in the tournament.

They broke even another drought by defeating Clemson in the second round, their first tournament victory since 1983. The Scarlet Knights, led by guards Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., were eliminated following a tight loss in the round of 32 to eventual Final Four opponents Houston. This win in the first round did a lot for Clemson’s momentum for the next few years.

2022 Key Stats

Ron Harper Jr. is the team’s leading scorer, averaging 15.8 points per game. Paul Mulcahy has the most assists on the squad, at 5.0 per game. Clifford Omuruyi, who averages 8.3 rebounds per game, is the team’s rebounding leader. He also has the most blocks on the squad, averaging 1.2 per game. Caleb Mcconnell leads the club in thefts per game with 2.1.

Rutgers averages 67.0 points per game while allowing only 64.2 points per game. They pull down 37.4 rebounds per game and throw out 15.9 assists every contest.

Championships Won by the Team

As stated above Rutgers has never won an NCAA title and they have not really even come close. They reached the Final Four in 1976 but that was by far the farthest that they have gotten. They have won four conference tournaments and they have been the regular-season conference champion on 10 different occasions. The last time that Rutgers won a conference tournament or was the regular-season winner was in 1991.

Important Team Events

Rutgers is a very mellow basketball program as they don’t really do anything special for their team. They have a rivalry with Seton Hall but it was canceled due the pandemic. This year that rivalry game is on and both of those teams are going to be really focused after taking a break with that game.

Rutgers also has a “Midnight Madness” type of event prior to the season kicking off where families can come in and take in an evening of fun activities.

Top Players

Bob Lloyd was a legendary Rutgers basketball player. Lloyd was the Scarlet Knights’ first-ever First Team All-American while at Rutgers. He still retains the school record for career scoring average (26.5 ppg) and led NCAA Division I in free throw percentage (.921) as a senior in 1966–67, making 255-of-277 tries. Lloyd and fellow guard and college roommate Jim Valvano also led Rutgers to their first-ever postseason basketball tournament, the 1967 National Invitation Tournament, when they defeated University of New Mexico 65–60 to advance to the tournament’s Final Four. After falling to Walt Frazier’s Southern Illinois Salukis, they defeated Marshall 93–76 in the third-place game. Lloyd was the first Rutgers athlete whose jersey was retired in 1987.

At #6, James Bailey was the highest-ranked Rutgers player when he was picked into the NBA in the first round. Bailey was a powerful player at Rutgers, boasting a strong interior presence as well as exceptional jumping skills. He was well-known for turning “alley oop” passes into slam dunks. Beginning with the 1976–77 season, Bailey’s sophomore year, the regulation permitting dunking was reinstated in collegiate basketball. Bailey’s slam dunks were an instant hit at Rutgers, and as a sophomore, he led the team with 88 dunks. As a junior, he upped this number to 116. As a senior, though, he was subjected to incessant double and triple-teaming, and Rutgers’ opponents “limited” him to 79 dunks.

In 1976, Bailey’s rookie year, the Scarlet Knights advanced to the NCAA basketball Final Four with a 31–0 record. However, they were upset in the national semifinals by Michigan and subsequently lost in the third-place (consolation) game against UCLA.

Bailey ranks third all-time in Rutgers scoring (2,034 points) and second in career rebounds (behind Phil Sellers) (1,047). He is also Rutgers’ second-leading shot-blocker, trailing only Roy Hinson.

Bailey went on to win UPI and The Sporting News All-America honors in 1978. Rutgers retired Bailey’s #20 jersey in 1993, and he was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Fame the following year. Waiting for their debut this March Madness.

Top Coaches

Tom Young is Rutgers’ all-time winningest coach, having won 240 games in his 12-year tenure. He qualified for four NCAA tournaments and won four conference titles during his career. Young’s 1976 Scarlet Knights went undefeated in the regular season and proceeded to the NCAA Final Four at Rutgers. Young also worked as an assistant coach with the National Basketball Association’s Washington Wizards under head coach Eddie Jordan, who was a member of the 1976 Rutgers squad as a starting point guard. Phil Sellers, James Bailey, and Jordan developed into All-Americans under Young’s direction and went on to play in the NBA.

Another notable coach in Rutgers history was the late Frank Hill. In his career, he had a 223-165 record. From 1915 through 1943, he was the head coach at Rutgers. He also coached at Seton Hall and St. Benedict’s Prep during this time, going 191-80 in 18 seasons and 209-28 in 16 seasons, respectively. He also worked 16 Final Fours over his lengthy and successful career as an official. His Rutgers teams had 19 winning seasons, and his 1919-20 team was a National AAU Tournament finalist.