Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Way-too-early power rankings for 2019-2020 season

By Austin Walther

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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PISCATAWAY, NJ – JANUARY 09: Geo Baker #0 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights reacts after scoring the game winning three-point basket defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 64-61 in a game at Rutgers Athletic Center on January 9, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ – JANUARY 09: Geo Baker #0 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights reacts after scoring the game winning three-point basket defeating the Ohio State Buckeyes 64-61 in a game at Rutgers Athletic Center on January 9, 2019 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /

11) Rutgers Scarlet Knights

I think we’re all hoping to see a few teams that are normally in the basement to really rise up. This is the farthest I can put Rutgers though. Last season they finished tied for 10th which is their best place in the Big Ten ever. The Scarlet Knights had just won nine Big Ten games in five seasons. They came up with seven conference victories this past season. They are certainly on the rise, but it takes baby steps in a conference like this.

Rutgers isn’t losing any key scorers like they did two seasons ago and no one is leaving for the NBA. Only two scholarship players are leaving. The seven-foot center Shaquille Doorson is graduating. He averaged just over three points per game. Junior Issa Thiam missed six games this year, averaged almost four points per game, but was kicked off the team for domestic abuse. Other than that, the Scarlet Knights will look the same.

Geo Baker is glad to have someone else in double-figures besides himself. He’s still the leading three-point shooter by a mile, but six-foot-seven forward Eugene Omoruyi led the team with almost 14 points per game and 7.2 boards. It was his first year making three-pointers and ended up with a solid 14. No one else is transferring either so Rutgers will return its top-eight guys from a season ago.

The only downfall with the two guys leaving is that the Scarlet Knights have just one scholarship player over six-foot-nine. Myles Johnson is the man. He averaged almost five points and six boards with 23 blocks and steals apiece. No one besides Baker who made more than 20 three-pointers shot over 33 percent from downtown. Rutgers is getting a four-star small forward Paul Mulcahy who will hopefully add some production from outside. The Knights are returning quite a bit, but more scoring has to come from other guys besides the top-two.

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