Rutgers Basketball: Knights flying under the radar in Big Ten for 2020-21

A number of Big Ten programs have gotten better this offseason due to roster moves. That could actually be of benefit to Rutgers Basketball for the upcoming season.

Compared to many of the other Big Ten programs, it’s been a fairly quiet offseason overall for Rutgers Basketball. There were no players who entered the NBA Draft early, and only reserve guard Peter Kiss left the team through the transfer portal.

With the exception of graduating senior Akwasi Yeboah, the Scarlet Knights return the vast majority of a team who won 20 games and was on track to make the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. With top-50 incoming freshman center Cliff Omoruyi arriving, the expectations will be for them to get at least 20 wins again this upcoming season.

Is that realistic though? The Big Ten may be as strong at the top as it’s ever been thanks to what else happened this offseason. With reigning Conference Player of the Year Luka Garza returning for his senior season, the Iowa Hawkeyes are a preseason top-15 team. The same goes for the Illinois Illini after stars Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn elected to come back as well.

Wisconsin returns literally its entire roster and main rotation after tying for last season’s Big Ten regular-season title, led by forward Nate Reuvers. And even with Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman now gone, Michigan State and Coach Tom Izzo have plenty of talent left over to compete at the top of the league. These four are very likely preseason top-20 at least when the polls start to come out.

This doesn’t even include Indiana and its five-star freshman point guard Khristian Lander, Michigan returning a fair amount of talent, and Minnesota, who with waivers from the NCAA, could have an argument of having the most complete starting-five lineup in the conference. The ACC (Duke, UNC, and UVA) and Big 12 (Kansas, Baylor, and Texas Tech) all have top-10 caliber teams for 2020-21 but the Big Ten right now has the most depth in terms of true potential NCAA Tournament teams.

Rutgers should be part of that group, although they certainly haven’t received the same amount of attention. Part of it has to do with the lack of individual star power, as leading scorers Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr. don’t put up the gaudy stats of highlights that would garner that kind of attention. There also aren’t any players that “NBA Draft Twitter” would drool over and Rutgers Basketball has been dormant for so long that it takes time for non-Scarlet Knight fans to want to follow.

Yet that may be of benefit for the team this season. It’s always easier being the “hunter” in sports instead of the “hunted”. With more scrutiny and focused pressure from the opposition, the Scarlet Knights won’t be able to sneak up on anyone and get the needed wins. They very well could be ranked in the top-25 as well to start the season, so the number next to their name will be all the motivation needed from opponents to take them on.

But this will be an experienced team in Rutgers who already has tasted victory, while also knowing what it’s like to play in meaningful and tough matchups with plenty on the line. And with potentially double-digit opportunities against top-25 competition this season, building a strong resume won’t be an issue.

There will plenty of discussion about the Final Four potential of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan State in the preseason. But don’t discount the next tier of Big Ten programs, including Rutgers, who once again has plenty to prove. Don’t be surprised if at least in the standings, the Scarlet Knights are right up there with the frontrunners.