Rutgers Basketball: 2021-22 season preview for Scarlet Knights

It all finally clicked for Rutgers Basketball last season. The previous year, the NCAA Tournament drought was in jeopardy until the coronavirus pandemic came along and canceled the Big Dance. Lesser programs would’ve wilted after the setback, but Rutgers just came back and accomplished its goal.

Not only did the Scarlet Knights make program history, but the team even won a game against Clemson before falling to the Houston Cougars in the Second Round. It’s going to be a difficult act to follow.

Luckily, the Scarlet Knights will be running it back with some of the team’s most important figures, first and foremost head coach Steve Pikiell. In five seasons, he has turned around the program, stringing together two consecutive winning seasons. A third should very much be in the offing.

Rutgers also returns much of their starting lineup from a year ago. The biggest loss is big man Myles Johnson, who transferred to UCLA. But a young prospect – the team’s best in years – should be ready to fill his shoes.

The team returns both Ron Harper Jr. and Geo Baker as well. Both upperclassmen have been key parts to the Rutgers turnaround – the former took a star turn for part of last year, while the latter has been the culture-defining recruit of the current era. Both return with unfinished business in mind.

With the schedule officially released this week, projecting what Rutgers’ season will look like is finally possible. Will they return to the NCAA Tournament and fall back to the pack?

Let’s preview the 2021-22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights.