Big Ten Basketball: Ranking all 18 programs after adding Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington

13. Rutgers

Not much was happening for Rutgers after a trip to the Final Four way back in 1976. They had been a punching bad for much of their nearly two decades in the Big East and were off to the same type of start in the Big Ten. Everything changed when Steve Pikiell was hired and the Scarlet Knights in resoundingly better shape.

Pikiell was hired in 2016 and needed a few seasons to turn this program around, but unlike half a dozen coaches before him, he actually has accomplished his mission. The Scarlet Knights have been a sound basketball program the last four years. They likely would have made the NCAA Tournament before the pandemic canceled it in 2020 before ending a 30-year drought the following season. Rutgers has been at or above .500 in conference play in each of these four seasons and had a slew of very talented players on the roster.

Frankly, Rutgers might have been dead last on this list if not for Pikiell’s efforts in recent years. There was nothing going for Rutgers even five years ago, as the Scarlet Knights hadn’t won more than six conference games in a 13-year period. Now, they’re the easternmost members of one of the nation’s power conferences and have proven that they belong.

Obviously, we have to dial back on the expectations for Rutgers. This program has proven its consistency, even though their bubble was popped this past March, but we can’t forget their recent lack of success. Can Rutgers be a consistent winner when Pikiell’s tenure comes to an end? How do they compare with new programs like UCLA and USC located thousands of miles away?