With the conclusion of this past season, it’s now been a decade for Steve Pikiell as head coach at Rutgers. He inherited a program lacking direction or potential and buried as new members of a talent heavy Big Ten when he took over in 2016. What transpired was a legitimate turnaround, with the Scarlet Knights winning 20 games in the pandemic-shortened season before making the NCAA Tournament in both 2021 and 2022.
After being on the wrong side of the bubble in 2023, Rutgers has backslid in recent years, finishing under .500 each of the last three seasons. The story of each of those seasons is a different tale, though 2025 is clearly the one that stings the most, as the Scarlet Knights finished just 15-17 despite future NBA lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper Jr. both making noise for that team.
Season to forget
Last season wasn’t any better in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights won just 14 games, finished 14th in the Big Ten standings, and didn’t have comparable star power. Their only double-digit scorer was junior guard Tariq Francis who put up more than 17 points per game and was a bright spot for the Scarlet Knights. Fortunately, he’ll actually be back to lead the team again next season and be joined by a crop of new talent.
Several new frontcourt transfers bring a boost, starting with Will Sydnor, a former Manhattan star who missed last season with an injury but should slide into a big role. Former Kansas State 7-footer Dorin Buca from Italy gets a shot to find consistent minutes with the Scarlet Knights while Christian Gurdak arrives after showing promise as a freshman at Virginia Tech. We can’t ignore Darin Smith Jr. either after putting up more than 20 points a game to lead Central Connecticut this past season.
The talent is there
On paper, Rutgers brings back a very talented player in Francis and has added some great potential around him. When you put it all together you could see Rutgers taking a step forward this season. However, with the influx of NIL resources and the sudden juggernauts emerging in the Big Ten, is there any reasonable expectations for this Rutgers program moving forward?
The Scarlet Knights couldn’t even finish above .500 with a pair of lottery picks on the roster. Can they really compete with this current crop of talent? The important thing is to have a better-rounded roster, something they lacked with Bailey and Harper getting all of the attention. Whether or not this upcoming season features that mix, Pikiell is sure hoping better days are ahead. After what he’s meant to this program it’s hard to put him on the hot seat, but these last few years have clearly been quite disappointing.
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