Rutgers Basketball: 2024-25 season preview for the Scarlet Knights

It's not blasphemous to say that this is the most hyped season in Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball history. That's what happens when you score both of the most heralded recruits in school history at one time.

Under Steve Pikiell, Rutgers is a program that's turned the corner for the first time ever. There's been sustained success in Piscataway and legitimate expectations that more could be just around the corner.

That's part of what made last season such a disappointment. The Scarlet Knights lost a lot of talent in the preceding offseason, including outgoing transfers Paul Mulcahy and Cam Spencer, as well as graduated defensive stud Caleb McConnell. Still, the cupboard wasn't bare.

Things went off the rail almost immediately. Rutgers lost on opening night against Princeton. From there, it always felt like the Scarlet Knights were playing from behind. They finished 15-17 overall and missed the postseason for the first time in five years.

It's the dawn of a new era in New Jersey, though.

Expectations are sky high for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in 2024-25 after a star-studded recruiting class arrived on campus.

That starts with Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper. They are the two best recruits in school history, both carrying the potential to be lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft and one being the younger brother of a school legend in his own right, Ron Harper Jr.

Of course, that means the window may be limited for this roster (though that's true of every team in college basketball every season now). The excitement bubbling in Piscataway is about to burst, one way or the other.

Let's take a look at the 2024-25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights.