Let's Talk About the Resume
During the last update, Rutgers was in great standing and only a few games away from becoming a lock for this year's NCAA Tournament but since then the Scarlet Knights have gone 1-3. Rutgers dropped Q1 road decisions to Indiana and Illinois as well as an embarrassing Q3 home loss to Nebraska.
However, Rutgers ended the three-game skid and picked up a big Q2 road win against Wisconsin. Rutgers is currently 17-10 overall, 9-7 in the Big Ten, and in 5th place in the conference standings. The Scarlet Knights are currently ranked 29 in the NET Rankings, a slight drop since the previous update.
Rutgers is now 8-8 against Q1/2 opponents combined. The most impressive Q1 wins for Rutgers on the season are road wins over Purdue and Northwestern as well as home wins over Indiana and Maryland. Michigan State is currently surging in the Big Ten, and as the Spartans continue to win their NET Ranking continues to rise. The Rutgers win over Michigan State at Madison Square Garden in early February could become another Q1 win for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers only has one Q1 contest remaining on their schedule as they will travel to State College PA to battle Penn State on February 26.
The Scarlet Knights still remain a rock solid 5-2 against Q2 opponents as they own victories over Michigan State, Penn State, Ohio State, Wake Forest, and Wisconsin. It should be noted that of the five Q2 wins by Rutgers, the Scarlet Knights beat Penn State by 20 and Wake Forest by 24. Rutgers has two Q2 games remaining on their schedule, home games against Michigan (2/23) and Northwestern (3/5).
If there is anything that could drag Rutgers resume down and hurt their seeding is the Q3 losses to Nebraska and Temple. Although, Nebraska and Temple are ranked on the higher end of Q3 teams, having at least two Q3 losses on your resume will impact your seeding for the NCAA Tournament.
Rutgers remains a perfect 7-0 against Q4 teams this season. The Scarlet Knights have done a wonderful job handling their business against Q4 opponents as they are beating Q4 teams by 30 points or more in each contest, a metric that definitely boosts their NET Ranking. The only landmine that remains on Rutgers schedule is a March 2 road game against Minnesota.
The Metrics
The metrics are still trending in Rutgers favor as the Scarlet Knights are still playing defense at a very high level. Currently, Rutgers is rated the 4th best team in the land for defensive efficiency; however, Rutgers offensive efficiency has dipped in their last several games as they are rated 128th, according to KenPom.
Rutgers is now 9-0 in the Big Ten when holding opponents under 65 points, but they are a dreadful 0-7 in the conference when opponents score more than 65 points.
Here are the ratings for Rutgers according to several major college basketball metrics heavy web sites:
- KenPom - 27
- Sagarin - 24
- Torvik - 27
- Haslametrics - 36
- ESPN BPI - 17
The Remaining Schedule
The remaining schedule for Rutgers includes one Q1 road game, two Q2 home games, and one Q4 road game. What was supposed to be lighter schedule Rutgers has turned into a difficult mountain to climb; however, the Scarlet Knights still remain determined to win.
Dropping two road games to Indiana and Illinois was understandable, but the home loss to Nebraska was especially baffling. Rutgers made up for lost ground by stunning Wisconsin 58-57 on the road. The win was especially big for Rutgers because they had won the game without their 2022-23 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Caleb McConnell due to a back spasms injury.
With only four games remaining on the regular season, Rutgers needs to close out the season strong by finishing 3-1 or better to potentially earn a 6-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Bart Torvik projects Rutgers to finish 20-11 overall and 12-8 in the conference
If Rutgers finishes the season 2-2, they will go dancing but will probably end up as an 8/9-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers would finish the regular season at 19-12 overall and 11-9 in the Big Ten.
While finishing the season 1-3 is not ideal, Rutgers would likely still go dancing but would have to sweat it out to see if they will be playing in Dayton or earn a 10-seed, preventing them from playing in the First Four. Rutgers would finish the season 18-13 overall and 10-10 in the Big Ten.
One thing remains certain, the Scarlet Knights' road trip to Minnesota is a game they must win to avoid any potential negative impact to their resume and seeding for the NCAA Tournament. A loss to Minnesota could also be the difference in Rutgers ending up on the left or right side of the bubble.
Rutgers is still not a lock for the NCAA Tournament just yet. Bart Torvik gives Rutgers a 91.5% chance of making it to the NCAA Tournament and earning a 7-seed.
What do the Bracketologists Think About Rutgers?
According to BracketMatrix.com, Rutgers has appeared in 90 brackets and are averaging an 8-seed. Majority of the bracketologists have Rutgers seeded anywhere from a 7/8/9-seed but the highest seed they have been assigned is by Jerry Palm of CBS Sports who currently has them projected as a 10-seed.
- Brad Wachtel of Facts and Bracks projects Rutgers to be a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has Rutgers potentially facing 8-seed Duke in Birmingham, AL in the South Region of the bracket. The winner would potentially face 1-seed Alabama or 16-seed UNC Asheville. Brad Wachtel is one the highest and most accurate bracketologists, according to BracketMatrix.com.
- Jonathan Warriner of Making the Madness projects Rutgers to be a 9-seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has Rutgers matched up against 8-seed Nevada in Des Moines, IA in the Midwest Region of the bracket. The winner would potentially face 1-seed Kansas or 16-seed Samford.
- Mike Decourcy of FOX Sports projects Rutgers to be a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has Rutgers potentially facing 10-seed West Virginia in Sacramento, CA in the West Region of the bracket. The winner would potentially face 2-seed UCLA or 15-seed Eastern Washington. Mike Decourcy is the highest rated bracketologist of all the major sports networks and has been very accurate over the past several years, according to BracketMatrix.com.
- ESPN's Joe Lunardi projects Rutgers to be an 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has Rutgers potentially facing 9-seed Texas A&M in Birmingham, AL of the Midwest Region of the bracket. The winner would potentially face 1-seed Houston or 16-seed Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Joe Lunardi is one of the most popular bracketologists but is rated lower than other bracketologists, according to BracketMatrix.com.
- JBR Bracketology projects Rutgers to be a 9-seed.
- NJ Bracketology projects Rutgers to be an 8-seed.
- 801 Bracketology projects Rutgers to be an 8-seed.
- Delphi Bracketology projects Rutgers to be an 8-seed.
- Rocco Miller projects Rutgers to be a 9-seed.