The No. 11 Rutgers men's basketball team is 6-0 on the year. It has five double-digit victories and is coming off a huge Big Ten home victory Sunday against then-No. 13 Illinois.Many believe the Scarlet Knights are legit, and Sunday's win only reiterated what college basketball insider Jon Rothstein has been saying for weeks about the program.
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In Monday's "College Hoops Today with Jon Rothstein" podcast, Rothstein doubled down on his thoughts of Rutgers, reminding listeners that the "perennial doormat" the program has been for years no longer exists.
"Rutgers isn't just capable. Rutgers is a team that has a legitimate chance to win the Big Ten regular-season title," Rothstein said. "And if you're good enough to win the Big Ten regular-season title, you're good enough to play deep into the NCAA Tournament."
The Scarlet Knights are averaging 82.7 points per game, which ranks fourth in the conference behind Iowa, Northwestern and Illinois. Defensively, Rutgers leads the Big Ten in blocked shots, averaging almost six per game.
Ron Harper Jr. leads the team, averaging 24 points and 7.3 rebounsd. Jacob Young (16.5 points) and Montez Mathis (14.0) have been reliable scorers, as well. Meanwhile, Myles Johnson, who is nearly averaging a double-double, has been one of the Big Ten's best defensive players.
"Ron Harper Jr. right now? Playing like an All-American," Rothstein said. "He's not going to win Big Ten Player of the Year because of [Iowa's] Luka Garza, but he's still could be an All-American. Myles Johnson for Rutgers? Enforcing things in the paint, at the rim, on every single possession."
Rutgers' win over Illinois not only was the first this season over a ranked opponent but also the first time a ranked Rutgers team defeated a ranked opponent in more than 34 years. The last time that happened, Rutgers topped St. John's in March 6, 1976 -- five years before assistant coach Brandin Knight was even born.
Rutgers will have a few changes to further prove Rothstein's point in the upcoming weeks. The Scarlet Knights visit No. 23 Ohio State on Wednesday, then host back-to-back games, against Purdue on Dec. 29 and against No. 4 Iowa on Jan. 2. From there, Rutgers visits No. 12 Michigan State on Jan. 5, then returns to the RAC for a rematch with Ohio State.
"I said before the season that Rutgers was a dark-horse Final Four team," Rothstein said. "I'm not wavering from that proclamation."
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