With the 2024-25 Rutgers Basketball season set to kick off this upcoming Wednesday night, November 6th versus Wagner, there is no better time than now to offer our season predictions for how our staff sees the Scarlet Knights performing this season.
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RICHIE O'LEARY'S PREDICTION....
PREDICTION: 22-9 (13-7)
This is easily one of, if not the most anticipated season in the history of this Rutgers Basketball program as they landed not one, but two of the country's top three high school basketball prospects in Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper.
Now expectations for those are high and deservedly so, as I expect to the duo to average combined 30+ points per game this season and be among the top overall players in the Big Ten Conference this season. However there will be nights when they are off their game as we have to remember they are just 18-year old kids and that's where it will be up to the rest of the team to pick up the slack. I'm intrigued to see how Head Coach Steve Pikiell manages these rotations, as he not only has a lot of pieces, but they all provide something different with some more offensively focused and others more defensively oriented. Either way, it will be a challenge to find out who fits where.
Looking ahead at the schedule and I think the OOC is setup rather nicely as they should only have a small amount of losses there, with the most likely one coming against a highly ranked Alabama team in Las Vegas, but the rest seem winnable. So I'm going with the Scarlet Knights going 9-2 in OOC play. After that I think they will likely going 13-7 in Big Ten play and upset some people that they aren't supposed to, especially with some of that Jersey Mike's Arena magic. This would be considered a successful season, likely lock up an NCAA Tournament bid and then you see where the chips fall from there to see if they can make a run or not.
CRAIG EPSTEIN'S PREDICTION....
PREDICTION: 21-10 (13-7)
At long last it is officially Rutgers basketball season and this is one of the most highly-anticipated years for good reason.
The duo of Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper should provide Jersey Mike’s Arena with more electricity than it has probably ever had and that is saying something for what is already one of the best home-court advantages in the nation.
So, how will all that hype translate once the ball is finally tipped? Well, I believe the Scarlet Knights will finish the regular season 21-10, 13-7 in the Big Ten, and 8-3 in out of conference.
Typically, making season-long predictions for basketball can be difficult enough. However, add in the fact teams will be making cross-country trips throughout the year and nobody in the conference appears to be an outright favorite, and you have the perfect recipe for parody.
The one area of concern going into the season is the center position. Although whoever the center is will likely be focusing on setting screens and getting rebounds, the five has typically been the anchor of Pikiell’s defenses and if the anchor has a few cracks in it, it can have a ripple effect on the rest of the team.
At the end of the day, Rutgers will likely be a team that more often than not relies on its two superstars for victories. I believe Steve Pikiell and co. did a good job though building a deep roster that can take at least some of the load off Bailey and Harper’s shoulders in case one of them has an off night.
MIKE BROADBENT'S PREDICTION...
PREDICTION: 21-10 (12-8)
Rutgers finishes it’s most anticipated season in decades with it’s best record as a member of the Big Ten. They finish with a clean sweep the first 5 games of the season ahead of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, where they face a daunting three game slate (including a top 5 matchup against Alabama with 0 days of prep). They finish the OOC with a 9-2 record going into B1G play.
Rutgers will be led in scoring by Ace Bailey with a close 2nd by Dylan Harper. They will give us unbelievable performances mixed in with some head-scratching ones, but continue to improve throughout the season. PJ Hayes and Zach Martini both shoot over 40% from 3 on high volume and by midseason we figure out a dangerous drive and kick game with Dylan/Ace/Jeremiah and the sharpshooters.
Rutgers makes the NCAA Tournament as a 6 seed in the East region with a golden opportunity to play in Newark if they can make the Sweet Sixteen/Elite Eight.
ALEC CROUTHAMEL'S PREDICTION....
PREDICTION: 22-9 (13-7)
The Scarlet Knights are well-suited for their best regular season - at the very least - in a long time due to the high-level talent incoming. The biggest questions remain how quickly they gel, and how the supporting pieces perform.
The nonconference schedule is set up nicely for Rutgers to make a run, with five mid-to-low-major opponents to kick it off before traveling to Las Vegas.
The Scarlet Knights likely go 1-1 against the two known opponents, but the unknown third team could be a wild card. Of the possible opponents Oregon, Texas A&M, Creighton, and San Diego State, Rutgers likely has the advantage against two of them. Going 2-1 would be nice, but coming out of Vegas with at least one win is a must.
The Scarlet Knights should also be favored against in-state rivals Princeton and Seton Hall, putting the team at 9-2 in the nonconference.
The Big Ten, typically a meatgrinder conference annually, once again has depth from top to bottom. Coming into the season there isn't a truly bad or even a truly great team, just many good ones. It's almost impossible to predict the pecking order because so many teams are on similar tiers.
The Scarlet Knights likely have their best regular season performance since joining the Big Ten a decade ago, led by two potential NBA lottery picks, and slot in as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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