The story writes itself – two five-star recruits are on Rutgers basketball this season and the Scarlet Knights will be a must-watch.
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Rutgers basketball.
It doesn’t take much explaining to do. When you land five-stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, the expectations will be through the roof. Rutgers basketball hasn’t met a whole lot of expectations over the years, but there’s reason for optimism in Central Jersey this season. Steve Pikiell has assembled an all-star duo, and hopes the group of transfers can co-exist and make Rutgers click.
Tyson Acuff, Jordan Derkack, and Zach Martini highlight a trio of good gets in the portal for Pikiell. They all come from the mid-major level but will be counted on to score the basketball and gel with their star teammates.
There isn’t much of a returning group, but Jeremiah Williams and Jamichael Davis are two key players to watch. Davis will provide crucial minutes in the backcourt and Williams suffered an Achilles injury in October 2022 and is looking to build off his solid return to playing basketball last year.
It’s an interesting mixture at Rutgers but one that will be fun to watch all season long.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Steve Pikiell (20th season, 9th at Rutgers)
2023-24 record: 15-17 (7-13)
2024 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Cliff Omoruyi (10.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 2.9 BPG, 51.2 FG%)
- Aundre Hyatt (10.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.0 SPG)
- Mawot Mag (9.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 SPG)
- Derek Simpson (8.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 1.4 SPG, 30.5 FG%)
- Noah Fernandes (6.4 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.6 APG, 35.4 3P%)
- Gavin Griffiths (5.8 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.6 APG)
- Austin Williams (4.0 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 0.6 APG)
- Antwone Woolfolk (3.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.5 APG)
- Oskar Palmquist (2.7 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Notre Dame (Nov. 26)
- vs. Alabama (Nov. 27)
- vs. Houston (Nov. 30)
- vs. Seton Hall (Dec. 14)
- vs. Princeton (Dec. 21)
Projected Rotation
PG: Jamichael Davis (6-2, 175, So.)
2023-24 stats: 5.6 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.1 SPG
SG: Dylan Harper (6-6, 215, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #3 ranked recruit
SF: Jeremiah Williams (6-4, 200, Rs.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.2 SPG, 12 GP
PF: Ace Bailey (6-10, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #2 ranked recruit
C: Emmanuel Ogbole (6-10, 270, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 2.1 PPG, 2.0 RPG, 0.2 APG, 8.1 MPG, 10 GP
6: Tyson Acuff (6-4, 210, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 21.7 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.1 SPG (Eastern Michigan)
7: Zach Martini (6-8, 235, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 8.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.9 APG, 38.5 3P% (Princeton)
8: Jordan Derkack (6-6, 215, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 17.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 3.9 APG, 2.1 SPG (Merrimack)
9: PJ Hayes IV (6-6, 215, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 10.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 1.1 APG, 39.7 3P% (San Diego)
10: Lathan Sommerville (6-10, 275, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #131 ranked recruit
11: Dylan Grant (6-7, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #163 ranked recruit
12: Bryce Dortch (6-9, 205, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #219 ranked recruit
Rutgers Basketball team MVP: Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper
The second and third-ranked players in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Bailey and Harper will go hand-in-hand all season long. They each have unique skill sets and will control the basketball a lot in their freshmen seasons.
Harper plays the guard position with a lot of strength and precision, with more moves than most college basketball players, let alone, freshmen.
Bailey brings the athleticism, and at 6-10 has a soft shot and can’t be left alone in the halfcourt setting.
Both players offset each other well and require attention from whoever goes up against the Scarlet Knights.
Rutgers Basketball make-or-break player: Zach Martini
Raise a glass to the Princeton transfer!
With Rutgers opting to bring on a lot of mid-major talent from the portal, you may naturally look at the numbers put up by Acuff and Derkack. While they should both be solid offensive options, don’t overlook what Martini did in the Ivy League.
The forward was a big part of a great Princeton team and the Ivy League has long been underrated as far as overall competition goes. While his averages may not be as eye-popping, his game tape shows a high-IQ player who can spot up for three. Bailey and Harper will command a lot of attention, so don’t be surprised if Martini is a player who slips through the cracks and finds himself open for a lot of knockdown three-pointers.
Key analytic: PPG
For a team that overhauled its roster completely, it isn’t worth trying to compare the potential of stats from year to year. But it is worth saying that Rutgers finished 342nd in PPG (65.4), a number that must, and likely will be raised exponentially.
Rutgers basketball has never been a scoring team under Pikiell – in fact they’ve never averaged more than 70 PPG as a team. But this year, that offensive style might change. Harper and Bailey are scoring pros – both will be one-and-done to the NBA and have skills that most Big Ten players could only dream of having.
But after them, the Scarlet Knights have a lot of third, fourth, and fifth options who can light up the box score and take advantage of having such skilled teammates. Pikiell didn’t need to land many power conference stars. He wanted the right fits, and he went out and got them.
The word of the day is ‘fun.’ It’ll be fun to watch Rutgers basketball this season and to see how well they play on offense.
Rutgers Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 3rd in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Final Four Exit