Doesn’t seem like there is a single program situated definitively better on an infrastructure level within a few hundred miles of Rutgers Basketball.
People have been taking notice…
People have been taking notice…
Is there a better legally supported basketball program in the North East/Big Ten
- Thread starter RUsojo
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While we are in the big ten , This program is about to become the dominant program in the east
You guys are flying high right now, and I'm happy for you. Besides living in NJ now, I have a family connection to Rutgers. But I think this kind of thinking may be a bit premature, based on a relatively short window of being above .500...
The results have been average (P6 average) to be sure.
But the question in front of us is about the infrastructure not the current performance.
Rutgers is having some success with lowly-rated players. If the current recruiting commits stick, it spells trouble to others as Rutgers starts to match and pass more established (named) programs. And .500 becomes a distant memory.
I respect your opinion and actually think it will be Rutgers , Maryland and UConn as the top three in the east
The northeast has been dominated by landmark coaches for the past forty years …and one by one , they have retired and their replacements haven’t returned them to their former level
Georgetown -Thompson
St Johns -Carnasecca
Seton Hall-Carlismoo
UConn - Calhoun (Hurley has them tending right though)
Pittsburgh-Howland/Dixon
Louisville Pitono
Villanova -Wright (this is the big one )
Maryland -Williams (I think Willard will have them on the right track again)
Other than UConn, each one of those schools has not sustained their heights …and their successor to their coaches didn’t keep it going
Plus ,boeheim’s results suggest he is way past their prime eras coach K and roy Williams/Dean smith are long gone …and it’s unclear that those programs have made Hires to sustain what they bad
Their is a vacuum for programs to rise …and I think it will be Rutgers , Maryland and UConn coming out as the regional powers for the next decade . Don’t sleep on providence …they have a real good coach trending right as well
And…as sojo said, our program and culture is very very attractive right now…off the court and on…..
Overall program infrastructure has been elevated to, and will hopefully be sustained at, what a B1G school can and should do with the resources that can be brought to bear. Physical infrastructure is one priority where Hobbs made his early bet with the launch of the B1G Build Fund, and it's impact felt for men's hoops. I would think women's hoops should see similar impact if the new staff has what it takes to get that program rolling again.
OP raises a good point.
Nova is very well supported but will be interesting to see how that Program holds up without Jay Wright.
Maryland and UConn are well supported.
But we are really separating ourselves from everyone else (i.e. SHU)
Nova is very well supported but will be interesting to see how that Program holds up without Jay Wright.
Maryland and UConn are well supported.
But we are really separating ourselves from everyone else (i.e. SHU)
Through the help of politicians who earmarked money for Rutgers to build facilities and the 400 individual donors to the BIG Build fund Rutgers was able to build nice facilities. We have 2 five stars committed one because of some NIL plus Pike and his assistants being great recruiters. Griffiths because he just loved Rutgers and the staff. If we get Dylan it will because of Pike and company and his brother having a great experience here. My concern is going forward and Rutgers trying to keep up with the Big Boys if NIL continues to be a factor. By double matches for basketball and begging for donations when it’s all being matched is not a good sign IMO. If our fans were more like the fans of some of our competitors then our teams would be in great shape. Here we all know what we are up against yet the vast majority do nothing about it. Some feel I buy tickets and go to the game that’s enough. It’s not enough the other fan bases but the tickets go to the games and still donate. Why can’t we?
I’d pump the brakes a bit
The team just lost to Temple and SHU.
I’d like to see a deep ncaa run or even a B1G tourney finals appearance first
The team just lost to Temple and SHU.
I’d like to see a deep ncaa run or even a B1G tourney finals appearance first
By Temple, you mean the team that also beat #1 Houston.
By SHU, you mean the team that also beat top 10 NET team UConn.
Meanwhile, Rutgers has the best win in the country winning at Purdue.
Conclusion - let's not use selective facts to prove a point, while ignoring the overall body of work. Leave that to the politicians.
Rutgers men's basketball, despite its status as the flagship university in a large state overflowing with high school basketball talent, has performed far below its potential for decades.
Rutgers now has its chance to establish itself as the premier college basketball team in the Northeast, with tough competition for that status coming from Connecticut.
Since 1990:
Connecticut - 22 NCAA tournaments, 53 games won, 4 national championships
Rutgers - 3 NCAA tournaments, 1 game won
Jim Calhoun is responsible for a lot of Connecticut's accomplishments, of course. But move east to Rhode Island, a tiny state with little high school basketball talent. URI and PC have had piles of success compared to Rutgers over the past few decades.
Rhode Island - 8 NCAA tournaments, 10 games won
Providence College - 11 NCAA tournaments, 6 games won
I'm optimistic if Pikiell sticks around and continues his recruit-and-develop approach to the program, Rutgers can emerge as a perennial top 25 team for years to come.
Rutgers now has its chance to establish itself as the premier college basketball team in the Northeast, with tough competition for that status coming from Connecticut.
Since 1990:
Connecticut - 22 NCAA tournaments, 53 games won, 4 national championships
Rutgers - 3 NCAA tournaments, 1 game won
Jim Calhoun is responsible for a lot of Connecticut's accomplishments, of course. But move east to Rhode Island, a tiny state with little high school basketball talent. URI and PC have had piles of success compared to Rutgers over the past few decades.
Rhode Island - 8 NCAA tournaments, 10 games won
Providence College - 11 NCAA tournaments, 6 games won
I'm optimistic if Pikiell sticks around and continues his recruit-and-develop approach to the program, Rutgers can emerge as a perennial top 25 team for years to come.
None of that is relevant, teams lose isolated games all the time, when you play 30 to 35 games a year.
Teams also make unusual runs in conference and NCAA tournaments all the time and unless it carries over to the next season, it doesn't matter.
RU had a 3-15 regular season in the B1G during Geo Bakers freshman season and because the B1G tournament was in our backyard, that was the launching point of the basketball program.....that was after defeating #15 Seton Hall and then losing the next week to Stony Brook.
The last 4 seasons of results in the regular seasons is what elevated the program after the #14 seeded RU program defeated Minnesota on a Wednesday, then blue-blood Indiana on a Thursday night and then played lights out against Elite 8 Purdue on Friday night at MSG.
The carryover was going from
17-18 3 B1G reg season wins.
18-19 7 B1G reg season wins.
19-20 10 B1G reg season wins.
20-21 11 B1G reg season wins.
21-22 12 B1G reg season wins.
22-23 TBD.
Mixed with that are defeating 10 to 15 ranked teams during that climb, including Purdue twice at #1.
This is a gradual and steady climb. You don't get results without performance and aren't credible without producing during the regular season.
First, Rutgers basketball already has the facilities it needs, the RAC and a brand new practice facility.
Second, I have studied the paperwork in Trenton and cannot find the oft-mentioned earmarks for the RAC renovations and the new football fieldhouse, which reporters have claimed amount to $100,000,000 of the $300,000,000 line item in the state budget named, "Rutgers University - Capital Needs."
What I fear could be happening is a backroom deal was struck between Trenton lawmakers and Rutgers officials. Federal law states athletics facilities are ineligible destinations for these federal stimulus funds. So Rutgers officials will quietly and opaquely shift $100,000,000 out of eligible projects into the athletics budget, then replace that $100,000,000 with money from the latest state budget.
This would give the appearance that Rutgers spent all $300,000,000 legitimately on eligible capital needs, while at the same time honoring contracts with Schiano to build a practice facility and Jersey Mike's to renovate the RAC.
Why does Rutgers even play games if the sky is always falling? It's against Rutgers law to experience winning. Defeat is our friend.
I guess LeapinLou
Thank you for the kind words.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Rutgers continue sustained success. I expected a drop off this year, but your coach has shown me something. Good luck to Rutgers...
😂 It’s over we win! the dominance that should have been ours while we tried to be a football powerhouse during the 80’s and 90’s is now ours !!!! As a result of our efforts.
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Pretty jarring how quickly this fell apart.
A year ago (hypothetically) everything was in place infrastructure wise that Rutgers could become the preeminent CBB program in the north east. Fast forward, UConn wins title, has NJ legend and best coach in country, “poaches” Rutgers roster, Penn st goes on win streak makes tournament (though lose coach), matching RU success of recent years if not more, maryland goes on win streak makes tournament, arch rival
with more program tradition shu set to get back to tournament under a top up-and-coming coach (from NJ) in country, and Pitino lands at St. John's building new facility and currently last 4 in...
Fortunately, there is a path to rebound in 2024. Extremely critical off-season ahead.
Your OP said it was about infrastructure not current results. Now something has changed because we had a bad offseason (Cam and Paul would've been gone after this year anyway) and are #91 in Kenpom for one season? UConn was a title contender and top 10 in kenpom when you wrote the OP, now something has fundamentally changed because they actually won?
If your post was correct in Jan 2023 it's still correct now. It purported to be about the long term.
You forgot the part where we got boned by the selection committee last year.
And the part where this year was always going to be a bit of a rebuilding year (especially after Cam and Paul boned us with the late transfers).
It all comes out in the wash. We got the benefit of the doubt one year, then not the benefit of the doubt another. The issue is continually finding ourselves in worse and worse favor since 2019-2020.
Other programs have quickly made our recent “achievements” seem less consequential I guess.
Ehhh we got the benefit of the doubt one year and completely boned last year….just thought the screw job was worth mentioning in your overall summary.
Well.. how do you know? It didn't sound like a thesis that would be validated or not in one year.
It was premature, and I admit, a rare occasion where the scarlet colored glasses got ahold of me. Even if a significant part of it was driven by a less than stellar outlook from the majority of local programs. Ultimately all it took was their quick bounce backs to get on the equal footing of our squarely average accomplishments of recent years. Our downward trend only becoming more pronounced.
And yet, 2024…
To your UConn point. Yes, they were a good team. Very good. But, most very good teams don’t make it far in the dance. They capitalized on their opportunity and Hurley shut the door on this one. The other programs just joining us waiting outside it.
You're not wrong. As a matter of fact, I think you are right.
He has a five-star center coming in, and apparently some team chemistry issues going out. Whatever happens next year is going to pivotal with regard to his stay in College Park...
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