THE OFFICIAL 2023-2024 RUTGERS BASKETBALL PREDICTION THREAD

[bac2therac]

Okay that time of year again. I have returned to basketball mode. One week away. 1, 2, 3 and here we go............

11/6/2023	vs. Princeton
11/10/2023	Boston University
11/12/2023	Bryant
11/15/2023	Georgetown
11/18/2023	Howard
11/27/2023	Saint Peter's
12/2/2023	Illinois
12/6/2023	at Wake Forest
12/9/2023	at Seton Hall
12/16/2023	LIU
12/23/2023	vs. Mississippi State
12/30/2023	Stonehill
1/3/2024	at Ohio State
1/6/2024	at Iowa
1/9/2024	Indiana
1/14/2024	at Michigan State
1/17/2024	Nebraska
1/21/2024	at Illinois
1/28/2024	Purdue
1/31/2024	Penn State
2/3/2024	at Michigan
2/6/2024	at Maryland
2/10/2024	Wisconsin
2/15/2024	Northwestern
2/18/2024	at Minnesota
2/22/2024	at Purdue
2/25/2024	Maryland
2/29/2024	Michigan
3/3/2024	at Nebraska
3/7/2024	at Wisconsin
3/10/2024	Ohio State

​

 

[BillyC80]

18-13 regular season.

Probably needing 2 wins in the B1G tourney to make the big dance.

Predicting bubble team at 19-14.

 

[Good-Knight]

Really the only pertinent question is whether or not we make the NCAA's. I say we get rolling in Feb-Mar and make it.
19-12 (10-10)
BIG Tourney 1-1
NCAA 1-1
Total: 21-14

 

[malaka27]

I say at best 21 wins in the regular season, at worst 15 or 16

 

[Loyal_2RU]

I say at best 21 wins in the regular season, at worst 15 or 16

22 wine in regular season is an optimistic realist scenario . So many unknowns that is hard to be sure

 

[RUAir-Raid]

Super excited about this season! I’m going to be optimistic and say 20 wins and we make tourney!

 

[BIGRUBIGDBIGredmachine]

You're still the TKR Official Weather guy during hoops season too, right?

 

[bac2therac]

the more adventrous can go game by game if you like. I will wait til the weekend to post my full game by game predictions

 

[Mr Magoo]

17-14 regular season (9th place B1G), 1-1 B1G Tourney, 1-1 NIT.
19-16 overall.

 

[Degaz-RU]

We will be a better team in January/February than we will be in November/December, because we're breaking in a new system and because of our injury status (Mag, A. Williams, Ogbole). As a result, I think we're going to lose a game or two that we don't expect to lose in the OOC schedule,

8-3 OOC
10-10 B1G

18-13 heading into the B1G tournament, and on the Bubble again.

 

[Saint Puppy]

18 wins - bubble team AGAIN.

 

[fatsam98]

6-0 vs Boston/Howard/Bryant/LIU/Stonehill/St Peters

1-1 vs Princeton and Georgetown -- some kind of early season disappointment

2-1 vs Wake/Seton Hall/Miss St

7-3 in B1G home games
3-7 in B1G road games

9-2 non-con, 10-10 in con, 19-12 overall. Bubble team?

 

[RU89]

6-0 vs Boston/Howard/Bryant/LIU/Stonehill/St Peters

1-1 vs Princeton and Georgetown -- some kind of early season disappointment

2-1 vs Wake/Seton Hall/Miss St

7-3 in B1G home games
3-7 in B1G road games

9-2 non-con, 10-10 in con, 19-12 overall. Bubble team?

That looks about right.

 

[Scarlet Shack]

11-9/21-10
1-1 in rhe BET
22-11 NCAA 9 seed

If mag was 100% from day one for sure …I would be more bullish ….and have us as a 6-7 seed

EDIT before the season begins…
12-8 Big ten
23-8 kcerall
24-9
6 seed

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

The 3 big unknowns

1. What will happen in the 5-15 possessions that could mean +/- 4 wins. Until we are 10 points better than 80% of our competition this will always be a factor.
2. Injuries and recovery from them
3. Complete roster overhaul with only Cliff returning to his expected role at the start of last season.

I will eventually make a prediction, but my conviction will be very low. I'll probably paint 4 or 5 scenarios and create a probability for each and use the expected wins as my prediction.

 

[Plum Street]

please note in last years prediction thread I was on the money !! Plum nailed it!

Official 2023-2024 prediction

19-12

10-10

1-1 big ten tourney . We squander another chance to play in the semis on cbs.

Last 4 in

Dayton!

 

[RUJMM78]

Uncertainty regarding scoring especially from the 3 point line.

19-12, 9-11 B1G Ten ,bubble team for the NCAA Tournament.

 

[Greene Rice FIG]

Its early, but I am guessing this will be a 5 year low for average wins predicted.

 

[RUSCFORMERLYRULOU]

ceiling - 22 and 9
Floor - 16 and 15

 

[RW90]

18-13
Last four out

 

[JudgeSmails56]

I’ll say 16-15

 

[RAHWAYBOB]

I’ll say 16-15

You Would!

 

[Rugwu]

20-11 (8-seed) - book it!

 

[RUBlackout]

19-12 (9-11)

Bubble Team and will need to win 2 in B1G tourney

 

[needmorecowbell]

18-13 Regular Season
8-3 OOC (slow start with an inexperienced team)
10-10 Big Ten (get hot late season)
2-1 Big Ten tournament
Last team in the dance or the first team out

 

[robjknight]

We have an all Big 10 2nd Team center; Derek who is on the list of 10 most likely improved players, one of the top 10 freshmen in conference, Mag when healthy may be the top defender in conference, and the deepest team in Pikes history . The foreign tour was like a good preseason which helped the team gel. I think we get some surprise wins and reach 20 wins and make the tourney.

 

[darkcheck]

By month:
5-1
3-3
2-6
4-4
2-1
16-15, 8-12 B1G

 

[WhichReligionIsRight]

40-0.

 

[NJDOVES]

21-10 and dancing

 

[Nycrusupporter]

While I think there are a wide range of potential outcomes this year, I will predict Pike will find a way to get us to 19 regular season wins and we squeak into the Tournament.

 

[Bayonnebomber79]

Like a few others I say 20 wins and we go dancing

 

[GRU23]

I think 20 wins is probably the magic number for us to make the tournament. I see this team needing to either overperform in the non-con and get 10 wins there or get 11 wins in the B1G. I think either is possible, and with the depth we have I'll guess it's later in the season we overperform. So 9-2 OOC, 11-9 B1G, 1-1 B1G Tournament, then a win in the dance.

 

[RUtrumpet92]

20-13 (9-2, 10-10, 1-1 B1G tournament), bubble, we sneak in this year.

 

[Unionst]

We have an all Big 10 2nd Team center; Derek who is on the list of 10 most likely improved players, one of the top 10 freshmen in conference, Mag when healthy may be the top defender in conference, and the deepest team in Pikes history . The foreign tour was like a good preseason which helped the team gel. I think we get some surprise wins and reach 20 wins and make the tourney.

Pike saying he’s got his deepest team ever is like the year he said he had his best team ever. A good bit of hyperbole. I’m not seeing it. We’re not that deep except at point guard. So, my expectations are tempered. 18-14? No NCAA. But as always, a fun year at the RAC. Hope I’m wrong.

 

[CranfordKnight]

I predict someone bumps this midway through the season like the football bowl bid thread on the RT and we all have a good laugh.

 

[NewJerseyHawk]

There's room for improvement with any roster and if RU didn't have an exhibition game with a talented St John's game on the road that was competitive AND just blow out DePaul, why would fans have predictions of 16 and 15 and 8 and 12 vs the B1G??

If RU lost by 15+ to St John's and the reports were that they defeated DePaul, but the margin was by 5 or 7 points (not 32), then I would be concerned.

There's literally no chance this team is worse than last year's roster, except for not having a legitimate replacement for Caleb McConnell. On the other hand, every other aspect of the roster is upgraded, 1 through 12.

The RAC is still loud the last time I checked, so that's worth 4 to 6 points per game. It's a 20 win roster and 20 win depth. Last years smoke and mirrors is done, time to play full court, up tempo, scoring basketball, mixed with the standard solid (not elite) defense. This staff wins games folks. Back to the NCAAs in 2023-24.

 

[SJScarlet]

I predict someone bumps this midway through the season like the football bowl bid thread on the RT and we all have a good laugh.

Well we could’ve had a good mid season laugh at any low end predictions last year when the team was 16-7. And, well…

 

[LOU-RU85]

My bet:

19-12, 10-10 in B1G. Hope for better.

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Where's the scoring coming from?
Where's the rebounding, other than Cliff?
Mag is good, but other B10 forwards are too.
Hyatt may not have improved that much.
Small backcourt.
I'll say 18-13 and an NIT. Hope I'm wrong and Gavin leads the way to a better record.

 

[Nycrusupporter]

There's room for improvement with any roster and if RU didn't have an exhibition game with a talented St John's game on the road that was competitive AND just blow out DePaul, why would fans have predictions of 16 and 15 and 8 and 12 vs the B1G??

If RU lost by 15+ to St John's and the reports were that they defeated DePaul, but the margin was by 5 or 7 points (not 32), then I would be concerned.

There's literally no chance this team is worse than last year's roster, except for not having a legitimate replacement for Caleb McConnell. On the other hand, every other aspect of the roster is upgraded, 1 through 12.

The RAC is still loud the last time I checked, so that's worth 4 to 6 points per game. It's a 20 win roster and 20 win depth. Last years smoke and mirrors is done, time to play full court, up tempo, scoring basketball, mixed with the standard solid (not elite) defense. This staff wins games folks. Back to the NCAAs in 2023-24.

Keep in mind that against St. John’s, their expected leading scorer, Jordan Dingle, didn’t play, and another rotation player and possible starter, RJ Luis, also didn’t play.