Rutgers basketball is heading into the 2026-27 season with a rebuilt roster, but the early league read says the Scarlet Knights still have work to do.
In the unofficial Big Ten preseason poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch, Rutgers was slotted 17th out of 18 teams. The 10th annual poll was released Monday morning ahead of the conference’s media day in Chicago this week, with NJ.com among the 28 beat writers who voted.
Rutgers’ best placement on any ballot was 13th, and the Scarlet Knights picked up five last-place votes. Penn State drew 22 last-place votes, while Northwestern received one.
It’s the second straight year Rutgers has been projected to finish second-to-last in the league. Last season, the Scarlet Knights outplayed that forecast by finishing 14th in the Big Ten standings, though they still posted their lowest conference win total since 2017-18, when they won three. This time around, the roster looks different again, but the expectations remain modest.
Rutgers brings back six players from last year’s team, including leading scorer Tariq Francis and senior guard Jamichael Davis. The program also added nine newcomers: five transfers, three international players and one true freshman.
The preseason recognition was limited, too. No Rutgers player landed on the Big Ten’s preseason first or second team.
There’s also uncertainty on the sideline. Head coach Steve Pikiell’s availability will be affected as he undergoes treatment for cancer, and associate head coach Brandin Knight will step in whenever Pikiell is away.
At the top of the poll, Purdue was picked first, followed by Michigan State, Michigan, UCLA, Nebraska, Purdue, USC, Ohio State, Indiana, Iowa, Wisconsin, Maryland, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington, Northwestern, Rutgers and Penn State.
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