Rutgers will be without one of its frontcourt depth pieces for the foreseeable future, as center Baye Fall is expected to miss significant time following hand surgery.
Head coach Steve Pikiell confirmed the news after the Scarlet Knights’ recent home loss to Indiana, noting that Fall underwent the procedure on Friday. While Pikiell hadn’t yet spoken directly with Fall post-surgery, he acknowledged the absence is likely to be long-term. The Indiana game marked the third straight contest Fall has missed, following road matchups against Wisconsin and Iowa.
Fall’s absence won’t shake up the rotation much, as he’s been used sparingly this season. The Scarlet Knights will continue to lean on starter Emmanuel Ogbole and backup Bryce Dortch to anchor the middle.
For Fall, this season has largely been a developmental one. The 6-foot-11 big man has appeared in just nine games, logging a total of 45 minutes.
His stat line reflects his limited role: 5 points on 2-of-6 shooting from the field, 1-of-2 from the free-throw line, 15 rebounds, three blocks, one steal, one assist, and 11 personal fouls. Most of that production came early in the season, with 25 of those minutes coming in Rutgers’ first five games - all against mid- and low-major opponents like Rider, Maine, and Lehigh.
As the schedule shifted to Big Ten play, Fall’s role diminished. He’s seen the court just once in the past month - a brief four-minute stint during a lopsided loss at Illinois. His longest outing of the winter came in another blowout, an 11-minute appearance during a 41-point drubbing at the hands of Michigan - the largest margin of defeat in Pikiell’s tenure at Rutgers.
This pattern of limited playing time has followed Fall since his college career began. Before arriving in Piscataway, he made stops at Kansas State and Arkansas, where he appeared in just 13 games across two seasons. In that span, he recorded 71 total minutes, 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 18 rebounds, nine blocks, and three steals.
Now, with surgery behind him and recovery ahead, it’s unlikely we’ll see Fall back on the court this season. For Rutgers, the focus shifts to maintaining frontcourt stability with Ogbole and Dortch, while Fall turns his attention to healing and what comes next in his journey.