Rutgers Basketball Receives Poor Outlook In Big Ten Preseason Poll

Rutgers finds itself in a familiar position in the Big Ten preseason poll this year.

The Scarlet Knights rebuilt the roster this offseason but have a lot to prove to the rest of the conference as they were picked to finish 17th during the 2026-27 season.

This marks the second straight year that Rutgers was picked in this spot in the poll conducted by The Columbus Dispatch. The results were shared on Monday. This marked the 10th edition of the poll where media from across the conference voted.

Rutgers

finished 14th in the Big Ten standings last year. Its six conference wins was the fewest in a season since 2017-18.

The Scarlet Knights finished ahead of only Penn State in the poll, which received 22 last-place votes. The team also did not have any selections for All-Conference spots.

Rutgers brought back leading scorer Tariq Francis this season, which provided a boost within the roster. He is one of six returners, along with Jamichael Davis, with nine new faces coming in.

The full poll is as followed:

1. Illinois, 498 (18)
2. Michigan State, 483 (9)
3. Michigan, 436 (1)
4. UCLA, 375
5. Nebraska, 369
6. Purdue, 347
7. USC, 340
8. Ohio State, 324
9. Indiana, 292
10. Iowa, 264
11. Wisconsin, 240
12. Maryland, 203
13. Minnesota, 168
14. Oregon, 147
15. Washington, 116
16. Northwestern, 88
17. Rutgers, 68
18. Penn State, 35