# 2024–25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represents Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Scarlet Knights are led by ninth-year head coach Steve Pikiell and play their home games at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey as members of the Big Ten Conference. Following the team's loss in the Big Ten Tournament, they announced that they would not play in any postseason tournament.

## Previous season

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2023–24 season 15–17, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish a tie for 12th place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost to Maryland in the first round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Derek Simpson | 0 | G | 6'3" | 165 | Sophomore | Mount Laurel, NJ | Transferred to Saint Joseph's |
| Noah Fernandes | 2 | G | 5'11" | 180 | GS Senior | Mattapoisett, MA | Graduated |
| Mawot Mag | 3 | F | 6'7" | 216 | Senior | Melbourne, Australia | Transferred to BYU |
| Aundre Hyatt | 5 | F | 6'6" | 235 | Senior | Bronx, NY | Graduated |
| Aiden Terry | 7 | G | 5'10" | 160 | Senior | Mount Washington, KY | Walk-on; graduated |
| Oskar Palmquist | 9 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Senior | Kinna, Sweden | Graduated/signed to play professionally in Sweden with Borås Basket |
| Gavin Griffiths | 10 | G | 6'8" | 193 | Freshman | Simsbury, CT | Transferred to Nebraska |
| Clifford Omoruyi | 11 | C | 6'11" | 240 | Senior | Benin City, Nigeria | Transferred to Alabama |
| Antwone Woolfolk | 13 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Sophomore | Cleveland, OH | Transferred to Miami (OH) |
| Jacob Morales | 15 | G | 6'4" | 205 | Sophomore | Montvale, NJ | Walk-on; not on team roster |
| Antonio Chol | 21 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Sophomore | Buffalo, NY | Transferred to Buffalo |
| Daniel Vessey | 23 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman | Princeton, NJ | Walk-on; transferred to Columbia |
| Austin Williams | 24 | G | 6'4" | 205 | GS Senior | Roseland, NJ | Graduated |
| Zach Hayn | 53 | G | 6'2" | 195 | GS Senior | Brooklyn, NY | Walk-on; graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Jordan Derkack | 0 | G | 6'5" | 205 | Junior | Colonia, NJ | Merrimack |
| Tyson Acuff | 5 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Detroit, MI | Eastern Michigan |
| PJ Hayes | 23 | F | 6'6" | 215 | GS Senior | Waconia, MN | San Diego |
| Zach Martini | 99 | F | 6'7" | 235 | GS Senior | Warren, New Jersey | Princeton |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Ace Bailey #1 SF | Powder Springs, GA | McEachern High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Jan 15, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Dylan Harper #3 PG | Ramsey, NJ | Don Bosco High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Dec 6, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 96 ||||||
| Dylan Grant #18 PF | Warren, MI | Michigan Collegiate High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Aug 28, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Lathan Sommerville #34 C | Atlanta, GA | The Skill Factory Prep School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | Apr 21, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Bryce Dortch #62 PF | Chestnut Hill, MA | Brimmer & May | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jun 13, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 5, 2024. ||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 17, 2024* 6:30 p.m., BTN | No. 25 | St. John's | L 85–91 | | 25 – Bailey | 7 – Derkack | 3 – Derkack | Jersey Mike's Arena (4,240) Piscataway, NJ |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 6, 2024* 6:00 p.m., BTN | No. 25 | Wagner | W 75–52 | 1–0 | 20 – Harper | 8 – Sommerville | 5 – Davis | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 11, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 24 | Saint Peter's | W 75–65 | 2–0 | 24 – Harper | 7 – Hayes IV | 4 – Williams | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 15, 2024* 6:30 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | Monmouth | W 98–81 | 3–0 | 20 – Harper | 7 – Sommerville | 9 – Derkack | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 20, 2024* 8:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 24 | Merrimack | W 74–63 | 4–0 | 23 – Bailey | 10 – Bailey | 6 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 24, 2024* 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | No. 24 | at Kennesaw State | L 77–79 | 4–1 | 21 – Harper | 6 – Derkack | 9 – Harper | Convocation Center (3,805) Kennesaw, GA |
| November 26, 2024* 10:30 p.m., TBS | | vs. Notre Dame Players Era Festival Impact Tournament | W 85–84 $^{OT}$ | 5–1 | 36 – Harper | 7 – Acuff | 6 – Harper | MGM Grand Garden Arena (7,602) Paradise, NV |
| November 27, 2024* 10:00 p.m., TBS | | vs. No. 9 Alabama Players Era Festival Impact Tournament | L 90–95 | 5–2 | 37 – Harper | 8 – Ogbole | 2 – Tied | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| November 30, 2024* 3:30 p.m., TruTV | | vs. No. 20 Texas A&M Players Era Festival 5th place game | L 77–81 | 5–3 | 24 – Bailey | 10 – Bailey | 4 – Derkack | MGM Grand Garden Arena Paradise, NV |
| December 7, 2024 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Ohio State | L 66–80 | 5–4 (0–1) | 18 – Harper | 7 – Bailey | 4 – Harper | Value City Arena (10,477) Columbus, OH |
| December 10, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | Penn State | W 80–76 | 6–4 (1–1) | 24 – Harper | 15 – Bailey | 5 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 14, 2024* 3:00 p.m., FOX | | Seton Hall Garden State Hardwood Classic | W 66–63 | 7–4 | 24 – Harper | 7 – Tied | 2 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 21, 2024* 12:00 p.m., FS1 | | vs. Princeton Never Forget Tribute Classic/Rivalry | L 82–83 | 7–5 | 22 – Harper | 12 – Bailey | 3 – Tied | Prudential Center (10,148) Newark, NJ |
| December 30, 2024* 5:00 p.m., BTN | | Columbia | W 91–64 | 8–5 | 24 – Bailey | 11 – Harper | 12 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 2, 2025 8:30 p.m., Peacock | | at Indiana | L 74–84 | 8–6 (1–2) | 39 – Bailey | 8 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (13,843) Bloomington, IN |
| January 6, 2025 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | Wisconsin | L 63–75 | 8–7 (1–3) | 17 – Acuff | 7 – Bailey | 2 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 9, 2025 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 20 Purdue | L 50–68 | 8–8 (1–4) | 17 – Bailey | 7 – Bailey | 3 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 13, 2025 6:30 p.m., FS1 | | UCLA | W 75–68 | 9–8 (2–4) | 20 – Bailey | 10 – Bailey | 4 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 16, 2025 9:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Nebraska | W 85–82 | 10–8 (3–4) | 24 – Bailey | 11 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (13,999) Lincoln, NE |
| January 20, 2025 6:30 p.m., Peacock | | at Penn State | L 72–80 | 10–9 (3–5) | 30 – Bailey | 7 – Tied | 3 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (7,351) State College, PA |
| January 25, 2025 1:30 p.m., CBS | | No. 8 Michigan State | L 74–81 | 10–10 (3–6) | 26 – Derkack | 9 – Bailey | 2 – Williams | Madison Square Garden (17,480) New York, NY |
| January 29, 2025 9:00 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | W 79–72 | 11–10 (4–6) | 37 – Bailey | 6 – Tied | 8 – Davis | Welsh–Ryan Arena (5,884) Evanston, IL |
| February 1, 2025 3:30 p.m., FOX | | Michigan | L 63–66 | 11–11 (4–7) | 20 – Davis | 6 – Bailey | 3 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 5, 2025 8:30 p.m., BTN | | No. 23 Illinois | W 82–73 | 12–11 (5–7) | 28 – Harper | 11 – Bailey | 5 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 9, 2025 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at No. 18 Maryland | L 81–90 | 12–12 (5–8) | 20 – Harper | 9 – Sommerville | 4 – Harper | Xfinity Center (17,069) College Park, MD |
| February 12, 2025 6:30 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | L 73–84 | 12–13 (5–9) | 13 – Tied | 6 – Williams | 5 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 16, 2025 7:00 p.m., FS1 | | at Oregon | L 57–75 | 12–14 (5–10) | 14 – Sommerville | 6 – Grant | 2 – Williams | Matthew Knight Arena (8,635) Eugene, OR |
| February 19, 2025 10:30 p.m., BTN | | at Washington | W 89–85 $^{OT}$ | 13–14 (6–10) | 34 – Harper | 8 – Bailey | 3 – Tied | Alaska Airlines Arena (8,036) Seattle, WA |
| February 23, 2025 6:00 p.m., FS1 | | USC | W 95–85 | 14–14 (7–10) | 25 – Harper | 5 – Martini | 9 – Harper | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 27, 2025 9:00 p.m., Peacock | | at No. 15 Michigan | L 82–84 | 14–15 (7–11) | 17 – Tied | 9 – Bailey | 3 – Bailey | Crisler Center (12,053) Ann Arbor, MI |
| March 4, 2025 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | at No. 18 Purdue | L 71–100 | 14–16 (7–12) | 13 – Harper | 5 – Martini | 3 – Acuff | Mackey Arena (14,876) West Lafayette, IN |
| March 9, 2025 1:00 p.m., BTN | | Minnesota | W 75–67 | 15–16 (8–12) | 22 – Harper | 9 – Bailey | 2 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 12, 2025 8:30 p.m., Peacock | (11) | vs. (14) USC First round | L 89–97 $^{2OT}$ | 15–17 | 27 – Harper | 8 – Harper | 8 – Harper | Gainbridge Fieldhouse (12,922) Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||
Source

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | 25 | 24 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | RV | 24 | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |