# 2021–22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 2021–22 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Scarlet Knights were led by sixth-year head coach Steve Pikiell and played their home games at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, New Jersey as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 18–14, 12–8 in Big Ten play to finish a three-way tie for fourth place. As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the quarterfinals to Iowa. The Knights received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive year as a No. 11 seed in the West region. There they lost in the First Four to Notre Dame in double overtime.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights finished the 2020–21 season 16–12, 10–10 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Indiana in the second round before losing to Illinois in the quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1991. As the No. 10 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Clemson in the first round before losing to Houston in the second round.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Daniel Lobach | 2 | F | 6'7" | 210 | RS Freshman | Durham, NC | Walk-on; Transferred to Samford |
| Montez Mathis | 10 | G | 6'4" | 210 | Junior | Baltimore, MD | Transferred to St. John's |
| Mamadou Doucoure | 11 | F | 6'9" | 250 | RS Junior | Bamako, Mali | Transferred to La Salle |
| Myles Johnson | 15 | C | 6'11" | 255 | RS Junior | Long Beach, CA | Graduate transferred to UCLA |
| Nick Brooks | 23 | G | 6'1" | 185 | RS Senior | Somerset, NJ | Walk-on; graduated |
| Jacob Young | 42 | G | 6'2" | 185 | RS Senior | Houston, TX | Graduate transferred to Oregon |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous college |
| Aundre Hyatt | 5 | F | 6'6" | 227 | RS Junior | The Bronx, NY | LSU |
| Ralph Gonzales-Agee | 35 | F | 6'8" | 245 | Graduate Student | Victorville, CA | San Jose State |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Jalen Miller PG | Frederick, MD | Bishop Walsh School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Aug 14, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| 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: "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021. ||||||

#### 2022 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2022 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Braeden Moore #34 PF | Nashville, TN | Christ Presbyterian Academy | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 29, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Derek Simpson #43 PG | Medford, NJ | Lenape High School | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Aug 8, 2021 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| 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: "2022 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 14, 2021. |||||||

## Schedule and results

On December 9, Rutgers upset then-top-ranked Purdue, 70–68, at home, as Ron Harper Jr. hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer from near mid-court as time expired to down the Boilermakers. It was the first time in program history that the Scarlet Knights had ever beaten a #1-ranked team.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 10, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Lehigh Garden State Classic | W 73–70 $^{OT}$ | 1–0 | 16 – Omoruyi | 10 – Harper Jr. | 5 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 13, 2021* 2:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Merrimack Garden State Classic | W 48–35 | 2–0 | 13 – Harper Jr. | 13 – Omoruyi | 6 – Baker | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 16, 2021* 8:30 p.m., BTN | | NJIT Garden State Classic | W 75–61 | 3–0 | 20 – Harper Jr. | 13 – Harper Jr. | 4 – Baker | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,009) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 18, 2021* 8:30 p.m., FS1 | | at DePaul Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 70–73 | 3–1 | 19 – Harper Jr. | 11 – Harper Jr. | 6 – Baker | Wintrust Arena (2,844) Chicago, IL |
| November 22, 2021* 7:00 p.m., BTN+ | | Lafayette | L 51–53 | 3–2 | 14 – Omoruyi | 9 – Omoruyi | 5 – Harper Jr. | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,017) Piscataway, NJ |
| November 27, 2021* 2:00 p.m., SNY | | at UMass | L 83–85 | 3–3 | 16 – Omoruyi | 8 – Omoruyi | 9 – McConnell | Mullins Center (1,881) Amherst, MA |
| November 30, 2021* 9:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Clemson ACC–Big Ten Challenge | W 74–64 | 4–3 | 23 – Harper Jr. | 9 – Tied | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,050) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 3, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at Illinois | L 51–86 | 4–4 (0–1) | 10 – Jones | 5 – Jones | 4 – Tied | State Farm Center (14,501) Champaign, IL |
| December 9, 2021 7:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 1 Purdue | W 70–68 | 5–4 (1–1) | 30 – Harper Jr. | 10 – Harper Jr. | 8 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| December 12, 2021* 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 23 Seton Hall Rivalry/Garden State Hardwood Classic | L 63–77 | 5–5 | 13 – Tied | 12 – McConnell | 3 – McConnell | Prudential Center (11,606) Newark, NJ |
| December 18, 2021* 5:00 p.m., BTN | | Rider | Canceled due to COVID issues at Rutgers | Canceled due to COVID issues at Rutgers | Canceled due to COVID issues at Rutgers | Canceled due to COVID issues at Rutgers | Canceled due to COVID issues at Rutgers | Jersey Mike's Arena Piscataway, NJ |
| December 29, 2021* 1:00 p.m., BTN | | Maine | W 80–64 | 6–5 | 19 – Harper Jr. | 8 – Omoruyi | 5 – Baker | Jersey Mike's Arena (7,638) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 1, 2022* 5:00 p.m., BTN | | Central Connecticut | W 79–48 | 7–5 | 19 – Omoruyi | 12 – Omoruyi | 8 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (7,780) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 4, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Michigan | W 75–67 | 8–5 (2–1) | 27 – Baker | 12 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,014) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 8, 2022 2:00 p.m., BTN | | Nebraska | W 93–65 | 9–5 (3–1) | 29 – Harper Jr. | 7 – Mulcahy | 8 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 11, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at Penn State | L 49–66 | 9–6 (3–2) | 12 – Omoruyi | 12 – Omoruyi | 4 – Mulcahy | Bryce Jordan Center (9,063) University Park, PA |
| January 15, 2022 2:00 p.m., BTN | | at Maryland | W 70–59 | 10–6 (4–2) | 31 – Harper Jr. | 10 – Omoruyi | 7 – Baker | Xfinity Center (11,052) College Park, MD |
| January 19, 2022 8:30 p.m., BTN | | Iowa | W 48–46 | 11–6 (5–2) | 15 – Harper Jr. | 14 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 22, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN | | at Minnesota | L 65–68 | 11–7 (5–3) | 25 – Baker | 7 – Omoruyi | 9 – Mulcahy | Williams Arena (10,794) Minneapolis, MN |
| January 25, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | Maryland | L 60–68 | 11–8 (5–4) | 16 – Harper Jr. | 13 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| January 29, 2022 6:30 p.m., BTN | | at Nebraska | W 63–61 | 12–8 (6–4) | 14 – Baker | 9 – Omoruyi | 4 – Baker | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,671) Lincoln, NE |
| February 1, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Northwestern | L 78–79 $^{OT}$ | 12–9 (6–5) | 31 – Mulcahy | 7 – Tied | 7 – Mulcahy | Welsh–Ryan Arena (3,079) Evanston, IL |
| February 5, 2022 4:00 p.m., FS1 | | No. 13 Michigan State | W 84–63 | 13–9 (7–5) | 17 – Tied | 9 – McConnell | 12 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,117) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 9, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 16 Ohio State | W 66–64 | 14–9 (8–5) | 25 – Baker | 6 – Mulcahy | 6 – Tied | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,019) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 12, 2022 2:00 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 14 Wisconsin | W 73–65 | 15–9 (9–5) | 21 – Harper Jr. | 8 – Omoruyi | 5 – Mulcahy | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| February 16, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 12 Illinois | W 70–59 | 16–9 (10–5) | 16 – Harper Jr. | 13 – Omoruyi | 7 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,236) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 20, 2022 5:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 5 Purdue | L 72–84 | 16–10 (10–6) | 15 – Mulcahy | 6 – Tied | 6 – Tied | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Michigan | L 62–71 | 16–11 (10–7) | 19 – Harper Jr. | 9 – McConnell | 3 – Harper Jr. | Crisler Center (11,336) Ann Arbor, MI |
| February 26, 2022 6:00 p.m., BTN | | No. 13 Wisconsin | L 61–66 | 16–12 (10–8) | 19 – Baker | 10 – Omoruyi | 4 – Baker | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,227) Piscataway, NJ |
| March 2, 2022 7:00 p.m., BTN | | at Indiana | W 66–63 | 17–12 (11–8) | 19 – Harper Jr. | 12 – Omoruyi | 4 – Harper Jr. | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| March 6, 2022 12:00 p.m., BTN | | Penn State | W 59–58 | 18–12 (12–8) | 15 – Harper | 6 – McConnell | 6 – Mulcahy | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,399) Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2022 2:00 p.m., BTN | (4) | vs. (5) No. 24 Iowa Quarterfinals | L 74–84 | 18–13 | 23 – Baker | 7 – Omoruyi | 9 – Mulcahy | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (15,848) Indianapolis, IN |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 16, 2022* 9:10 pm, TruTV | (11 W) | vs. (11 W) Notre Dame First Four | L 87–89 $^{2OT}$ | 18–14 | 23 – McConnell | 11 – McConnell | 6 – Mulcahy | UD Arena (12,516) Dayton, OH |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. W=West. 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 | RV | RV | — | — | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | RV | RV^ | — | — | | | | | | | | | | | RV | RV | | | | | |
Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.