Rutgers men’s basketball checks in on Andy Katz’s ‘Power 36’
Andy Katz likes what Rutgers men’s basketball is doing, the college basketball guru all in on the team’s leadership getting them back to the postseason this year.
Rutgers is one of seven Big Ten programs represented in Katz’s ‘Power 36’ rankings released this week. According to Katz’s rankings, the Scarlet Knights are firmly in a position to return to the NCAA Tournament.
Katz has Rutgers checking in at No. 32 on the ‘Power 36.’ They are the seventh and last of the Big Ten teams but the ranking certainly shows Rutgers as making the field of 64 teams for the NCAA Tournament and perhaps be ranked in the top half of the bracket.
In assessing the Scarlet Knights, Katz wrote that “Geo Baker and Ron Harper Jr., are great ambassadors for the Scarlet Knights but they’re also high-level players.”
Last year, Rutgers made the tournament for the first time in three decades. This year, they are looking to make consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 1975-76. They are led by the duo of returning seniors in Baker and Harper (who recently made the Julius Erving watchlist for the nation’s top small forwards).
Katz has a top-five (in order) of UCLA, Gonzaga, Texas, Kansas, and Villanova. Three Big Ten teams are in his top 10 (No. 6 Purdue, No. 7 Michigan, and No. 8 Illinois).
