ESPN's Ceiling and Floor for RU

[RUBob75]

17. Rutgers Scarlet Knights​

2025-26 finish: 14-20, 6-14 Big Ten, lost in the Big Ten tournament third round

CEILING
Total wins: 16
Big Ten finish: 14th
Postseason finish: Will miss the NCAA tournament

FLOOR
Total wins: 10
Big Ten finish: 18th
Postseason finish: Will miss the NCAA tournament


When Steve Pikiell signed future lottery picks Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper before the 2024-25 season, he faced questions about the viability of Rutgers becoming a destination for elite talent. He still doesn't have answers after a third consecutive sub-.500 season, a span that includes the season he had those top-five draft picks. He'll again attempt to stop a landslide, a responsibility that rests largely on the shoulders of returning standout Tariq Francis (17.0 PPG) and incoming four-star recruit Imahri Wooten leading a group of mid-major additions.

 

[knightru]

Odd that they think we will basically have the same record. The midpoint between floor and ceiling is 13 wins.

 

[IMARUFAN]

Responsibility that rests largely on the shoulders of Tariq and incoming four-star recruit Imahri Wooten.

Really? ESPN thinks the teams fortunes will "rest on the shoulders of Tariq and Imahri"? Not Lino? Not Gurdak, Sydnor or Garavaglia?

Hard to take this "prediction" seriously when they think a player in Wooten, who will likely not even see the floor this season, as a key to the teams success this year.

Can't make this stuff up.

 

[PSAL_Hoops]

Responsibility that rests largely on the shoulders of Tariq and incoming four-star recruit Imahri Wooten.

Really? ESPN thinks the teams fortunes will "rest on the shoulders of Tariq and Imahri"? Not Lino? Not Gurdak, Sydnor or Garavaglia?

Hard to take this "prediction" seriously when they think a player in Wooten, who will likely not even see the floor this season, as a "key" to the teams success this year.

Can't make this stuff up.

Odd indeed. Besides Tariq, the team returns 2 additional 24+ mpg players from a 14 win team, plus Lino who played starter minutes the final third of last season. Weird take indeed to focus on an incoming frosh who doesn’t project to play much.

 

[GM]

Throughout the article it seems he values either returning players or incoming freshman which would work in 2016 but not for 2026, and seems completely uninterested in analyzing any transfer that wasn’t a starter on a P5 team the year before. Only time he doesn’t name drop a returner or incoming freshman is when a team literally doesn’t have one notable.

Projecting every Big Ten team's floor and ceiling for 2026-27

How good -- win the national title! -- and bad -- miss the tourney! -- it could get for all 18 Big Ten teams.

www.espn.com

 

[Anon1754923206]

You realize some intern probably was asked to ask the question to some AI engine and turn it into an article.

 

[LotusAggressor_rivals]

Responsibility that rests largely on the shoulders of Tariq and incoming four-star recruit Imahri Wooten.

Really? ESPN thinks the teams fortunes will "rest on the shoulders of Tariq and Imahri"? Not Lino? Not Gurdak, Sydnor or Garavaglia?

Hard to take this "prediction" seriously when they think a player in Wooten, who will likely not even see the floor this season, as a key to the teams success this year.

Can't make this stuff up.

Why is anyone taking what ESPN has to say about anything seriously?

 

[IMARUFAN]

You realize some intern probably was asked to ask the question to some AI engine and turn it into an article.

Good point. At least that would explain the absurdity of the suggestion that this teams' fortunes will depend on how well a 3rd (or at best 2nd) string true freshman guard plays.

 

[Anon1751565407]

Responsibility that rests largely on the shoulders of Tariq and incoming four-star recruit Imahri Wooten.

Really? ESPN thinks the teams fortunes will "rest on the shoulders of Tariq and Imahri"? Not Lino? Not Gurdak, Sydnor or Garavaglia?

Hard to take this "prediction" seriously when they think a player in Wooten, who will likely not even see the floor this season, as a key to the teams success this year.

Can't make this stuff up.

A bunch of mid-major additions? What?That’s both disrespectful to mid-majors and ignores a lot of players. I mean Kansas State and Virginia Tech aren’t mid-majors and at least two of the new foreign dudes should contribute in a big way. Plus, Lino might have an explosive breakout season.
The ceiling is certainly at least a bubble-in NCAA tourney appearance. A 9-11 BigTen record and some wins during a BigTen tourney run and they’re likely a bubble-in team, especially with the expanded field.

 

[scarletrat99]

We need to acknowledge that 6 B1G wins was due to playing and beating the teams beneath us. We may not be that fortunate schedule-wise this upcoming season given the unbalanced schedules we all play. I think we will be better than last year--can't be much worse--but I am unclear how much will translate into additional wins/losses. The best win RU had was beating Minny in the B1G opening round...and that was a 11/14 matchup.

 

[Mr. Magoo1]

We need to acknowledge that 6 B1G wins was due to playing and beating the teams beneath us. We may not be that fortunate schedule-wise this upcoming season given the unbalanced schedules we all play. I think we will be better than last year--can't be much worse--but I am unclear how much will translate into additional wins/losses. The best win RU had was beating Minny in the B1G opening round...and that was a 11/14 matchup.

Exactly. I expect a better team than last year but probably around the same record as last season.