Teams › Big Ten · Compare Rutgers with another team
Rutgers
Rutgers returns 56% of last season's minutes and rates #112 on offense and #100 on defense of 365 teams. 80% range: -2.3 to +12.4.
Why we have them here
Rutgers's preseason projection of +5.0 (No. 102 of 365) starts from the roster: its players' ratings, weighted by projected minutes, add up to a roll-up worth +3.8, more than the +2.6 typical of teams ranked near it. Last season's rating (No. 201 at the end of 2025-26) adds -0.3, less than its neighbours' +0.9; the program's level two and three seasons back and the roster's experience and shape add +1.2. It returns 56% of last season's minutes, more than teams ranked near it (47%). The projection leans most on Tariq Francis (+3.8), Darin Smith Jr. (+2.9) and Christian Gurdak (+0.9); the newcomer who matters most is Darin Smith Jr., a transfer from Central Connecticut, at +2.9. Its 80% range, -2.3 to +12.4, is about as wide as that of teams ranked near it.
Generated from the published projection's own terms, not written by hand. "Teams ranked near it" are the thirty nearest in the preseason order. Preseason projection frozen 2026-10-23; how the projection is built.
Roster
Returning 54% · Transfer 37% · Freshman 3% · Other newcomer 7%
| Rank | Player | Pos | Ht | D1 yrs | Group | From | MPG | Rating | Contrib. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 134 | Tariq Francis | G | 6-1 | 3 | Returning | Rutgers | 24 | +6.2 | +3.8 |
| 255 | Darin Smith Jr. | F | 6-7 | 2 | Transfer | Central Connecticut | 26 | +4.5 | +2.9 |
| 784 | Christian Gurdak | C | 6-10 | 1 | Transfer | Virginia Tech | 14 | +2.6 | +0.9 |
| 1156 | Jamichael Davis | G | 6-2 | 3 | Returning | Rutgers | 22 | +0.9 | +0.5 |
| 1329 | Lino Mark | G | 6-2 | 1 | Returning | Rutgers | 13 | +0.7 | +0.2 |
| 1350 | Darren Buchanan Jr. | G | 6-7 | 3 | Returning | Rutgers | 18 | +0.5 | +0.2 |
| 1502 | Kaden Powers | G | 6-4 | 1 | Returning | Rutgers | 12 | +0.3 | +0.1 |
| 1538 | Rasheed Jones | G | 6-6 | 2 | Transfer | Coastal Carolina | 26 | +0.1 | +0.1 |
| 1886 | Emmanuel Ogbole | C | 6-10 | 3 | Returning | Rutgers | 14 | -0.3 | -0.1 |
| 2075 | Imahri Wooten | F | 6-5 | 0 | Freshman | High school | 5 | -0.8 | -0.1 |
| 2392 | Max Fradkin | F | 5-11 | 2 | Other newcomer | 4 | -1.4 | -0.1 | |
| 2957 | Will Sydnor | F | 6-8 | 2 | Other newcomer | 5 | -1.9 | -0.2 | |
| 3049 | Lewis Duarte | G | 1 | Other newcomer | 5 | -2.0 | -0.3 | ||
| 3056 | Dorin Buca | C | 7-2 | 1 | Transfer | Kansas State | 7 | -1.7 | -0.3 |
| 3149 | Gevonte Ware | C | 6-9 | 1 | Returning | Rutgers | 3 | -2.7 | -0.2 |
A player's rating is points per 100 possessions better than an average Division I player while he is on the floor. Contribution weights it by the share of a rotation slot he is projected to play, so a star on the bench and a role player who never sits both read right. Rank is among all 5,249 rated players. MPG is the projected share of a rotation slot times 40. "From" is last season's team. The bars are contribution, the player's rating times his projected share; their sum is the roll-up the projection starts from.
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Proj. margin | Win prob. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri Nov 06 | vs |  New Haven #326 | +14.4 | 88% | |
| Tue Nov 10 | vs |  NJIT #347 | +17.2 | 92% | |
| Fri Nov 13 | vs |  Bryant #327 | +14.8 | 89% | |
| Tue Nov 17 | N |  Houston #8 | -11.2 | 18% | |
| Tue Nov 24 | vs |  Sacred Heart #272 | +12.9 | 85% | |
| Tue Dec 01 | at |  Indiana #55 | conf | -8.2 | 25% |
| Wed Dec 09 | vs |  Michigan #11 | conf | -8.3 | 25% |
| Sat Dec 12 | vs |  Seton Hall #106 | +6.2 | 69% | |
| Wed Dec 16 | vs |  Saint Peter's #289 | +13.2 | 86% | |
| Sun Dec 20 | vs |  Army #314 | +14.8 | 88% | |
| Tue Dec 29 | vs |  Delaware State #363 | +20.4 | 95% | |
| Sat Jan 02 | at |  Purdue #38 | conf | -8.8 | 24% |
| Tue Jan 05 | vs |  UCLA #28 | conf | -4.4 | 36% |
| Fri Jan 08 | vs |  USC #35 | conf | -3.7 | 38% |
| Tue Jan 12 | vs |  Iowa #33 | conf | -3.6 | 38% |
| Sat Jan 16 | at |  Northwestern #79 | conf | -5.2 | 33% |
| Tue Jan 19 | at |  Maryland #64 | conf | -6.6 | 30% |
| Sat Jan 23 | vs |  Minnesota #65 | conf | -0.4 | 49% |
| Wed Jan 27 | at |  Oregon #58 | conf | -6.5 | 30% |
| Sat Jan 30 | at |  Washington #92 | conf | -3.6 | 38% |
| Wed Feb 03 | vs | Purdue #38 | conf | -3.0 | 40% |
| Sat Feb 06 | N |  Syracuse #71 | -2.7 | 41% | |
| Wed Feb 10 | at |  Michigan State #6 | conf | -15.4 | 11% |
| Sat Feb 13 | vs |  Wisconsin #34 | conf | -3.7 | 38% |
| Tue Feb 16 | at |  Nebraska #12 | conf | -13.9 | 13% |
| Sat Feb 20 | vs |  Penn State #89 | conf | +1.6 | 55% |
| Thu Feb 25 | at |  Ohio State #27 | conf | -10.7 | 19% |
| Sun Feb 28 | vs | Maryland #64 | conf | -0.4 | 49% |
| Wed Mar 03 | vs |  Illinois #5 | conf | -9.5 | 22% |
| Sun Mar 07 | at | Penn State #89 | conf | -4.9 | 35% |
Projected margin is from Rutgers's side, with home court where the game is not neutral (N). Games are the schedule as posted; tournaments and late additions appear as they are listed. Predictions are as of 2026-10-26 and reflect the roster as the model has it on that date.