2023–24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team represented Rutgers University–New Brunswick during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Scarlet Knights were led by eighth-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 15–17, 7–13 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for 12th place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost Maryland in the first round.

2023–24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Record	15–17 (7–13 Big Ten)
Head coach	Steve Pikiell (8th season)
Assistant coaches	Brandin Knight T. J. Thompson Marlon Williamson
Home arena	Jersey Mike's Arena
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Purdue	17	–	3		.850			34	–	5		.872
No. 6 Illinois †	14	–	6		.700			29	–	9		.763
Nebraska	12	–	8		.600			23	–	11		.676
Northwestern	12	–	8		.600			22	–	12		.647
Wisconsin	11	–	9		.550			22	–	14		.611
Indiana	10	–	10		.500			19	–	14		.576
Iowa	10	–	10		.500			19	–	15		.559
Michigan State	10	–	10		.500			20	–	15		.571
Minnesota	9	–	11		.450			19	–	15		.559
Ohio State	9	–	11		.450			22	–	14		.611
Penn State	9	–	11		.450			16	–	17		.485
Maryland	7	–	13		.350			16	–	17		.485
Rutgers	7	–	13		.350			15	–	17		.469
Michigan	3	–	17		.150			8	–	24		.250
† 2024 Big Ten tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Scarlet Knights finished the 2022–23 season 18–13, 10–10 in Big Ten play to finish a tie for ninth place. As the No. 9 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Michigan in the quarterfinals before losing to Purdue in the quarterfinals. The Knights received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament as a No. 1 seed. They were upset in the first round by Hofstra.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Jalen Miller	2	G	6'2"	200	Sophomore	Frederick, MD	Transferred to Oral Roberts
Paul Mulcahy	4	G	6'6"	213	Senior	Bayonne, NJ	Graduate transferred to Washington
Cam Spencer	10	G	6'4"	207	Senior	Davidsonville, MD	Graduate transferred to UConn
Dean Reiber	21	F	6'10"	225	Junior	Greensboro, NC	Transferred to Charlotte
Caleb McConnell	22	G	6'7"	200	RS Senior	Jacksonville, FL	Graduated
Andrew Fulin	23	F	6'6"	195	Senior	Demarest, NJ	Walk-on; graduated
Logan Stephens	30	G	6'2"	197	Sophomore	Decatur, GA	Walk-on; transferred to Tulane

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous college
Noah Fernandes	2	G	5'11"	180	GS Senior	Mattapoisett, MA	UMass
Jacob Morales	15	F	6'4"	190	Sophomore	Montvale, NJ	Walk-on; Springfield College
Emmanuel Ogbole	22	C	6'10"		Sophomore	Aune-Adoka, Nigeria	Monroe College
Austin Williams	24	G	6'4'	200	GS Senior	Roseland, NJ	FIU
Jeremiah Williams	25	G	6'4"	177	RS Junior	Chicago, IL	Iowa State
Zach Hayn	53	G	6'3"	190	Senior	Brooklyn, NY	Walk-on; Hartwick College

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Gavin Griffiths #12 PF	West Hartford, CT	Kingswood-Oxford Wyverns High School	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Jun 2, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 86
Jamichael Davis PG	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern High School	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	155 lb (70 kg)	Jun 2, 2022
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
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: "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.

2024 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2024 recruits
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Airious Bailey #1 SF	Powder Springs, GA	McEachern High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jan 15, 2023
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 95
Lathan Sommerville #27 C	Atlanta, GA	The Skill Factory Prep School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Apr 21, 2023
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 82
Dylan Grant #16 PF	Warren, MI	Michigan Collegiate High School	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Aug 28, 2023
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 81
Bryce Dortch #67 PF	Chestnut Hill, MA	Brimmer & May	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jun 13, 2023
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   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 2023-10-04.

Roster

2023–24 Rutgers Scarlet Knights men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Derek Simpson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) So Lenape Mount Laurel, NJ G 1 Jamichael Davis 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr McEachern Powder Springs, GA G 2 Noah Fernandes 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Woodstock Academy UMass Mattapoisett, MA F 3 Mawot Mag 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 216 lb (98 kg) Sr Prolific Prep Melbourne, Australia F 5 Aundre Hyatt 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Sr Miller School LSU The Bronx, NY G 7 Aiden Terry 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Sr Bullitt Central Mount Washington, KY F 9 Oskar Palmquist 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) RS Sr Marks Gymnasieskola Kinna, Sweden G 10 Gavin Griffiths 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 193 lb (88 kg) Fr Kingswood Oxford Simsbury, CT C 11 Clifford Omoruyi 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Sr Roselle Catholic Benin City, Nigeria F 13 Antwone Woolfolk 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So Brush Cleveland, OH G 15 Jacob Morales (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Pascack Hills Springfield College Montvale, NJ F 21 Antonio Chol 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Minnesota Preparatory Academy Buffalo, NY C 22 Emmanuel Ogbole 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 260 lb (118 kg) So Excel Model Secondary School Monroe College Aune-Adoka, Nigeria G 23 Daniel Vessey (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr The Hun School Princeton, NJ G 24 Austin Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) GS Seton Hall Prep FIU Roseland, NJ G 25 Jeremiah Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 177 lb (80 kg) RS Jr Simeon Career Academy Iowa State Chicago, IL G 53 Zach Hayn (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) GS Xaverian Hartwick Brooklyn, NY	Head coach Steve Pikiell (Connecticut) Assistant coach(es) Brandin Knight (Pittsburgh) T. J. Thompson (George Washington) Marlon Williamson (Youngstown State) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 21, 2023* 2:00 p.m., –		at St. John's Dick Vitale Pediatric Cancer Research Game	L 78–89 ^2OT	–	16 – Davis	9 – Omoruyi	5 – Simpson	Carnesecca Arena (3,011) Queens, NY
Regular season
November 6, 2023* 7:00 p.m., Peacock		vs. Princeton Rivalry	L 61–68	0–1	12 – Omoruyi	7 – Tied	3 – Tied	CURE Insurance Arena (6,103) Trenton, NJ
November 10, 2023* 7:00 p.m., B1G+		Boston University	W 69–45	1–1	25 – Griffiths	8 – Woolfolk	5 – Simpson	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
November 12, 2023* 12:00 p.m., B1G+		Bryant	W 66–57	2–1	19 – Hyatt	15 – Omoruyi	4 – Simpson	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
November 15, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS1		Georgetown Gavitt Tipoff Games	W 71–60	3–1	15 – Simpson	7 – Hyatt	4 – Simpson	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
November 18, 2023* 6:00 p.m., B1G+		Howard	W 85–63	4–1	23 – Simpson	14 – Omoruyi	4 – Tied	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
November 27, 2023* 7:00 p.m., B1G+		Saint Peter's	W 71–40	5–1	19 – Fernandes	8 – Omoruyi	4 – Davis	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
December 2, 2023 4:00 p.m., BTN		No. 24 Illinois	L 58–76	5–2 (0–1)	9 – Tied	9 – Omoruyi	3 – A. Williams	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
December 6, 2023* 6:00 p.m., ACCN		at Wake Forest	L 57–76	5–3	13 – Tied	5 – Tied	4 – Davis	LJVM Coliseum (7,692) Winston-Salem, NC
December 9, 2023* 8:30 p.m., FS1		at Seton Hall Garden State Hardwood Classic	W 70–63	6–3	19 – Fernandes	13 – Omoruyi	6 – Davis	Prudential Center (10,481) Newark, NJ
December 16, 2023* 1:00 p.m., B1G+		LIU	W 83–61	7–3	25 – Omoruyi	12 – Hyatt	4 – Fernandes	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
December 23, 2023* 12:00 p.m., BTN		vs. Mississippi State Gotham Classic	L 60–70	7–4	18 – Hyatt	6 – Hyatt	6 – Simpson	Prudential Center (5,169) Newark, NJ
December 30, 2023* 12:00 p.m., BTN		Stonehill	W 59–58	8–4	17 – Omoruyi	17 – Omoruyi	4 – Tied	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
January 3, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN		at Ohio State	L 72–76	8–5 (0–2)	23 – Simpson	10 – Hyatt	2 – Tied	Value City Arena (10,614) Columbus, OH
January 6, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN		at Iowa	L 77–86	8–6 (0–3)	24 – Mag	10 – Mag	3 – Davis	Carver–Hawkeye Arena (9,273) Iowa City, IA
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., Peacock		Indiana	W 66–57	9–6 (1–3)	13 – Mag	11 – Omoruyi	4 – Mag	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
January 14, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan State	L 55–73	9–7 (1–4)	14 – Hyatt	8 – Omoruyi	3 – Tied	Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI
January 17, 2024 7:00 p.m., BTN		Nebraska	W 87–82 ^OT	10–7 (2–4)	17 – Hyatt	15 – Omoruyi	8 – Simpson	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
January 21, 2024 1:00 p.m., BTN		at No. 14 Illinois	L 63–86	10–8 (2–5)	22 – Omoruyi	9 – Omoruyi	2 – Tied	State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL
January 28, 2024 1:00 p.m., FOX		No. 2 Purdue	L 60–68	10–9 (2–6)	15 – Hyatt	6 – Tied	4 – Davis	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
January 31, 2024 8:30 p.m., BTN		Penn State	L 46–61	10–10 (2–7)	11 – Griffiths	8 – Simpson	3 – Tied	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
February 3, 2024 4:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	W 69–59	11–10 (3–7)	19 – Simpson	11 – Omoruyi	6 – Simpson	Crisler Center (11,863) Ann Arbor, MI
February 6, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN		at Maryland	W 56–53	12–10 (4–7)	15 – Mag	5 – Tied	3 – Simpson	Xfinity Center (12,866) College Park, MD
February 10, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN		No. 11 Wisconsin	W 78–56	13–10 (5–7)	18 – J. Williams	13 – Omoruyi	7 – J. Williams	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
February 15, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN		Northwestern	W 63–60	14–10 (6–7)	15 – J. Williams	9 – Omoruyi	5 – J. Williams	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
February 18, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN		at Minnesota	L 70–81	14–11 (6–8)	19 – Tied	8 – Omoruyi	4 – Tied	Williams Arena (9,680) Minneapolis, MN
February 22, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1		at No. 3 Purdue	L 68–96	14–12 (6–9)	12 – J. Williams	6 – Griffiths	3 – Griffiths	Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN
February 25, 2024 12:00 p.m., BTN		Maryland	L 46–63	14–13 (6–10)	13 – Hyatt	5 – Griffiths	3 – J. Williams	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
February 29, 2024 8:30 p.m., FS1		Michigan	W 82–52	15–13 (7–10)	19 – Tied	15 – Omoruyi	3 – Tied	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
March 3, 2024 6:30 p.m., BTN		at Nebraska	L 56–67	15–14 (7–11)	14 – J. Williams	9 – Woolfolk	3 – Tied	Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,854) Lincoln, NE
March 7, 2024 7:00 p.m., FS1		at Wisconsin	L 66–78	15–15 (7–12)	16 – Williams	6 – Davis	3 – Fernandes	Kohl Center (15,431) Madison, WI
March 10, 2024 2:00 p.m., BTN		Ohio State	L 51–73	15–16 (7–13)	11 – Hyatt	7 – Omoruyi	2 – Tied	Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten tournament
March 13, 2024 6:30 p.m., Peacock	(13)	vs. (12) Maryland First round	L 51–65	15–17	16 – Griffiths	6 – Hyatt	4 – Simpson	Target Center (12,379) Minneapolis, MN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Source^[1]

Rankings

See also: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	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
Coaches	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

References

1. "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". scarletknights.com. Retrieved 2023-10-04.