Would Rutgers have made the Big Dance?
Rutgers had a really terrific men's basketball season on the BIG stage this year. So much fun to watch. Would it have continued in March Madness? Would the tourney committee have picked them?
Andy Loigu Joe Lumardi created a hypothetical bracket with Rutgers making the dance in the South region as an 8 seed.
http://m.espn.com/ncb/bracketology?src=desktop&rand=ref~%7B%22ref%22%3A%22https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F%22%7D
D-ManPV 
Chris K While I understand and agree with the cancelling of all tourney basketball—am hugely disappointed.
To me, this is one of the most purely competitive events in sports.
Do or die many games just to get into the dance- then one and done.
Total team play- diving for loose balls- hustle hustle hustle. I follow certain conferences and coaches- woman’s hoops also.
I look forward to this time of year more than any other sporting event. My loss, but understand and on board.
Stymie They beat Seton Hall, Maryland, won on the road at Purdue with a lot on the line at the end of the regular season. Can't say they were not a good team.
OOPS- by the way- yes- I’m almost certain that Rutgers would have made the Tourney.
( both men’s and women’s)
IMO, they would have needed to at least beat Michigan in the B1G conference tournament to make it in. I don't think they would have been penalized for losing to Wisconsin in the 2nd round, but a 1st round loss would have sent them packing for the NIT...
ianimal … aah, that's why I thought this would be a good HL topic. Interesting that they drew Michigan … that's the school that beat Seton Hall (1989) Rutgers (1976) and Princeton (1965) in final fours … I remember my brother-in-law, a former Seton Hall baseball player, saying to me "don't you just hate those guys?"…the number one enemy of Jersey hoops dreams.
Is it over OR is it a delay? Hard to believe they would give up the $$$$ totally......
strangerdanger This is the most Rutgers thing that could have happened. Go 20-11, win 18 out of 19 at home, and then have both the BIG and NCAA tourneys canceled. They would have been in the tournament even with a loss to Michigan in the game that they nearly played yesterday. I feel badly for Yeboah, Carter, the practice squad seniors, and the senior team managers who won't be back next year.
Back in school, I used to say that Rutgers was the Birthplace of College Football and the Graveyard of my Hopes and Dreams because the football and (Men's) basketball programs couldn't seem to get out of their own way. The basketball team finally breaks through, and we have a pandemic. It it weren't so serious, it would be absolutely comical.
Chris K - go back to sleep.
CR37 As the guy on FAN says about his lifetime Jets, Mets and Knicks fandom, oh, the pain.
Funny, I recall all the celebration, joy, and good feelings, from when the Rangers broke a 54-year curse and finally won THE CUP in 1994. Now, I meet college graduates who have started their own businesses, who are too young to remember it!
RU would probably be in the Big Dance depending upon the outcome of all the different conference tournaments. Every year there seems to be a team or two with a so so won loss record that wins the conference tournament and gets an Automatic Bid thus preventing deserving teams such as RU OUT of the Big Dance! All the experts had RU IN !! I do agree with them. Rutgers beat Ranked Teams and also a 27-3 Stephen F Austin Team 69-57 who six days later Won At Duke 85-83!! RU had several Quad 1 and 2 Wins
Lion The ACC had a "glob" of talented teams that underachieved this year. One of them could have put a streak together and won that conference tournament. Yes, that scenario probably would also have happened in the Pac 12, American Conference, Atlantic 10, with all the parity in college hoops today.
They were 85-90% in; a win over Michigan yesterday would have clinched it. They were a very good team this year. Not a Rutgers fan but I do feel for them after the 29- (now 30) year drought
The R Back in 1976, I thought RU was poised to become the UCLA of the East (y'all are probably too young to remember Johnny Wooden and his Bruins machine of the 60s and early 70s) … RU had just recently made a commitment to being "Big Time" and that 76 Final Four was a harbinger of what would be a great future, keeping all the great Jersey talent at home … well, didn't quite go the way we all had hoped.
SD, the logistics to get it ramped up is the major factor according to the analysts I saw on ESPN. I believe there are 16 sites for the first two rounds. Many of those arenas have things booked for other events. What a shame as this is the most exiting time of the year in sports in my opinion.
kb2755 I agree, exciting. I guess when you divide the billion up, little smaller per school. After this is over, some of these kids should just get together and play!
Have them play it out in city schoolyards … it will be nice, late spring weather by the time they do this … perfect for TV.
Otherwise, they could do it at the campus arena of the higher seeded team.
That’s my thinking, Andy. Roll the games themselves; they weren’t being paid to play anyways. I am sure they would get coverage.
American ingenuity!
Yes - without doubt - Rutgers has been mentioned by all the major sports outlet as an NCAA qualifier.
Jeff Saunders 
Roy HinsonWait a Minute Roy Hinson? The Roy Hinson who Starred at Rutgers and was 20th Overall First Round Pick in 1983 for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
RRRR UUUU RRRR UUUU
Let’s not forget Mike Palko from Hackettstown on that team. He enjoyed Rutger’s Season this year.
Mike was interviewed on the BigTen Network, on a special look-back feature on that 1976 season … was so cool to see him on TV.
Michael Commenting is no longer available.