Why You Were Meant to Root for Rutgers

Looking to hitch your wagon to a gutsy Cinderella squad? In that case, let's ride on the Jersey Turnpike and root for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Rutgers' Tourney History

Rutgers has gone three full decades without a men's NCAA tournament appearance. When the Scarlet Knights last made the Big Dance in 1991, The Silence of the Lambs topped the box office. Nobody on the current team went to the theaters, seeing as they weren't born yet.

One would have to go back even further to 1983 to pinpoint the Scarlet Knights' last tourney win. This also marked the first time since 1978-79 that they opened the season ranked in the Associated Press Top 25.

At 20-11, Steve Pikiell's squad looked poised to end that drought in 2020. After missing that opportunity, most key players returned. Although it's been a tumultuous season, a key win over Big Ten powerhouse Illinois highlighted a 6-0 start that showed what the Scarlet Knights can achieve at their finest.

This Year's Best Players

John Peterson/Associated Press

The ancient lore of March Madness bracketology places a premium on experience, depth and a strong backcourt. Rutgers checks all three boxes.

The upperclassmen backcourt of Ron Harper Jr., Jacob Young and Geo Baker lead a methodical offense in scoring. Juniors Montez Mathis and Myles Johnson don't trail far behind.

There's not much star power, and Rutgers' perimeter shooting certainly lag behind most modern offenses. But this gritty squad gets its hands dirty by attacking the basket and playing hard-nosed defense. 

Why They're Going to Win

Look, we don't have any fancy numbers to convince you Rutgers will win it all. The best we can do is live on a prayer like Bon Jovi and hope the Scarlet Knights, like Bruce Springsteen, were born to run the bracket.

Having plenty of experience punching up in a major conference, Rutgers is a scrappy underdog capable of persevering.