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The AP Top 25 College Basketball Poll is out and five Big Ten teams are currently ranked. Rutgers men’s basketball is not one of them but is receiving votes.
The Scarlet Knights received 11 votes in the preseason poll, making them the eighth-highest team in the Big Ten.
It certainly is a loaded representation for the conference. The Big Ten is led by No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Purdue. Also in the mix are No. 11 Illinois, No. 17 Ohio State, and No. 21 Maryland.
Knocking on the door is Michigan State (87 votes) and Indiana (41 votes). Then comes Rutgers.
Rutgers was picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten’s preseason poll. It was a middle-of-the-pack placement for the program, who return four starters and have several young contributors set to emerge this year.
The AP preseason poll has an identical landing spot for Rutgers, which would likely represent another NCAA Tournament appearance.
POLL ALERT: Gonzaga is No. 1 in the preseason AP Top 25 men’s basketball poll; UCLA, Kansas, Villanova and Texas round out the top five.
Full poll: https://t.co/ZJG5mgWrsa pic.twitter.com/c8XZq3XW1r
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) October 18, 2021
They finished the season 16-12 a year ago including a 10-10 record in the Big Ten.
The Scarlet Knights are looking to make back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1975-76. This past tournament, Rutgers beat Clemson in the first round before falling to Houston in their next game. Houston ended up making the Final Four.