The Rutgers men’s basketball team improved dramatically in several key areas under Steve Pikiell in his first season leading the program. Defense and rebounding were the two most obvious and consistent throughout the season. On the other hand, the offense struggled mightily most of the year.
Per KenPom, they finished last by a wide margin in adjusted offensive rating in Big Ten play at 89.3. Penn State was 13th at 97.2 and was the only other squad to finish below 100. In terms of shooting percentages, Rutgers finished 330th or worse out of 351 Division I teams in effective field goal percentage, 2-point shooting percentage, 3-point shooting percentage, and free throw shooting percentage.