Steve Pikiell and Rutgers took other step toward becoming a major basketball threat in the Big Ten Conference, getting a commitment from highly regarded center Cliff Omoruyi.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell doesn’t want to talk about his team potentially being ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in over four decades.

PISCATAWAY, NJ (AP) — Steve Pikiell bristled at the idea that playing a Division II school didn’t matter. While beating such an opponent won’t help a postseason resume, won't count toward Rutgers’...

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Any concern of a letdown for Rutgers a week after knocking off its biggest rival was quickly erased on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a huge lead, then cruised...

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — After giving up 80 points in Saturday’s loss to St. Bonaventure, Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell wanted to see a better defensive effort. He got it on Wednesday night when his...

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Steve Pikiell isn’t concerned when it comes to his team eking out victories against low-and mid-majors picked to finish in the bottom half of its respective...

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers put together its most dominating Division 1 win under head coach Steve Pikiell, overwhelming Niagara 86-39 on Sunday.

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Jay Young joked that among the exciting aspects of the head coaching job at Fairfield, he's now two hours closer to Fenway Park and his beloved Boston Red Sox.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers and Indiana are streaking.

The upstart Scarlet Knights are on a three-game win streak in Big Ten play for the first time in school history, slowly climbing out of the conference basement under third-year coach Steve Pikiell. Meanwhile the Hoosiers once-promising season has hit a seven-game skid under second-year coach Archie Miller.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — Rutgers players have vowed to avoid another last place finish in the Big Ten. They took another step toward that goal by holding off a team that's headed in the opposite direction.

Geo Baker scored 20 points and the Scarlet Knights (10-9, 3-6 Big Ten) beat Penn State 64-60 on Saturday to put a three-game cushion between themselves and the conference cellar, where they've finished every season since joining the Big Ten in 2014.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell was surprisingly passive during his halftime speech. Instead, he gave his adjustments before instructing his team to have a quick players-only meeting.

Eugene Omoruyi had 18 points and Shaq Carter had a career-high 13 points off the bench on 6-of-7 shooting in the second half to lead Rutgers past Columbia 68-65 in overtime.

NEW YORK (AP) — Fordham's certainly not looking like the team expected to be a part of the back end of the Atlantic 10 Conference this season.

The Rams entered the season as one of the youngest in Division I with eight freshman and two sophomores on the 17-man roster. It's no surprise their youth was a factor in the early forecasts, however, freshman Nick Honor is playing years beyond his nine-game career.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — Rutgers blocked shots, forced turnovers and kept the Miami Hurricanes' potent offense from finding a rhythm.

And at the end, the Scarlet Knights relied on a little luck.

A 60-foot heave at the buzzer by Miami's DJ Vasiljevic clanked off the front of the rim to punctuate a frantic final flurry, and Rutgers held on to win 57-54 Wednesday in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — The college basketball season is still in its infant stages, but maybe Rutgers is gaining a reputation as being a tough, hard-nosed defensive-minded team.

Just five days after holding Eastern Michigan to 36 points in a big win, the Scarlet Knights (4-1) came through defensively again Friday, holding Boston University to just 44 points in a 54-44 victory, the team's fourth win in five games this season.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers rebounded in record fashion after a blowout loss at home to St. John's, winning its third game on Monday night with a 63-36 rout of Eastern Michigan.

Geo Baker had 20 points and the Scarlet Knights (3-1) had their third double-digit win of the season while holding Eastern Michigan to an NCAA-record low four first-half points.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell touted Eugene Omoruyi as the most improved player this offseason. So far, the pupil has proved his teacher right.

Omoruyi had his second-straight double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Geo Baker scored 20 points to lead Rutgers past Drexel 95-66 on Sunday.

"These two guys were veterans tonight and we needed that veteran leadership," Pikiell said.

Rutgers

Last season: 15-19, surprised many by reaching quarterfinals of Big Ten tournament.

Nickname: Scarlet Knights.

Coach: Steve Pikiell.

Conference: Big Ten.

Who's gone: Guard and leading scorer Corey Sanders opted for the NBA and was not drafted. G Mike Williams, F DeShawn Freeman, F Candido Sa, F Matt Bullock and G Souf Mensah.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — While Corey Sanders' offense will be shown on the highlight reel, coach Steve Pikiell focused on his star guard's defense in Rutgers' 67-58 overtime victory over Northwestern on Tuesday night.

"The heck with the offense, I thought his defense was spectacular the whole night," Pikiell said, adding, "He was confident and he had a little swagger tonight and that's how I want him to play."

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — For all the scoring that Isaac Copeland did against Rutgers, it was one of the little things that gave Nebraska a much-needed road win.

Copeland scored 23 points and came up with a clutch rebound in the final minute to lead Nebraska to 60-54 victory Wednesday night.

Rutgers has given coach Steve Pikiell a three-year contract extension through the 2023-24 season.

Athletic director Patrick Hobbs announced the extension on Wednesday with Pikiell in his second season with the program.

Under terms of the deal, Pikiell will be guaranteed $15.05 million over the next five seasons, plus performance bonuses.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — It used to be easy to criticize Rutgers' schedule and scoff at its 9-3 record. That changed last weekend.

The Scarlet Knights' upset of then No. 15 Seton Hall has been a boost to Steve Pikiell's program. Beating the Pirates has shown Rutgers has gotten over the hump after close losses against once-ranked Minnesota, No. 24 Florida State and No. 2 Michigan State.

"We just showed everybody that we can play anybody in the country," senior guard Mike Williams said.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Rutgers coach Steve Pikiell is a team-first guy, but he couldn't help but put the spotlight on star guard Corey Sanders for his career milestone on Tuesday night.

The second-year coach had his first player go over 1,000 points at Rutgers as the Scarlet Knights beat Fordham 75-63.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — Geo Baker was known for his shooting abilities on the recruiting circuit. It turns out he can be a good facilitator too.

The freshman had his first career double-double with 19 points and 11 assists, while fellow backcourt mates Corey Sanders had 19 points and Mike Williams had 17 points to lead Rutgers past Fairleigh Dickinson 92-54 Saturday night.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — It was the first litmus test for Florida State and Rutgers on Tuesday night.

CJ Walker scored a career-high 24 points and Phil Cofer added 19 to lead the unbeaten Seminoles past Rutgers 78-73.

"It was a tremendous test for us," Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton. "This was the kind of game I thought we really needed."