Rutgers clinches bye in Big Ten Tournament: Here is who it could face in opening game

Before finishing its regular season slate, Rutgers already knows its postseason path.

The Scarlet Knights (12-18, 5-14) clinched the 14th seed in the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday night, when Minnesota beat Northwestern, 67-66, at Williams Arena in Minneapolis. The result guarantees head coach Steve Pikiell’s team will finish ahead of the Wildcats — their only challenger at this point in the season — in the Big Ten standings.

Rutgers will open the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday night, when it faces the 11th seed in the final game of the second round at the United Center in Chicago. The game is set to tip off 25 minutes following the conclusion of the third contest of the day, which is set to tip at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.

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Rutgers’ opponent will be the Golden Gophers, who clinched the 11th seed after Washington lost to Oregon late Saturday night.

If the Scarlet Knights defeat Minnesota, they will face sixth-seed UCLA in the third round. And if they upset the Bruins, they will face the three seed, which — depending on multiple results Sunday — will be either Wisconsin, Illinois or Nebraska.

Rutgers heads to the Windy City looking for its first Big Ten Tournament win since 2023, when it defeated Michigan in the opening round before falling to Purdue in its second game.

Rutgers will end its regular season on Sunday afternoon, when it hosts Penn State in a game that is meaningless for the Big Ten standings. The Scarlet Knights are locked into 14th place while the Nittany Lions are guaranteed to finish last in the league.

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The game will be meaningful for center Emmanuel Ogbole, who will be the lone player honored during the pregame Senior Day ceremony.

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