New Headline: Scarlet Knights Dominate Elite Division Final
Rutgers men’s basketball heads to its first postseason tournament since 2023.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 12: Tariq Francis #0 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights attempts a shot over Tyler Bilodeau #34 of the UCLA Bruins during the second half of a Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Third Round game at the United Center on March 12, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. The UCLA Bruins won the game 72-59. (Photo by Aaron J.
Thornton/Getty Images) | Getty Images “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. ” Rutgers men’s basketball has accepted an invitation to the College Basketball Crown, according to a post made by the team’s X account. The College Basketball Crown is a postseason tournament held in Las Vegas, Nevada, that features eight teams competing throughout a four-day tournament, with the reward being a trophy and an NIL donation made to their program.
The Scarlet Knights are set to take on Creighton in the first round of the tournament on Thursday, April 2nd, at 10:30 pm. The winner of this game will move on to face the winner of West Virginia- Stanford. The College Basketball Crown tournament debuted last season and featured 16 teams.
Since this tournament is financially incentivised, the winning team of last year’s tournament received $300,000 out of a total pool of $500,000. While the tournament will still be incentivised this year, the layout will be different as Anschutz Entertainment Group and Fox Sports, the creators of the tournament, have made an attempt at streamlining the tournament and making it a more attractive destination by cutting the overall number of teams that will be competing to 8. Last season, Nebraska, which won the tournament, received 300,000 dollars in NIL money, while the runner-up UCF received $100,000.