Honors Drought: Rutgers' All-League Selection Famine Went Back to 2005-06

Rutgers, loser in 32 consecutive contests against Big Ten Conference opponents in one dismal stretch, was on the precipice of needing to visit school archives and bring ulcer-causing Dick Vitale back as a recruiter. The Scarlet Knights, losing by a staggering 50 points at home several years ago against Purdue, couldn't do any worse upon falling on hard times as the nation's only NCAA Division I school failing to have an all-conference choice in the previous 13 seasons until Geo Baker became a third-team selection in 2019-20. Vitale helped lure previous coach Eddie Jordan to Piscataway before the Scarlet Knights reached the 1976 Final Four. Jordan was an All-Atlantic 10 Conference second-team choice as a senior in 1976-77 before leaving college without a diploma.

Prior to Baker, Rutgers had failed to secure an all-league choice since Quincy Douby in 2005-06. The Knights' arrival gave the Big Ten Conference additional Nebraska/Northwestern/Penn State mediocrity - a famine-relief trio combining for three NCAA playoff victories in the previous 64 years (all by Nittany Lions), making their hoop fans believe in the power of positive drinkin'. DePaul didn't have an all-league pick for 10 years in the Big East Conference until Max Strus earned second-team acclaim in 2018-19.