Tariq Francis Named First-Team All-Metropolitan
Apr 22 | Men's Basketball
NEW YORK – Rutgers guard Tariq Francis was named to the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association's All-First Team on Wednesday morning.
The accolade comes after the junior guard from Pittsburgh, Pa. was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in March.
Francis, who joined Rutgers last offseason from NJIT with two years of eligibility, made an immediate impact in 2025-26. The junior guard led the Scarlet Knights with 17.0 points per game while adding 2.9 assists and shooting 41.9 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 24 times during the season.
Francis joins an established list of Scarlet Knights who have received the award under for head coach Steve Pikiell in Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Clifford Omoruyi, Ron Harper Jr., and Geo Baker.
Francis announced his return to RU next season for his last year of college basketball last week.
"I love being a part of Rutgers, and I am fully committed to RU," Francis said. "I love the coaching staff, I love the fans, and I love the players. I appreciate all the love the fans showed us all season. I hope next year we can get the job done and support you guys the way you support us."
"Tariq had an outstanding first season in our program," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "He's a tough competitor who proved to the country that he is an elite scorer at the Big Ten level. We're excited to have his leadership and experience back for his senior season."
One of the most impressive aspects of Francis' season came at the free throw line, where he put together one of the best performances in program history. Francis knocked down 164 free throws, surpassing Bob Lloyd's 1965-66 total for fourth-most makes in a single season at Rutgers. He shot an outstanding 91.1 percent from the line, becoming just the fourth player in program history to finish a season above 90 percent.
Francis also etched his name into the Rutgers record book in overall scoring production. He totaled 578 points on the season, the 17th-most in program history, surpassing Dylan Harper's output from the previous year and marking the highest single-season total by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby's program-record 839 points in 2005-06. In addition to his scoring, Francis contributed 99 assists, showcasing his ability to create for others.
A consistent and explosive offensive force, Francis delivered multiple signature performances throughout the year. He recorded a career-high 34 points, capped by a buzzer-beater in a win over Penn, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He also posted three 30-point games, including a 30-point effort off the bench against Northwestern and another to lead Rutgers past Oregon, becoming the only Big Ten player since 1996-97 to record multiple 30-point games off the bench in the same season.
Among his many standout efforts, Francis scored 29 points to set Rutgers' Big Ten Tournament single-game scoring record in a win over Minnesota. He added 28 points against Indiana, 26 off the bench versus USC, and 25 points with five assists, three steals, and zero turnovers at Michigan State, along with multiple 20-point performances in conference play.
Speedy Claxton of Hofstra University and Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall University were named the Lou Carnesecca Co-Coaches of the Year on Wednesday when the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association announced its 2025-26 All-Met Men's Division I teams.
Preston Edmead of Hofstra was selected as Rookie of the Year.
The All-Met First Team: Budd Clark, Seton Hall; Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, St. John's; Tariq Francis, Rutgers, Erik Pratt, Stony Brook.
The All-Met Second Team: Edmead; Jamal Fuller, LIU; Anquan Hill, Sacred Heart; Dillon Mitchell, St. John's; Kenny Noland, Columbia; Dejour Reaves, Fordham.
The All-Met Third Team: CJ Anthony, Iona; Brandon Benjamin and Braden Sparks, Fairfield; Brent Bland, Saint Peter's; Dylan Darling, St. John's; Nick Jones, Wagner; Jason Rivera-Torres, Monmouth.
All-Met Honorable Mention: David Bolden, Ari Fulton and Sebastian Robinson, NJIT; Ryan Curry, Army-West Point; Malachi Davis, LIU; Oziyah Sellers, St. John's; Andrej Shoshkikj, Stony Brook; AJ Staton-McCray. Seton Hall; Jaden Winston, Manhattan.
Being named All-Met is a unique honor in that there are 21 colleges and universities, and more than 300 athletes, under the MBWA Division I men's umbrella.
The 2025-26 All-Met teams will be honored at the 93rd MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday, April 23, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner, which also will be Livestreamed, is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
The accolade comes after the junior guard from Pittsburgh, Pa. was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in March.
Francis, who joined Rutgers last offseason from NJIT with two years of eligibility, made an immediate impact in 2025-26. The junior guard led the Scarlet Knights with 17.0 points per game while adding 2.9 assists and shooting 41.9 percent from the field. He scored in double figures 24 times during the season.
Francis joins an established list of Scarlet Knights who have received the award under for head coach Steve Pikiell in Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey, Clifford Omoruyi, Ron Harper Jr., and Geo Baker.
Francis announced his return to RU next season for his last year of college basketball last week.
"I love being a part of Rutgers, and I am fully committed to RU," Francis said. "I love the coaching staff, I love the fans, and I love the players. I appreciate all the love the fans showed us all season. I hope next year we can get the job done and support you guys the way you support us."
"Tariq had an outstanding first season in our program," said head coach Steve Pikiell. "He's a tough competitor who proved to the country that he is an elite scorer at the Big Ten level. We're excited to have his leadership and experience back for his senior season."
One of the most impressive aspects of Francis' season came at the free throw line, where he put together one of the best performances in program history. Francis knocked down 164 free throws, surpassing Bob Lloyd's 1965-66 total for fourth-most makes in a single season at Rutgers. He shot an outstanding 91.1 percent from the line, becoming just the fourth player in program history to finish a season above 90 percent.
Francis also etched his name into the Rutgers record book in overall scoring production. He totaled 578 points on the season, the 17th-most in program history, surpassing Dylan Harper's output from the previous year and marking the highest single-season total by a Scarlet Knight since Quincy Douby's program-record 839 points in 2005-06. In addition to his scoring, Francis contributed 99 assists, showcasing his ability to create for others.
A consistent and explosive offensive force, Francis delivered multiple signature performances throughout the year. He recorded a career-high 34 points, capped by a buzzer-beater in a win over Penn, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors. He also posted three 30-point games, including a 30-point effort off the bench against Northwestern and another to lead Rutgers past Oregon, becoming the only Big Ten player since 1996-97 to record multiple 30-point games off the bench in the same season.
Among his many standout efforts, Francis scored 29 points to set Rutgers' Big Ten Tournament single-game scoring record in a win over Minnesota. He added 28 points against Indiana, 26 off the bench versus USC, and 25 points with five assists, three steals, and zero turnovers at Michigan State, along with multiple 20-point performances in conference play.
Speedy Claxton of Hofstra University and Shaheen Holloway of Seton Hall University were named the Lou Carnesecca Co-Coaches of the Year on Wednesday when the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association announced its 2025-26 All-Met Men's Division I teams.
Preston Edmead of Hofstra was selected as Rookie of the Year.
The All-Met First Team: Budd Clark, Seton Hall; Cruz Davis, Hofstra; Zuby Ejiofor and Bryce Hopkins, St. John's; Tariq Francis, Rutgers, Erik Pratt, Stony Brook.
The All-Met Second Team: Edmead; Jamal Fuller, LIU; Anquan Hill, Sacred Heart; Dillon Mitchell, St. John's; Kenny Noland, Columbia; Dejour Reaves, Fordham.
The All-Met Third Team: CJ Anthony, Iona; Brandon Benjamin and Braden Sparks, Fairfield; Brent Bland, Saint Peter's; Dylan Darling, St. John's; Nick Jones, Wagner; Jason Rivera-Torres, Monmouth.
All-Met Honorable Mention: David Bolden, Ari Fulton and Sebastian Robinson, NJIT; Ryan Curry, Army-West Point; Malachi Davis, LIU; Oziyah Sellers, St. John's; Andrej Shoshkikj, Stony Brook; AJ Staton-McCray. Seton Hall; Jaden Winston, Manhattan.
Being named All-Met is a unique honor in that there are 21 colleges and universities, and more than 300 athletes, under the MBWA Division I men's umbrella.
The 2025-26 All-Met teams will be honored at the 93rd MBWA Haggerty Awards dinner on Thursday, April 23, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel & Conference Center in Tarrytown, NY. The Haggerty dinner, which also will be Livestreamed, is the longest running, media-managed college basketball awards program in the United States.
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