2026-27 Men's Basketball Roster
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Jersey Number 0
Tariq Francis
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 180
- Class:
- Senior
- Hometown:
- Pittsburgh, Pa.
- High School:
- First Love Christian Academy
Tariq Francis returns for the 2026-27 campaign as one of the Big Ten’s most dynamic scorers after a record-setting debut season in Piscataway. Francis, who joined Rutgers from NJIT with multiple years of eligibility remaining, earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention honors after leading 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 put together one of the best free-throw seasons in program history, knocking down 164 free throws — surpassing Bob Lloyd’s 1965-66 mark for fourth-most makes in a single season at Rutgers — while shooting 91.1 percent from the line, the fourth time any Scarlet Knight has finished a season above 90 percent. He also totaled 578 points on the year, the 17th-most in program history and the highest single-season total by a Rutgers player since Quincy Douby’s program-record 839 points in 2005-06.
His signature moments included a career-high 34 points capped by a buzzer-beater against Penn, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors, along with three 30-point games — making him the only Big Ten player since 1996-97 to record multiple 30-point games off the bench in a single season. Francis also set the Rutgers Big Ten Tournament single-game scoring record with 29 points in a win over Minnesota. Prior to Rutgers, he led the America East Conference with 19.2 points per game at NJIT in 2024-25.
“Tariq had an outstanding first season in our program,” Pikiell said. “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.”
Francis put together one of the best free-throw seasons in program history, knocking down 164 free throws — surpassing Bob Lloyd’s 1965-66 mark for fourth-most makes in a single season at Rutgers — while shooting 91.1 percent from the line, the fourth time any Scarlet Knight has finished a season above 90 percent. He also totaled 578 points on the year, the 17th-most in program history and the highest single-season total by a Rutgers player since Quincy Douby’s program-record 839 points in 2005-06.
His signature moments included a career-high 34 points capped by a buzzer-beater against Penn, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors, along with three 30-point games — making him the only Big Ten player since 1996-97 to record multiple 30-point games off the bench in a single season. Francis also set the Rutgers Big Ten Tournament single-game scoring record with 29 points in a win over Minnesota. Prior to Rutgers, he led the America East Conference with 19.2 points per game at NJIT in 2024-25.
“Tariq had an outstanding first season in our program,” Pikiell said. “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.”
Wednesday, May 06
Monday, March 16
Friday, March 13
Thursday, March 12
